Tag: Graffiti

Thursday doors – 19 January 2023

Doors 206 – More Bristol (and France) street art and graffiti doors

I have found myself, once again, with very little time to sort out Thursday doors this week, so I am rummaging around in my archives for some more street art/graffiti doors, all of which have appeared on Natural Adventures before in posts about street art. These doors were originally posted in February and March 2022, although the photographs range from April 2016 to March 2022. Enjoy.

Haka, Thomas Street, Bristol, April 2016
Haka, Thomas Street, Bristol, April 2016
Hazard, Jamaica Street, Bristol, March 2022
Hazard, Jamaica Street, Bristol, March 2022
Bogat, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2022
Bogat, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2022
Maybe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2022
Maybe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2022
3Dom, The Carriageworks, Bristol, March 2022
3Dom, The Carriageworks, Bristol, March 2022
Unknown artist, Franklyn Lane, Bristol, February 2022
Unknown artist, Franklyn Lane, Bristol, February 2022
Graffiti and doors in the mountains, Alpe d'Huez, France, February 2022
Graffiti and doors in the mountains, Alpe d’Huez, France, February 2022

I won’t be posting any doors next week as I will be enjoying the snow in France once again, but I will, of course, be thinking of you all. Have a fabulous weekend.

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

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4961. St Werburghs tunnel (338)

Werm, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2023
Werm, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2023

An artist who never gets enough ‘airspace’ on Natural Adventures is Werm. He is really prolific and has been turning out his own brand of stylish graffiti writing on a fantastically regular basis.

Werm, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2023
Werm, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2023

This excellent gold on red piece was painted in the tunnel alongside his LRS crew mates, during the very wet spell at the start of January. The colour fade in the letters is blended perfectly and also contains a few stars and spots for good measure. The writing spells out WERM, but has a kind of symmetry about it that is rather pleasing. This is a first class piece of writing from Werm.

4959. Brunel Way (188)

Mudra, Brunel Way, Bristol, January 2023
Mudra, Brunel Way, Bristol, January 2023

I suspect that I begin quite a few posts featuring Mudra’s work with the words, ‘Mudra is absolutely smashing it at the moment’  and that is probably because Mudra is absolutely smashing it at the moment.

Mudra, Brunel Way, Bristol, January 2023
Mudra, Brunel Way, Bristol, January 2023

His signature pieces, usually painted on black buffed walls, have been coming thick and fast over the last year, and this one features a walking character, smoking a cigarette, alongside the letters NTS, the crew he paints with. Mudra’s work is always easy on the eye, smooth curvy lines and soft fills – there is something quite laid back about their presentation. Many more to come in 2023 I’m sure.

4958. North Street

Sled One, North Street, Bristol, January 2023
Sled One, North Street, Bristol, January 2023

It should come as no surprise to anyone reading Natural Adventures, that I do love a piece of political and social commentary, and Sled One, normally known for his wild and fantastical creations, has absolutely nailed it with this piece coming out in support of striking nurses and NHS staff.

Sled One, North Street, Bristol, January 2023
Sled One, North Street, Bristol, January 2023

The piece is fairly sober in its criticism of the Government and its posturing, and probably all the better for it. Sometimes super-aggression comes across as unhelpful, but I can’t imagine any passers-by failing to feel supportive towards nurses on seeing this piece.

Sled One, North Street, Bristol, January 2023
Sled One, North Street, Bristol, January 2023

I am straining every sinew not to go into a major rant about how disgusted I am with the abusive behaviour of this government towards public services and the public sector. I truly hate them for it and for the state they have left this country in.

The cartoon styling of Rishi Sunak probably does him a few favours, because it doesn’t quite convey his conceit, arrogance and false smiles that are a part of his real persona. Dreadful man.

Sled One, North Street, Bristol, January 2023
Sled One, North Street, Bristol, January 2023

I have a feeling that the doorway with ‘food bank – closed’ on it will more than likely make it into Thursday doors in a year or so, but you saw it here first. All in all, this is a beautifully painted protest piece (but don’t tell anyone, or the Government might try to ban political murals), that will definitely chime with the Bedminster community.

4957. Devon Road (18)

Rozlita, Devon Road, Bristol, January 2023
Rozlita, Devon Road, Bristol, January 2023

I don’t venture to Devon Road very often, but the irregular visits I make are pretty much always worth it. On my most recent visit, I found this interesting design piece by Rozalita (Rhozi). The black and white bull’s head on a red background has a bilateral symmetry, and more than just a passing resemblance to the Pizza Express logo (without the horns and ears).

Rozlita, Devon Road, Bristol, January 2023
Rozlita, Devon Road, Bristol, January 2023

Unfortunately, it was raining when I took the pictures and I hadn’t noticed a raindrop on my lens until I was saving the photographs onto my computer – it is an occupational hazard, but one I should be more careful with. I think I might just about have got away with it. The character above the bull’s head is the chinese character for bull, and is used in the Chinese zodiac, which is what this piece is about I am guessing. Lovely work and something a little different from Rozalita.

