I think that regular readers of Natural Adventures will be more used to seeing rabbits from Nevergiveup (#followmyrabbits) than from Hire, but it was the latter who painted them in Bristol first, especially in The Bearpit and Dean Lane.
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2017
This old one is on the famous curved wall at Dean Lane skate park and is beautifully finished. Set on a dark red and rather moody background, this menacing rabbit (with Gothic styling) is painted in a grey-green that contrasts brilliantly with it. One that escaped my clutches from way back in February 2017. Nice to free it.
Due to his incredible turnover, it was always inevitable that some pieces by Deamze were going to get left behind in the vast filing system that is my archive. Thanks to the lock down I am going through old unpublished material because so little contemporary stuff is being painted just now.
Deamze, New Stadium Road, Bristol, March 2017
All the hallmarks of a great Deamze piece are here… the angular technical and complex wildstyle writing and a cute little character. I think that the character is meant to be Garfield, and if it is, then for once it is a bit of a dud from Deamze in terms of its likeness. If it is not Garfield, then it is a brilliant little cat, and who doesn’t like cat street art?
The biggest mystery to me during this rather self-indulgent trip into my street art archives imposed by the coronavirus pandmic lock down is that I find it quite hard to understand why so many great pieces got left behind on the ‘cutting room floor’, like this beauty from Elvs.
Elvs, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2017
Painted back in March 2017 this wonderful piece of wildstyle writing incorporates an addition of a skull and intriguingly some Japanese-looking script in yellow and pink running through the ELVS lettering. I know that several pieces by Elvs incorporate some Japanese lettering, but I don’t know why… I’ll have to ask him next time I see him (which could be some considerable time). A classy piece from this exceptional artist.
Thanks to lock down, I am sharing this throwback piece from 2017 in St Werburghs tunnel by Fiva. His style is clean bold and instantly recognisable. Large letters with a character face in a cartoon style looking on.
Fiva, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2017
It is so easy to like Fiva’s work, it has a lighthearted feel to it and somehow it always feels very welcoming and accessible. I’m not sure if that makes any sense to you, but it does to me. It is great to have the space to unearth this one from the archive.
I have heard this a lot from people, particularly those who are still in full time employment during this difficult time, that counter-intuitively there seems to be less spare time, rather than more. Working at home when the whole household is home creates a whole raft of time-thieves. Home teaching, cooking extra meals, general care and a job that has become busier thanks to the virus.
Even though I have taken a week off this week, I have filled my time with the allotment, garden and other jobs. The upshot is that I am doing a very quick and easy Thursday doors this week. I have been going through my street archives and thought I’d bring you some graffiti doors. You might have seen one or two of these before. I have a rich vein of material so expect more like this in the coming weeks.
Nick Walker, Anchor Road, Bristol, April 2015
This door was stolen a few years ago and then returned when the thief realised that selling it would give him away. It is by Nick Walker who now lives in NYC.
Alex Lucas, Stokes Croft, Bristol, December 2015
An iconic landmark in Stokes Croft from Alex Lucas.
Rowdy, Picton Lane, Bristol, November 2015
Aspire, coal tit, Devon Road, Bristol, May 2016
23 Magpies, Warden Road, Bristol, May 2016
This wheatpaste was one of several from 23 Magpies, and on the back of this I bought an original piece of artwork from her.
Alex Lucas, St Andrew’s Road, Bristol, March 2016
Angus, Dean Lane, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Just start singing along!
Din Din, Lime Road, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
ArquiCostura, Upfest, North Street, Bristol, July 2016
That’s your lot for this week…
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors and you ought to take a look at the Norm 2.0 blog – the originator of Thursday Doors where there are links to yet more doors in the comments section at the end.
Well, this is a piece I never knew I had, and may well be the oldest work I have by Nightwayss. I think that when one takes so many pictures of street art, there will be the odd ones that are difficult to recollect. Mostly they are the ones by artists that are unfamiliar, and so there are no reference points to engage with.
Nightwayss, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2017
There are no monkeys here, which makes it a bit of a collectors item. The writing in shades of green is complex and nicely done, although I’m not too sure how much the characters add to the overall piece and I am not sure about the story they tell. I am a fan of Nightwayss’ work, so to uncover this early one has given me a real thrill.
This is something of an iconic piece at The Carriageworks by DNT and Hoax, and possibly other collaborators. The wall can be dated as pre-2019 because it has been behind protective scaffolding due to the development of the site for a long time now.
DNT, The Carriageworks, Bristol, October 2016
The figure is by DNT and he has produced something similar since in Hepburn Road. I think that the beautiful patchwork background is by Hoax or maybe Sheva or maybe the whole thing is by DNT. This uncertainty might be the reason I never published these pictures before.
DNT, The Carriageworks, Bristol, October 2016
I think it is a beautiful piece and in some way really represents this area well. It is a great pity that this wonderful wall has been lost to street artists, but I guess it has ever been thus.
DNT, Hepburn Road, Bristol, August 2017
MGB stands for Matchbox Gallery, a little gallery shop that DNT used to run in Stokes Croft.
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