.
Slightly worse for wear
a night trapped in the greenhouse
that morning feeling
.
by Scooj
Elephant hawk moth
3811. Greenbank (10)
I get a real buzz every time I see a piece by Merny. I don’t know why I like his art so much, but I think it is probably a combination of the deliberate naive style combined with humour and originality that really appeals to me. One can become blazé about the high quality writing we see every day in Bristol, but it is impossible to walk past a Merny piece and think that it looks like any other piece of art. It doesn’t.
This is a piece of our times and a commentary on the COVID-testing culture that we live in. There is a sadness and a sense of threat in the piece softened by the style and bright colours. Of course, the little labels make an appearance and add so much to this observational work. A very nice piece from Merny.
3810. Upfest 2021 75×75 (17)
Although we might not have seen as many international artists joining in with Upfest’s 75 walls in 75 days event as we might have expected in a non-COVID year we have seen a lot of artists from all over the UK come to Bristol and brighten up our walls with their extraordinary talent. Fem Sorcell is a Cumbrian artist based in Sheffield whose arrival on the street art scene has come via textile design, illustration, art directing, prosthetics and makeup for film.
This unusual piece is beautifully designed and crafted to fit the space perfectly and contains some great colours and details that demand more than a cursory glance. There are one or two elements that remind me a little of our own Bex Glover, particularly the red, yellow and white petals.
Sadly this was one of the dozen or so Upfest pieces that was vandalised earlier this week by some absolute idiot. There really are no words.
Thursday doors – 22 July 2021
Doors 155 – yet more archive street art doors
I had been hoping to post some squeaky, fresh new doors this week, and although I have taken the photographs, I haven’t been able to download them yet. I can be pretty confident that next week I will be able to switch it up a bit. Until then, you’ll have to make do with these archive street/graffiti art doors from earlier this year.
So that’s it for another week.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s Thursday Doors post.
by Scooj
Scavenger
.
You cannot blame him
bred to seek out by smelling
picnic treats abound
.
by Scooj
3809. River Avon (17)
Wherever you are in Bristol you are probably never too far away from a piece by Eman. This is an artist who has spent the last six months or so bombarding Bristol’s walls with writing and characters, stretching his portfolio ever wider.
This character piece is one that he is fond of, and it has cropped up in Natural Adventures a couple of times before. It is a character that Eman has used for his Instagram profile, so it it one he obviously identifies with. Painted an the cycle path alongside the River Avon, this blue face stands out from the crowd. Always more to come from Eman.
3808. Upfest 2021 75×75 (16)
The quality of artists and their artwork for the Upfest 75 walls in 75 days event has been astonishingly high, and Bristolians are blessed and privileged to have so much free art to enjoy. It is sad therefore, to report that a couple of days ago several of the pieces were badly tagged by some idiot who bears a grudge against Upfest. Don’t think for one second that the irony is lost on me, but the Upfest guest list is of the highest order and their work should be respected. One or two pieces have been repaired, and I hope the others will too. Fortunately this one was too high for the grubby vandal to deface.
This work by TEAone AKA Gavin Renshaw is truly outstanding and has a relaxed rural feel about it. What could be nicer than a musician strumming away in a café scene such as this? I had thought of talking to the artist while he was working on it, but at the moment I was there he didn’t look in the right space for a chat, so I left him to it.
The writing spells TONE, TEAone, geddit? And the overall composition has a strong 1950/60s look both in design and colours. Those little iron café chairs are exquisite, and the piece is rounded off perfectly with some clever shading, especially around the hat and face of the musician. This is a superb addition to the 75 walls.
Mortgage-free
.
A red-letter day
years living under bank loans
beholden no more
.
by Scooj
3807. Brunel Way (117)
It would seem that Jee See has awoken from quite a long slumber, and is hitting walls again with his trademark SEISMIC letters, in this case with a large piece under Brunel Way.
Jee See’s pieces are usually quite easy to identify, in particular his seismic series, in which he tricks us with 3D shadows being cast in different directions halfway through the letters. This piece in bright red, with black shading is very nicely prepped and finished, and it would seem that he took his time crafting it. More to come from Jee See soon.
3806. New Stadium Road (34)
I met Mest for the first time the day before the Euro 20 final while he was painting an England variant of his letters (to come). We stopped for a long chat, and as with so many graffiti/street artists, he was a lovely bloke, happy to answer my rather inane questions and observations.
This piece under the M32 is a nice example of his work using three fill colours in his letters with some additional swirly decorations, but it is the red circles which have been incorporated into his letters that stand out for me. It won’t be too long before I have enough of his pieces to do a gallery.
Natural adventures 