Tag: Earth

6667. Greville Smyth Park (4)

Andrew Burns Colwill, Greville Smyth Park, Bristol, January 2024
Andrew Burns Colwill, Greville Smyth Park, Bristol, January 2024

I found this piece, by Andrew Burns Colwill, in my archives and I can’t for the life of me understand why I haven’t posted it before. His work is so good that every time I photograph it, I try to post it on Natural Adventures. Something went wrong with the system here, but at least I am putting things straight now.

Andrew Burns Colwill, Greville Smyth Park, Bristol, January 2024
Andrew Burns Colwill, Greville Smyth Park, Bristol, January 2024

I have a feeling that the incredible mural may have been painted as an Upfest piece back in 2022, but I only photographed t in January 2024, so not only am I slow in posting it, I was also very slow in finding in in the first place. As with all of Andrew Burns Colwill’s pieces there is a strong story happening here, and my interpretation is that mankind is running out of time on this beautiful Earth. There is a deep sadness in the piece which is extremely powerful. As ever Andrew Burns Colwill reminds us of our fragile relationship with the place we call home.

6248. Stokes Croft

3Dom, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2024
3Dom, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2024

The world is under threat from so many different pressures, most of them man-made. Much of 3Dom’s work is dedicated to illustrating our fragile earth with a blend of catastrophe and hope, outlining the problem through the subject of his work and then painting something beautiful and inspirational. Clever stuff.

3Dom, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2024
3Dom, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2024

3Dom has painted this wall numerous time, but not for a very long while. Indeed, I think that my very first introduction to the genius of 3Dom was a piece in this spot. I’ll have a little rummage and see if I can find some of his earlier pieces here. Hold on a mo… yes, here they are. Brilliant stuff. Interesting to see how the bin has disappeared and then returned, and a street sign introduced… the changing face of a single wall.

3Dom, Stokes Croft, Bristol, June 2016
3Dom, Stokes Croft, Bristol, June 2016
3Dom, Stikes Croft, Bristol, September 2015
3Dom, Stokes Croft, Bristol, September 2015

5990. Sevier Street (3)

3Dom, Sevier Street, Bristol, April 2024
3Dom, Sevier Street, Bristol, April 2024

It would appear that 3Dom ‘owns’ this spot in Sevier Street, opposite the Better Food supermarket, as there has been one of his pieces here for a very long time and which has been left untagged and respected. The refresh is a showcase of just how skilled and creative 3Dom is.

3Dom, Sevier Street, Bristol, April 2024
3Dom, Sevier Street, Bristol, April 2024

It is difficult to be sure what the story to this magnificent piece is, but you can be sure there is a story. Often 3Dom’s work conveys a deep sense of loss for the natural world and I get that kind of vibe here. The character, a surreal portrayal with a large green head and single eye, is gently holding a fragile planet Earth on the end of a stick, while sitting on the folds of a hole in the universal vista. The paintwork and finishing is utterly awesome, although the unfolding story leaves me with a rather sad and wistful feeling.

5347. Cumberland Basin

Urban Fay, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2023
Urban Fay, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2023

One of the refreshing things about the Bristol Mural Collective paint jams is that most of the pieces created are murals predominantly painted with materials other than spray cans, which brings a whole other dimension to the spectrum of styles and techniques used to paint our walls. This is a moody mother earth piece from Urban Fay.

Urban Fay, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2023
Urban Fay, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2023

I am always likely to enjoy environmental pieces, and this one hits the spot. A reclining figure melds into the hillside while a red sun sets on the horizon with telegraph poles hugging the crest of the hill. There are some words to the right of the piece which say. “Suffering a sea change, we rearrange into entirely new shapes”. The female figure’s tears join the river that meanders down the contours of her face to the sea.

Urban Fay, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2023
Urban Fay, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2023

Zooming in, there is detail so small on the figure’s face in the form of tiny little fir trees. This is an unusual piece, which we would be unlikely to see without the great organising skills of Nina Raines and the Bristol Mural Collective.

