5237. Armada Place (21)

Soap, Face 1st and Zake, Armada Place, Bristol, April 2023
Soap, Face 1st and Zake, Armada Place, Bristol, April 2023

I haven’t posted much from this hoarding for quite a long time, mainly because the stuff that gets painted there is rarely up to scratch, but also because I don’t pass by this way as frequently as I used to. How nice it was to fins a PWA collaboration here a short while ago.

Soap, Armada Place, Bristol, April 2023
Soap, Armada Place, Bristol, April 2023

The pool of artists in the PWA crew numbers about five or six, but pretty much ever-presents are Soap and Face 1st. The left hand side of the triptych is by Soap and contains both of the icons he likes to use at the moment, the Ice King and a Face 1st girl. The whole thing hangs together well and there are rather nice floral bursts throughout.

Face 1st, Armada Place, Bristol, April 2023
Face 1st, Armada Place, Bristol, April 2023

Face 1st has written Face with some nice deep block letters and a dismembered leg running through it, with gloopy blood dripping from the holes. Face 1st certainly enjoys painting splats and dripping, oozing gunge in his pieces, but this one is a little bloodthirsty.

Zake, Armada Place, Bristol, April 2023
Zake, Armada Place, Bristol, April 2023

To the right, the collaboration is rounded off with a portrait and upper torso piece by Zake. The face is full of character and depth, created with light and dark – a Zake speciality. All three pieces are set on a sky blue background decorated with spots, squiggles, clouds and bubbles. It is great to see some decent work on these panels.

Mickey take

Lost Mickey, Bristol, May 2023
Lost Mickey, Bristol, May 2023

.

Abandoned or lost

a cheerful disposition

betrays your sadness

.

by Scooj

5236. Elton Street (23)

Wispa, Elton Street, Bristol, April 2023
Wispa, Elton Street, Bristol, April 2023

I don’t know where Wispa (@willow_the_wispa) lives, but she seems to pop up all over the country and indeed in other countries, which gives me the impression that she is constantly on the move. On the upside, it means that she comes to visit her Bristol RBF friends reasonably regularly and leaves something for us all to enjoy.

Wispa, Elton Street, Bristol, April 2023
Wispa, Elton Street, Bristol, April 2023

This is a wonderful mash-up of stylised throw-ups and tagging finished in a neat, tidy and deliberate way. Sanitising this kind of artwork isn’t easy, and Wispa has done it brilliantly. At first glance it might look like a mess, but it is in fact a really classy piece from a great writer. I already look forward to her next visit.

5235. Cumberland Basin

Tack Jucker, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2023
Tack Jucker, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2023

Tack Jucker is an artist whose work I have enjoyed from the very first piece I saw back in October 2021. Animals are his speciality, but he has also painted several hand studies too and this is one of them. I have been aware of this piece for about a year, but recently re-photographed it, because I couldn’t find it in my archives.

Tack Jucker, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2023
Tack Jucker, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2023

There is a lot of symbolism in this piece, with an all seeing eye in the palm of the hand and tears cascading down to form a river. The perspective in the hand is superbly worked and the light and shadow provides depth and contrast. This is a really nice piece from Tack Jucker, whose occasional pieces are always a welcome contribution to the Bristol scene.

5234. River Avon (44)

Werm, River Avon, Brtistol, May 2023
Werm, River Avon, Brtistol, May 2023

A lush scene, photographed at the beginning of this rather glorious spell of weather we are having. This is not, however, the first time I have photographed this piece, but I never got round to posting it, so I thought I’d have another go. It is, of course, by the tireless Werm.

Werm, River Avon, Brtistol, May 2023
Werm, River Avon, Brtistol, May 2023

I rather like the way that the encroachment of greenery complements the greens in the piece, and that the purples and oranges almost resemble flower petals. Spelling out WERM, the letters are beautifully crafted and filled, and demonstrate just how quickly this artist has developed and keeps improving.

5231. Cumberland Basin

Laic217, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2023
Laic217, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2023

Laic217 is on fire at the moment, and painting fairly regularly, which is great to see. This portrait piece takes us back to a theme that Laic217 particularly enjoys, which is the distortion and disintegration of the face.

Laic217, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2023
Laic217, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2023

Set on a red background, the skin is melting away to reveal the skull underneath. Of course, a baseball cap with an ‘L’ on it is a required accessory and shows off the artist’s skill with recreating the illusion of fabric and materials. A great example of Laic217’s work, with more to come on Natural Adventures soon.

tl;dr

.

Too long; didn’t read

a lesson for blog writers

short attention spans

.

by Scooj

  • When I sat down to the computer early this morning, this abbreviation was open on the Google search page. Heaven only knows what my wife had been reading, but my guess is that other readers had left ‘tl;dr’ in the comments. Although I work in communications, this is the first time I have come across this expression and I love it.

Thursday doors – 25 May 2023

Doors 222 – Bristol street art and graffiti doors

I am definitely under the cosh at work at the moment, and simply haven’t had enough time to sort out Thursday doors, so for the second consecutive week I am serving up some street art doors from my archive – these ones were originally posted in August and September 2022.

Here we go:

Mote, M32 cycle path, Bristol, July 2022
Mote, M32 cycle path, Bristol, July 2022

Zabou, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Zabou, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

Taker One, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Taker One, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

Taker One, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Taker One, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

Taboo, Lower Ashley Road, Bristol, August 2022
Taboo, Lower Ashley Road, Bristol, August 2022

Tanith Gould, Elton Street, Bristol, September 2022
Tanith Gould, Elton Street, Bristol, September 2022

OK, so you might have to search for the doors in these pictures, and in the last one the picture itself features a doorway, but it is the best I can do this week. I hope to collect some new doors this weekend.

Enjoy the rest of your 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

Door logo, Thursday doors

5229. Louisa Street (1)

Dog bless the band, Louisa Street, Bristol, May 2023
Dog bless the band, Louisa Street, Bristol, May 2023

You can expect to see more pieces from Dog Bless the Band on Natural Adventures over the coming weeks, for two reasons; He appears to be painting more frequently, and I have found an area where he likes to paint that has been off my radar, and where there are several older pieces.

Dog bless the band, Louisa Street, Bristol, May 2023
Dog bless the band, Louisa Street, Bristol, May 2023

I love two things about Dog Bless the Band, his name, and the fact that he writes MOTEL – both apparently random elements, but probably with significance for the artist. This piece, all in green, is nicely put together with its super-chunky letters. The thin, and rather subtle, pink spotty 3D drop shadow lifts the piece from being ordinary, to another level altogether. It is funny how these small details can alter a piece completely.

5228. Greenbank (80)

Raid, Greenbank, Bristol, May 2023
Raid, Greenbank, Bristol, May 2023

It is not all that long ago that Mudra moved to Bristol and since he arrived, his work has been getting bigger, bolder and more sophisticates. Another more recent arrival is Raid, whose work has made a significant impact, and who is developing his style as he goes along.

Raid, Greenbank, Bristol, May 2023
Raid, Greenbank, Bristol, May 2023

This piece is an upper case RAID, which is the first I have seen, all his other works being written in lower case. The two-tone green fills are different for each letter, and all work rather nicely, and the colour contrasts nicely with the splash of pink background. I expect Raid to be a reasonably regular contributor to the pages of Natural Adventures.