English climate change

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Dry spell continues

after such a wet winter

a summer-like spring

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by Scooj

2958. North Street

There is something about kingfishers and artists. They seem to represent beauty and freedom and perhaps the slightest connection with nature that our urban societies have, in the main, lost.

Kin Dose, North Street, Bristol, May 2020
Kin Dose, North Street, Bristol, May 2020

This shutter piece had been commissioned and painted during lock down, and I have a feeling that Kin Dose also painted the adjacent shop shutter at the same time, although I have not managed to photograph that yet.

Kin Dose, North Street, Bristol, May 2020
Kin Dose, North Street, Bristol, May 2020

The whole piece has a feeling of vibrancy and movement about it. The abstract background of pinks, blues and whites setting up a rich frame for the kingfisher itself. The bird is exquisitely painted (it is not the first time Kin Dose has painted a kingfisher in Bristol) and a massive asset to this end of North Street.

2957. Stapleton Road

I took a little tour of Bristol hot spots yesterday and there is a lot of new work to write about and post but I fear I will not get to share it all immdeiately. This piece was from a few days ago and is tucked under a railway bridge on Stapleton Road. It is of course by Face 1st.

Face 1st, Stapleton Road, Bristol, May 2020
Face 1st, Stapleton Road, Bristol, May 2020

This is a nice ‘traditional’ Face 1st piece with a pretty face and the word FACE spelled out in the hair. The colours are bright and the piece cheerful. You have to be quick though at the moment as turnover is very high. Another recent piece by the artist at the M32 roundabout lasted only moments… I missed it.

Emerald bomber

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An approaching drone

zig-zag crashing on the hedge

cheer the rose chafer

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by Scooj

 

Rose chafers are the most beautiful beetles, and one of the larger ones found in the UK. They seem to be more prevalent than they were in my childhood and provide an exotic touch to our gardens during May and June. They are closely related to cockchafers colloquially known as May bugs, but are rather more attractive. Loud and clumsy, these beetles have a charm all of their own (although the grubs are monstrously destructive).

2956. M32 Spot (70)

What I love about John D’os work is that it lays down a historical (usually political) narrative of our time. This is the second version of this stencil in the area, I posted the other one a while back, and it records with an element of humour the madness of the run on loo paper at the start of lock down. As an additional note, you can’t move in supermarkets for bog roll at the moment, so what was the panic all about?

John D'oh, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2020
John D’oh, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2020

I like the retro look of the piece and of course the setting in amongst an array of contemporary tagging. More to come from John D’oh who was a little busier than some other artists during full lock down, taking his allotted hour of exercise on the streets and walls we know so well.

2955. M32 Cycle path (59)

I can definitely say that is has been a joy to start finding new pieces dotted around Bristol, and I expect a surge of street/graffiti art over the coming weeks as artists come out of full lock down. Some will inevitable end up in my archive for another day, but I will try to post as many as I am able.

Daz Cat, M32 cycle path, Bristol, May 2020
Daz Cat, M32 cycle path, Bristol, May 2020

This is a super-quick one from Daz Cat in bright and cheerful colours. I really rather like it, and although it is definitely a little bit rough around the edges, it is a striking piece (and one I can use for a future Thurdsay doors post).

Allotment evening watering

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Ear close to the ground

listen to the grateful earth

drink with a sizzle

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by Scooj

2954. Dean Lane skate park (314)

Well, after a few weeks of riffling through my photograph archives due to the impacts of the coronavirus which slowed output of street art, I am pleased to say that things are improving. Artists are returning to walls being miindful of social distancing and over the last few days I have managed to take photographs of contemporary pieces, and where better to start than with a rabbit from Nevergiveup (@followmyrabbits).

Nevergiveup, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2020
Nevergiveup, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2020

This particular fellow is a Cabbit ot Rarrot and is a bit of a reshaping of the usual rabbit character into a carrot. Why? I have no idea, but probably becausee he can. This piece was one of several from the artist in a Dean Lane session recently and how refreshing it is to see new vibrant art happening again on the streets of Bristol.

2953. Jamaica Street (19)

On Jamaica Street, opposite the PRSC outdoor gallery is this curious paste up by qWeRT. This is quite different from the googly-eyed character that we are used to seeing, and something of a rarity (unless I have mistaken the artist, which is always possible).

qWeRT, Armada Place, Bristol, May 2017
qWeRT, Armada Place, Bristol, May 2017

Looking a little bit more like something from Face the Strange, another wheatpaster, the piece is of a suited man with robotic extensions for a head and arms. I passed by that way yesterday and even though the piece is two years old it is still there. not too tatty either. An interesting paste up in a great spot.

Dirty, rotten scoundrels

Without contrition

without dignity, honour

or integrity

 

The self-styled ‘king of the world’

shows his true colours again

 

by Scooj

 

I didn’t think that I could be upset by Boris Johnson any more. He represents nothing that I believe in, but by jingo he has done it again by his pathetic and snivelling defence of Dominic Cummings’ wrongdoings. Remember this lot will ‘win at any cost’. Well sometimes good governance is not about winning, but is about learning from mistakes and moving on, bringing the people with you for the greater good. I am so saddened by what is going on.