Pieces like this are the best ones to find. I went for a dog walk with my wife last week and on the way back to our house, we came across this Inkie piece on a garage door. I don’t recall ever seeing it on social media, so for me, it was a completely new discovery.
Inkie, Bishopston, Bristol, May 2023
The portrait piece is so typical of Inkie’s style, incorporating all the design elements that one associates with the artist, with the interesting addition of a pair of yellow-tinted glasses. This piece is pure Inkie class, and possibly the closest piece of street art to where I live, and yet I have only just discovered it.
The new world in which we all find ourselves is taking a little getting used to. I have managed to get out and walk the dog every day (the dog I never really wanted, but wouldn’t be without now) and have found something of a routine, which helps to maintain some kind of sanity. Recently, Montpelier and St Werburghs have been destinations of choice, not least because of the rich seam of doors to be found there.
This selection from a couple of weeks ago are typical of the Montpelier area. Montpelier is an interesting district and is at the heart of middle/working class alternative thinking and alternative lifestyles sometimes rather romantically depressed up as a Bohemian hub. Certainly the area is artistic and there is a real mix of housing from rather grand to not so grand. For door lovers this eclectic mix provides so much opportunity. Expect more doorscursions from me in Montpelier in the coming crazy weeks ahead.
No more chit chat (relief all round). Some doors:
Worn and weathered garage door, Montpelier, Bristol, March 2020Garden gate, Montpelier, Bristol, March 2020Garden gate, Montpelier, Bristol, March 2020Door within a sliding door, Montpelier, Bristol, March 2020
This garage/workshop door really is my kind of door. It has everything… character, door within a door, function, age, neglect all round interest. My pick of the week.
A pair of doors with beautiful stained glass widows above, Montpelier, Bristol, March 2020Door with beautiful stained glass widows above, Montpelier, Bristol, March 2020
The last two pictures of doors were included not so much for the doors themselves, but more for the very stylish stained glass triptych above. I can feel myself thinking ‘they just don’t make ‘em like they used to’ when I see door architecture like this. Modern design and materials are all well and good, but cost has compromised so much in the way of decoration.
That’s your lot for another week – there will be more next time. May I take this opportunity to wish you all a happy Easter and happy Passover
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors and you ought to take a look at the Norm 2.0 blog – the originator of Thursday Doors where there are links to yet more doors in the comments section at the end.
This is a wonderful old piece (2014 I think) from Zase, that I have only just photographed. Due to thee Covid-19 lock down, this wall is clear of any parked cars in front of it and this is the first time when I have been passing on foot that I have been able to get a clean shot.
Zase, York Street, Bristol, March 2020
The whole thing is unmistakably by Zase and the 3D writing in the middle, which you’d normally expect to spell ZASE actually spells A&M, which is the name of the garage A&M Motor Services in York Street.
Zase, York Street, Bristol, March 2020
On the right of the piece is a pretty graphic crash-crumpled car, slightly on the macabre side, and on the left a rather snazzy Mercedes and dashboard. I think that this is an absolutely stunning piece and has weathered really well over the years with only a little bit of tagging.
Zase, York Street, Bristol, March 2020
This area is crammed with amazing work from Zase who lives nearby. We are very lucky to have him in Bristol. I think it is high time I produced a gallery of his work… watch this space.
Following my post of a fabulous Xenz piece in Shoreditch a few days ago, I was reminded about this old one on a garage door in Devon Road, Bristol. I had to trawl through my archives and was thrilled to find it… a task that might sound simpler than it is.
Xenz, Devon Road, Bristol, July 2018
This is a simple piece, perfect for the garage, lifting it out of the bland and ordinary to become a thing of beauty as well as practicality. If only more of the carbuncles and eyesores of our city could be similarly transformed. There is a strong sense of calm in this painting and a connection with nature that I find uplifting. The bee eaters are beautiful too.
Decay is a very fast worker, and this was the second piece that he sprayed on this particular day back in April after a paint jam in The Bearpit. Although much of his work follows a similar formula, each piece is different, and brings his hallmark to a wall.
Decay, Wilder Street, Bristol, April 2017
I wanted to post this piece before It got lost in my archive (like hundreds of others) and before I get too carried away with Upfest 2017 pictures. Those of you who know the Bristol street art scene will notice the work of another great abstract graffiti artist, Mr Klue, just to the left of this piece.
Decay, Wilder Street, Bristol, April 2017
It is interesting to see how Decay has sprayed beyond the doorway as if it wasn’t even there, mentally filling in the gaps. Happy face.
On a walk to the Montpelier area of Bristol a little while back, I came across this interesting piece by Fiver aka Henry Barnes. It doesn’t get much more Bristol than spraying a Wallace and Gromit piece on your garage door as a nice way to encourage people not to park in front of it.
Fiver, St Andrews Road, Bristol, December 2016
There is no doubting Fiver’s skill, and this is a nice piece. However, he is another Bristol artist who appears to have been under my radar, and this is the first of his pieces that I have featured. I think he tends to do a lot of work using existing characters from cartoons. On doing a bit of research, I found this nice article about how he proposed to his girlfriend in front of a piece he sprayed of her favourite characters. All good.
I have held back from writing about this piece for quite a while because I am not too sure who the artist is. I have a feeling it might be DNT, but it is not signed, and I am not getting a whole lot of insight from the Interweb.
DNT? Wolseley Road, Bristol, February 2016
It is a rather fun shutter piece on the Wolseley Road garage, and not something you’d necessarily expect to see this far up the Gloucester Road. Street and graffiti art in this part are pretty much on the extreme edge of the more frequented areas. Good to see though.
DNT? Wolseley Road, Bristol, February 2016
This is what I would consider to be classic shutter street art – a commission with some edge and relevance to the business. Unfortunately one sees quite a lot of dismal shutter art that is created by fine artists, who just don’t quite have the outdoor urban touch. This however is good.
If the artist is not DNT, I would love to know who it is.
There is a small garage at the Western end of Wilder Street which has loads of graffiti art and street art decorating the outer walls. I think this is a rather recent phenomenon as the Google street view maps from June 2014 shows the building with plain white walls only. I have tried to photograph this particular wall a few times, but always there are cars parked in front of it. Patience certainly pays off.
Mr Klue, Wilder Street, Bristol, June 2016
This piece is another wonderful abstract offering from Mr Klue, only this time he has woven into his characteristic swirls and patterns some car wheels. It is really effective and relevant to the site. I am guessing that this was a permitted work rather than a commission, but can’t be sure. It is a fine piece though.
One of the things I love about Bristol is the tight street art community that exists here, it feels like something really significant and special. I guess all cities with well developed graffiti scenes feel the same. It is really nice though when visitors come and spray the streets and bring something different with them.
RUN, Picton Lane, Bristol, April 2016
This is an established piece in Picton Lane by RUN with some additions by Rowdy (who kind of owns this lane).RUN, you might remember is responsible for this wonderful piece in London, and I believe he has been busy in Camden just recently. Here we have a colourful celebration of love and friendship, expressed on the slightly unlikely front and doors of a small local garage.
RUN, Picton Lane, Bristol, April 2016
Men kissing might be the subject of scorn or defacing, but not here. Bristol is a tolerant and progressive city and this subject matter barely turns heads, which (apart from the masterful artwork) is how it should be.
RUN, Picton Lane, Bristol, April 2016
I love the sharp lines and colours of RUN’s work. You might spot a Rowdy crocodile sitting on what looks like a London cab on one of the panels too. A fun piece from RUN – you’re welcome to return anytime.
Natural adventures 