.
Three little piggies
curious to find out more
the dog sniffs the air…
.
by Scooj
- we have no wolves.
Story updated
Tag: Dog
6619. Cumberland Basin
The Christmas break continues to be ultra-busy so I am rushing today’s posts a little. Normal service will resume in a few days. This piece, by Sam Brentnall is a wonderfully uncomplicated cartoon character dog holding a chicken, and whoever not?
I have only posted one of Sam Brentnall’s pieces before, which was up at Purdown, so coming across this one in the Cumberland Basin was a very pleasant surprise. His work really justifies the phrase ‘less is more’ and what I mean by that is the simplicity of the scene tells a story without overindulgent elaboration. I would definitely like to see more of Sam Brentnall’s work on the streets… perhaps in 2025.
6502. M32 roundabout J3 (635)
Like sentinels guarding the gate to Rivendell, well not exactly, but sentinels nonetheless painted naturally by Daz Cat. The character on the left is definitely a cat, but I am a little unsure about the creature on the right and am going to assume it is a dog. Cats and dogs are appropriate for this spot, because when it rains heavily, this tunnel floods, and you can see it is partially flooded in this picture.
Daz Cat has been reasonably quiet this year, but these quick ones have brought him front of mind once again. The cat painted in steel blue tones is looking a little vexed. It is great to see how much depth Daz Cat works into his characters compared to the flat cat portraits he was painting when he started.
The dog? portrait on the other side reflects the same colours as the cat and also has a certain amount of depth to it. This is not the first time Daz Cat has painted on either side of the tunnels here. Let me see if I can dig out a previous example…
Routine
.
My daily rhythm
a curse and a salvation
me and the dog both
.
by Scooj
6352. St Werburghs tunnel (442)
I have so much catching up to do, particularly in respect of Kool Hand, who has been trotting out pieces throughout the year, but doesn’t make it into Natural Adventures nearly as much as he should. This is a lovely collaboration between Kool Hand and Werm painted in the tunnel not so long ago.
The dog character painted by Kool Hand, I would guess is a female character on the account of the lipstick, long nails and hoop earring, although I guess it could be a cross-dressing or drag dog. He/she/they is spraying the adjacent piece by Werm, a common device in street art.
Werm is continuing with his newest design incarnation, which presents the letters WERM in long interlocked lettering that uses bilateral symmetry as a clever presentation of his letters, similar to the symmetry common in Hypo’s work. I think it works very well and disguises the letters perfectly. There is a deep stripy 3D drop shadow that helps the piece to pop a little. Nice work from the Bristol duo.
6228. Upfest 2024 (43)
I am always touched when I say hello to artists, and they recognise me from brief snatches of conversations at previous festivals. This is the third year i a row that I have stopped to chat with Ant Carver, and in common with most artists I meet, he is a genuinely lovely bloke who will always make time to talk for a bit. At this year’s festival, he was running a little behind schedule, so I didn’t occupy his time too much.
Ant Carver has done a terrific job with an awkward spot, which is quite hard to see from street level, unless you stand some distance away. The flat roof, and restricted access to it, meant that, apart from inquisitive souls like me, Ant Carver was pretty much left alone to get on with his split piece.
I was wondering what was going on with this interesting juxtaposition and found this explanation on the artist’s Instagram feed: “Lately I’ve been looking at the way we consume news and media and the conflict between intense and light imagery”. Ant Carver has demonstrated this perfectly in this piece, with the treat of the snarling dog, and the stoic partial portrait. Great work from Ant Carver.
6149. Dean Lane skate park (727)
There has been no let up from Dibz and Fade, and although their pieces don’t appear as regularly on Natural Adventures as they used to, it doesn’t mean they aren’t painting as frequently, it simply means they are having to compete for space with so much other art including Upfest 2024.
This is a classic presentation by the two artists with Fade on the left, Dibz on the right and a co-created character in the middle. They have cleverly reversed the fill colour layers between the two pieces of graffiti writing, with Fade starting with green at the top transitioning through dark blues to a light blue, while Dibz starts with the light blue at the top.
The writing is, of course, of the absolute highest standard, painted by two artists who are at the top of their game. I don’t know who the green dog character is, and my Google searches haven’t turned up any clues, which is a pity, but he is nonetheless magnificent. Naturally, there is more to come from these two… watch this space.
6116. Leonard Lane (46)
My sister and brother-in-law had a wonderful West Highland white terrier, or Westie as they are commonly known, called Jessie, who died a little over a year ago at a ripe old age. She was very sweet, and although I didn’t much like dogs when they first got her, I did warm to her over the years. When I saw this beautiful little stencil at the entrance of Leonard Lane by Man-X, my mind immediately turned to Jessie.
I believe that Man-X AKA Alix Lemetayer is a French stencil artist, but I can find little more information about him. This is a lovely stencil, so full of personality, and captures the animal perfectly. I believe that he may have placed another stencil in the Lane during his visit to Bristol, which I think I missed when I found this Westie, so I rather need to go back. Dogs and stencils, what’s not to love?
Deer tick – 30 Days Wild (3/30)
.
Uninvited guest
hitched a dog-fur ride and meal
parasitic tick
.
by Scooj
- The Deer tick is also known as the sheep tick and castor bean tick (Ixodes ricinus)
- 30 Days Wild is an initiative organised by the Wildlife Trusts. It is an annual challenge event, for those who choose to participate, to do one ‘wild’ thing a day throughout the month of June. I will try to write a nature haiku every day if I can, as my contribution to this celebration of wildlife and biodiversity. I did this back in 2015 and thoroughly enjoyed the challenge.
6060. Upfest 2024 (9)
In the interests of keeping as up to date as I can with Upfest posts on Natural Adventures, I am posting a rare fourth piece in one day. This outstanding mural by Fesa is painted on a board outside the Redpoint Climbing Wall, which has been a well known Upfest spot over the last few years, and although a little off the beaten track, is well worth hunting down.
Fesa is a self-taught fine artist from Munich, and this rendition of a Dalmatian dog set in a rural landscape is breathtakingly good. Although the whole piece is fairly simple and sparse, it is filled with the atmosphere of a warm day, and the toppled mug is a wonderful observation. The buildings in the background remind me of Paul Cézanne’s style of work, leaving quite a lot to the imagination. I love seeing fine art pieces upscaled in this way for street art, and Fesa has done an amazing job with this one. Lots of animals represented at Upfest this year.
Natural adventures 