.
The perfect cuppa
is best drunk when it’s at the
right temperature.
.
by Scooj
N.B. That temperature may be different for each person, but the perfection remains the same.
2890. St Werburghs tunnel (167)
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.
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.
2889. St Werburghs tunnel (166)
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.
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.
Thursday doors – 24 April 2020
Doors 103 – Graffiti doors
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.
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.
An iconic landmark in Stokes Croft from Alex Lucas.
This wheatpaste was one of several from 23 Magpies, and on the back of this I bought an original piece of artwork from her.
Just start singing along!
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.
by Scooj
Fledged
.
The trial begins
timid uncertain first hops
urgent need to fly.
.
by Scooj
2888. Dean Lane skate park (303)
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.
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.
2887. The Carriageworks (40)
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.
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.
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.
MGB stands for Matchbox Gallery, a little gallery shop that DNT used to run in Stokes Croft.
Garden shredder
So satisfying
shrubby branches in one end
mulch out the other
by Scooj
2886. Surrey Street (1)
I have always intended to post this huge piece on the wall of a garage in Surrey Street by Tom Miller, but just never got round to it. Cometh the moment, cometh the man. This early piece (2016) is typical of the explosion of ideas that comes from this creative dynamo and his colourful style.
There is no point in tryig to fathom out a story here, because although there almost certainly is one, it could take a lifetime to work out. All sorts of body parts and possibly an environmental theme are represented here in this surreal piece.
At the time, I don’t recall there being much of a fuss about this piece, and I think it remained under the radar for quite a long time. Alas it has now gone.
2885. Raleigh Road vector (29)
What I am rather shocked by is the sheer number of outstanding pieces I have in my archive, and I guess it just goes to show that the high productivity of great street art in Bristol is pretty much relentless, and people like me struggle to keep on top of it. At least this pause caused by the coronavirus lock down provides me with an opportunity to share pieces like this amazing Deamze one that I had left on the shelf.
Although he is now in Hobard, Tasmania, Deamze will be forever a legend in Bristol and is sorely missed. His combination pieces incorpoorating wildstyle writing and a character are out of the top drawer and these technical masterpieces are something we can only reflect on these days.
One of the great things about Bristol is that the reputation for street art draws artists to come and stay or live in the city, so that for every great artist that leaves, at least two arrive, so the future is bright. The king is dead… long live the king.
Natural adventures 