3773. River Avon (16)

I cannot tell you (except I am) how much I am enjoying these kawaii pieces by Maesyhook that have been appearing all over the city over the last few months. The style and characters are quite unlike anything else we see in Bristol, and her work is a breath of fresh air.

Maesyhook, River Avon, Bristol, June 2021
Maesyhook, River Avon, Bristol, June 2021

This piece is on the cycle path which runs alongside the River Avon opposite the paintworks. The cheeky little fox character has a little speech bubble with a kawaii poo emoji, which in itself is all rather cute. Cute is the kawaii way, although with Maesyhook it has some edge through painting her work on walls, rather than on computer screens. I love this piece and her work.

3772. Upfest 2021 75×75 (7)

Our household self-isolation is about half done now and it is getting a bit boring. When you can’t leave the front door for anything, the fear of missing out (FOMO) starts to build, and for me, this is manifested in how many new pieces of art I might never get to see, such is the high turnover. I confess, it really gets to me, but on the other side of this, it exposes my obsession, which probably needs moderating. A time for introspection.

Meanwhile, I have got a vast reserve of unpublished photographs that could keep me posting for a couple of years at least. Upfest pieces will always get prominence on Natural Adventures, and this astonishing piece from Peter Sheridan is really absolutely stunning.

Peter Sheridan, North Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Peter Sheridan, North Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

This one seemed to creep under everyone’s radar, and I don’t think I have seen any work in progress shots on social media. The finished piece was suddenly there, appearing as if by magic. The character piece creates an extraordinary atmosphere and sensation of being locked up, one I can utterly relate to at the moment, and one that probably reflects the past 18 months or so.

It is so good, I’ll just pause and leave you to enjoy it.

Quarter final

.

We’re drawn together

a collective ambition

England and Saint George

.

by Scooj

Beneficiaries

.

Earth’s pollinators

busy saving the planet

humans benefit

.

by Scooj

3771. L Dub (29)

If you want to see graffiti writing or character work from DJ Perks, and lots of it, then look no further than L Dub. It would seem that about 25% or so of all the pieces down there are by him, and he is constantly pushing himself and evolving his work.

DJ Perks, L Dub, Bristol, June 2021
DJ Perks, L Dub, Bristol, June 2021

This is without doubt the largest piece I have seen by DJ Perks and features the Incredible Hulk (I assume) peering through a colourful brick wall. This is quite an undertaking, simply from an access and size point of view, but also artistically stretching. The only observation I have (call my picky) is that the bricks could have had a 3D element to them to give the whole piece a but more depth. All in all, so good to see such a large, creative piece from DJ Perks.

M32 Cycle path (131)

Irrepressible is probably the word I would use to describe Turoe’s current mood. For about a year now he has been interchanging his usual Turoe wildstyle pieces with his ‘shyte’ series, of which this is a recent example.

Turoe, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2021
Turoe, M32 cycle path, Bristol, June 2021

I actually really like this one… a lot. It has been written with rather slim letters on a thick white border which makes it look a bit like a giant sticker. The colour selections are very nice indeed and the horizontal transitions very nicely blended. Overall this is a rather splendid piece.

3769. Upfest 2021 75×75 (6)

Oh my goodness! There are some pieces that you look at and, well, they simply take your breath away. For me, this is one of those pieces. Painted for Upfest’s 75 walls in 75 days event, this astonishing collaboration from Mishfit and Mazcan simply blew me away, and I look at now as I am writing and wonder at its magnificence.

Mishfit, King William Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Mishfit, King William Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

These two portraits work so incredibly well together and are perfect for the space vacated by Caro Pepe and AgeAge. To the left is a stunning portrait from Mishfit painted with incredible graded skin tones and a beautiful headdress, the colours of which are reflected in a cloud to the right of the subject. I haven’t seen any of Mishfit’s work before, but what an introduction.

Mazcan, King William Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Mazcan, King William Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

Mazcan on the other hand has visited Upfest on a couple of occasions, but this piece is definitely a step up from before, and I think she must have been practising. This blue face has quite a lot of attitude and there is so much depth and bone structure created with clever use of shading. The red streaks in the hair add so much to the depth and contrast of the piece too.

Mishfit and Mazcan, King William Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Mishfit and Mazcan, King William Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

Genuinely, this is a bloody brilliant collaboration and will definitely stick in my memory for a long, long time.

3768. Brunel Way (114)

This is another opportunity to showcase the wonderful and slightly different work of Bristol artist Maybe. This artist burst on to the scene earlier this year, painting pretty much exclusively in a stretch of concrete columns supporting Brunel Way, a busy road crossing over the river Avon at Cumberland Basin. His small pieces are little treasures and rather fun to seek out.

Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021
Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021

The first piece is one of Maybe’s trademark reversible faces combined within a rectangle, each painted in its own wonderful colours and shades. There is something about the simplicity of these pieces that makes them rather calming and easy to look at and enjoy.

Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021
Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021

The second piece is a rather clever little design of a moon eating a banana in some kind of reflective motif idea. I am a fan of Maybe, and am enjoying the progress being made. I look forward to maybe finding some pieces in other parts of Bristol.

3767. Frome side (11)

The nice thing about dropping down beneath the M32, where a canalised section of the River Frome flows, is that it seems to be a popular spot for visiting artists to paint, often accompanied by Bristol friends showing them around.

Wee Nuls, Frome side, Bristol, June 2021
Wee Nuls, Frome side, Bristol, June 2021

This delightful piece by Wee Nuls was painted a few weeks back by the Belfast-based artist who, it appears, cut her teeth with spray painting in Bristol some time ago. I love this kind of portrait piece that sits comfortably alongside Slakarts, Pekoe and others who create bright and colourful faces about the city. I hope that Wee Nuls makes more trips to Bristol soon.

Thursday doors – 1 July 2021

Doors 153 – archive street art and graffiti doors

I have found it difficult to get out and about photographing doors recently, so this selection is another trawl through my archives of street art and graffiti art doors from last year. All of these doors were originally featured as posts on street art in October and November 2021, but are being repurposed for Thursday doors. If you recognise these from the first time round, please forgive me. Enjoy:

Slakarts, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2020
Slakarts, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2020

Nevergiveup, Brunel Way, Bristool, October 2020
Nevergiveup, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2020

Silent Hobo, Mina Road, Bristol, October 2020
Silent Hobo, Mina Road, Bristol, October 2020

Utility box painted with a flower, Bristol, October 2020
Utility box painted with a flower, Bristol, October 2020

Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2020
Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2020

Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol, November 2020
Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol, November 2020

Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol, November 2020
Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol, November 2020

That’s yer lot this week I’m afraid. Maybe just maybe I’ll get out to photograph some doors before the next time we meet. Until then, have a lovely weekend.

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