4079. Alexandra Parade (2), Weston-super-Mare

I have never made any secret of the fact that I love the work of JPS and that he is without question in my top five favourite street artists, although I don’t know who the other four would be. For this reason, it is always a pleasure to visit Weston-super-Mare, his original hometown, where so many of his stencil pieces adorn the town’s walls.

JPS, Alexandra Parade, Weston-super-Mare, September 2021
JPS, Alexandra Parade, Weston-super-Mare, September 2021

This is quite an old piece, but one that I have always admired. I took this picture on my recent visit, but I think I have a pictures from some time ago that just never got published on this blog. Shame on me, although my heightened sense of self-doubt wonders whether this might be a repeat of a stencil he painted elsewhere.

JPS, Alexandra Parade, Weston-super-Mare, September 2021
JPS, Alexandra Parade, Weston-super-Mare, September 2021

This innocent-looking piece is a potent reminder of the fragility of planet Earth, but one that also transports us back to both our own childhoods but also to an era of innocence that is now long since gone. These retro scenes are always beautifully presented and executed and demonstrate why JPS is held in such high regard.

Beneficiaries

.

Earth’s pollinators

busy saving the planet

humans benefit

.

by Scooj

Decline and fall

.

In just one lifetime

we have ruined everything

my home, planet Earth

.

by Scooj

3220. Cheltenham 2020 (9)

This year’s Cheltenham Paint Festival felt a little strange because of the far-reaching impacts of the coronavirus epidemic. In a way the Festival lends itself to social distancing because of the dispersed nature of the pieces across the town, but keeping one’s distance while talking to the artists, or the emptiness of some of the venues added a surreal layer to the whole experience.

Sam Art, Paint Festival 2020, Cheltenham, September 2020
Sam Art, Paint Festival 2020, Cheltenham, September 2020

I found this piece in the Two Pigs, and had to don a facemask to walk through the gaming pub to get to the back yard where a few pieces had been painted. I was there completely alone, which felt odd. I was however rewarded with this outstanding small piece by Sam Art, which is clearly a commentary on the state of our planet at this time. Some of you might remember his extraordinary photorealistic piece from last year’s festival. A fabulous artist.

Sam Art, Paint festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019
Sam Art, Paint festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019

Late afternoon

.

Late afternoon sun

warms damp lawns and flower beds

fine smells of the earth

.

by Scooj

 

2558. Millpond Street (7)

Roughly every six months or so this wall on the side of Domestic Drain Services gets a makeover. It is not a commission as such, more like permission and the cost of the paint thrown in, the payback is that the company get a beautifully sprayed landmark that can just about be seen from this busy motorway junction.

This piece is a collaboration between SPzero76, Squirl and Kid Crayon.

SPZero76, Millpond Street, Bristol, October 2019
SPZero76, Millpond Street, Bristol, October 2019

On the left is the highly detailed work of SPZero76 full of busy action and cartoon capers. The words ‘Lost Eats’ on the side of the rocket is a conflation of two crews, the Lost Souls, which SPZero76 and Squirl belong to and Eats which is the pairing of SPZero76 and Kid Crayon. A nice touch.

Squirl, Millpond Street, Bristol, October 2019
Squirl, Millpond Street, Bristol, October 2019

The central part of the collaboration is a much more tranquil almost abstract space idea going on from Squirl. I have seen a little bit of his work on his occasional visits to Bristol for Upfest so it was nice to see this contribution from him.

Kid Crayon, Millpond Street, Bristol, October 2019
Kid Crayon, Millpond Street, Bristol, October 2019

Finally, on the right is a rather splendid space woman alien kind of thing with the astronaut clad in terrestrial clothes holding the earth with a little space shuttle breaking through the atmosphere. Great, imaginative stuff.

This whole collaboration seems to have the brief of space, but beyond that each artist has absolutely done his own thing, so this is a three-way individual collaboration loosely based on a single idea.