Werm is continuing along his journey, experimenting with bilateral symmetry in his writing. The symmetry in this one is notable, but I think that it might be the colour scheme that initially attracts the eye, with some nice contrasting reds, greens and oranges.
Werm, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2025
What baffles me about writers like Werm is how they manage to get everything ‘right’ if you know what I mean. For example, in this piece the green drop shadow veers off to the right, but it needs to be perfect across all the letters otherwise something would look out of kilter. I suppose the old adage, practice makes perfect, applies here, but it is still an admirable talent.
This trio of pieces in the tunnel, show how busy Mr Klue has been of late in his favourite spot. The one on the left was painted a day or two before the other two, which I think might have been created in a single session.
Mr Klue, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025
The left-hand piece, as with all of them, spells KLUE and has a green base palette. Ephemeral, smoky, abstract letters are part of the USP I would expect to see from Mr Klue and he rarely disappoints. There is little more to add from these three pieces, other than their colour differences.
Mr Klue, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025
Pinks and purples dominate in this middle piece, with some yellow highlights along some edges.
Mr Klue, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025
Finally, the trio is rounded off on the right with a piece that is predominantly white, again with some yellow highlights. All three together show how Mr Klue’s abstract writing is based around the same simple concept, but can look completely different depending on the design details and colour palette. A busy man.
Pekoe is a firm favourite on Natural Adventures, and this piece, which was painted alongside RBF crew friends Desi and Pura formed the centrepiece of the triptych. I know that Pekoe has an interest in stained-glass windows, and this piece perfectly reflects that interest.
Pekoe, Greenway Bush Lane, Bristol, February 2025
I love Pekoe’s tagline, which appears in most of her work these days ‘hot girls hate fascists’ because it really belittles those whose attitudes are shaped by nasty figures such as Andrew Tate, Trump and the like, who prey on the disillusionment of young men and steer them towards a far right solution to all their problems and whose attitudes undo all the progressive policies that have made the world a much fairer place in my lifetime.
This is a lovely piece that showcases Pekoes versatility, and I wonder if we are going to see any more of these stained-glass style pieces in the future.
I haven’t seen Elvs for an absolute age, and his visits to Bristol seem to be on the scarce side, so coming across this wonderful piece of graffiti writing last month was a real treat.
Elvs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2025
There are a few artists that I have seen about the UK who use a similar style to Elvs, but he is the only one I know of in the Bristol area. His solid letters are broken up by fine lines that provide the letter shapes, and the fill is a nicely joined pair of red colours that bleed into one another without fuss. Elvs has painted a rather nice contrasting blue drop shadow, and of course the whole thing is finished with a clean and crisp black border. I look forward to the next one.
Squire has only recently come on to my radar, and I think this is the third Squire piece I have posted in recent weeks, each of them quite different, and I think I’m going to enjoy finding their pieces. It feels like having something new to collect, if that makes sense.
Squire, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2025
Painted onto a skate park ramp, these blue and black letters have a rather nice irregular, almost cartoony style. A nice white surround and red/yellow border finish the writing nicely, which, without highlights or starbursts, looks quite flat, but nonetheless interesting. I think I got to this piece while it was still quite fresh, because it hasn’t been too scuffed. Upwards and onwards with Squire.
I have spoken ad nauseam about how Daz Cat’s work has become more sophisticated in recent years, so I won’t go on about it now except to say that this is a wonderful, complex piece that encapsulates the new level that he has found for himself.
Daz Cat, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2025
A cat-human character, wearing bright yellow sunglasses, is playing host to a cat character nestled in her hair. There is a story, but I can’t fathom it out. Daz Cat has selected some calming purples and oranges for this piece, which work very nicely together. There is plenty of depth in the portrait, which the three-quarter profile helps to achieve. A really cracking piece from Daz Cat.
This is the last post from my trip to Buxton, and we say farewell to this beautiful Derbyshire town with a set of doors that includes the famous Buxton Opera House, an outstanding building and vibrant concert venue, that punches well above its weight in terms of its location, probably reflecting a more prosperous period when the wealthy would flock to the spa town.
Although this is the last post from Buxton, the good news is that I have doors lined up from Copenhagen, Marrakesh, Rochester and from a trip to Godalming on Tuesday this week amongst many other folders of doors ready for posting. In fact, my archive is growing faster than I am able to post… something to keep me going at least. I hope you enjoy this swan song from Buxton:
Rotating door and beautiful stone entrance to the Old Hall Hotel, Buxton, Derbyshire, April 2024
Double doors to St Ann’s Well Water Pump Room (for Devonshire hospital patients only), Buxton, Derbyshire, April 2024
Beautiful shopfronts with green doors and superb tile work, Buxton, Derbyshire, April 2024
Doors and stunning architecture of the Buxton Opera House and Gardens, Buxton, Derbyshire, April 2024
Two double doors and side entrances to the Buxton Opera House, Buxton, Derbyshire, April 2024
An original door in the ‘hot house’ of the Buxton Gardens, Buxton, Derbyshire, April 2024
Doors and entrance to the Devonshire Dome building, Buxton, Derbyshire, April 2024
On this last building, here is a snippet from Wikipedia with some really interesting facts about the place:
The Devonshire Dome building (previously known as the Devonshire Royal Hospital) is a Grade II* listed 18th-century former stable block in Buxton, Derbyshire. It was built by John Carr of York and extended by architect Robert Rippon Duke, who added what was then the world’s largest unsupported dome, with a diameter of 44.2 metres (145 ft). It is now the site of the Buxton Campus of the University of Derby.
That’s it for this week. I now have to consider what doors to bring to the party next time. Have a happy 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.
Benjimagnetic, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025
I am well used to seeing outstanding pieces by Benjimagnetic, but I think that this recent one in the tunnel is the cream of the crop so far. The graffiti writing is so striking in form and colour, and it is difficult to walk past without stopping and admiring it.
Benjimagnetic, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025
When I look at the design elements, I am reminded of a kind of 1960s retro feel about it, bringing things like magazine racks and shelving units that were oh so modern when I was growing up. There were a few TV cartoons at that time that really picked up on this modern style. Perhaps I am imagining things, but that is what I see in this amazing work. I’m not entirely certain what the letters spell, but I have a good feeling that it spells GRO. Tight, colourful, beautifully designed and superbly presented. What more could a man want?
Hemper’s odyssey continues with this rather nice chrome piece alongside the M32 motorway. He seems to be omnipresent at the moment and is stretching his creativity to the maximum.
Hemper, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, February 2025
This piece is perhaps a little bit more conventional for Hemper, in so much as it is not too different from pieces he has been producing in the past. What makes it special is that as chrome pieces go (which are often a little rushed or crude) this is one of the best examples you will find. The writing, spelling HEMS is relatively low-key, but decorated to a higher standard than most chromies, and the finishing, borders etc, is completely on-point. More to come soon from a man on a mission.
Natural adventures 