4956. Various locations

Kid Krishna, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2022
Kid Krishna, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2022

It seems fitting that I should post a catch-up batch of Kid Krishna pieces only two days after I met the artist for the first time, while he was painting a roller piece at the entrance to St Werburghs tunnel. Although our chat only lasted a few minutes, I was able to find out so much about the artist, his work and his aspirations. Overall, turns out he is not a woman (see previous speculation) and is in fact a really nice guy.

Kid Krishna, Stapleton Road, Bristol, July 2022
Kid Krishna, Stapleton Road, Bristol, July 2022

There is me thinking that Kid Krishna was a new kid on the block (demonstrating how little I know) but has been around for a long time, painting with the likes of Sick Boy back in the day. He has been in his native Yorkshire for some years, but recently arrived in Bristol, and has been busy painting the streets since.

Kid Krishna, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2022
Kid Krishna, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2022

Kid Krishna is a versatile artist, equally comfortable with graffiti writing as he is with painting characters, either using spray cans or rollers. He told me that he is looking at doing something quite different, and if it happens, we will all be in for a very welcome treat. Meanwhile, enjoy his incredibly unique and intricate writing in these three pieces.

4955. Dean Lane skate park (558)

Peggy, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2022
Peggy, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2022

Having only recently ‘discovered’ the beautiful floral art of Peggy, it turns out that I have been photographing some of her work for a while, but didn’t know who she was, so hadn’t posted any of it. I took this photograph back in July, and am pleased to share it now, because it represents yet another type of art on the vast spectrum on offer in Bristol.

Peggy, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2022
Peggy, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2022

Peggy creates some outstanding designs for her body painting work, and then upscales some of these for walls. Beautifully painted, these designs provide a unique and refreshing addition to any spot that she paints.

Peggy, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2022
Peggy, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2022

To the right of the piece, Peggy has pasted three of her designs on the wall, and I remember thinking at the time, maybe we have a new wheatpaster in town. Sadly, I haven’t seen any more since then, but I live in hope. Lovely work from Peggy.

4954. Hurlingham Road

Spike Clark, Hurlingham Road, Bristol, June 2022
Spike Clark, Hurlingham Road, Bristol, June 2022

I know exactly why I never posted this outstanding mural by Spike Clark in Hurlingham Road, it is because I was waiting for a clean photograph without cars parked in front of it. Well, I have given up. I think the cars are super-glued to the road, so I will have to post the pictures I have.

Spike Clark, Hurlingham Road, Bristol, June 2022
Spike Clark, Hurlingham Road, Bristol, June 2022

I had thought that Spike Clark was from out of town, and had written a paragraph about not needing to hire artists from elsewhere because there was such a pool of talent in the city, but it turns out that Spike Clarke works out of Bristol, so I have rewritten that paragraph. Spike Clark has produced this mesmerising ‘the quick brown fox’, which has become a significant landmark in this part of Bristol.

Spike Clark, Hurlingham Road, Bristol, June 2022
Spike Clark, Hurlingham Road, Bristol, June 2022

The honeycomb decoration is absolutely stunning and provides the perfect backdrop to the leaping foxes, each cell beautifully filled and colour coordinated. Liberal use of shadow black, or some other similar paint, provides the depth for each cell, creating a fabulous 3D effect.

Spike Clark, Hurlingham Road, Bristol, June 2022
Spike Clark, Hurlingham Road, Bristol, June 2022

The whole piece feels a bit like a time-lapse capture of the fox as it leaps along the wall. Foxes are always associated with Bristol, long before urban foxes were a national ‘thing’, Bristol had a strong and healthy population of foxes, and at one point played host to the most dense population of foxes ever recorded in the UK (on my allotment, in fact).

Spike Clark, Hurlingham Road, Bristol, June 2022
Spike Clark, Hurlingham Road, Bristol, June 2022

Maybe one day I will manage to capture this beauty in one face on photograph, but I am not holding my breath.

4953. Sparke Evans Park (62)

Dibz, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2022
Dibz, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2022

Photographed under challenging light conditions, this outstanding piece by Dibz carries all the signature elements that identify it as one of his. For example, the overall diamond shape within which the whole piece sits, the perfect borders and solid 3D drop shadows… and of course the signature and shout out to Turoe (the birthday boy).

Dibz, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2022
Dibz, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2022

The colour selection too is close to perfection, not only in the way the colours battle for attention, but also where exactly those battles take place, bringing a focus to certain parts of the work. This is writing of the highest calibre and a sight for sore eyes. One of the best from one of the best.

4952. St Werburghs tunnel (337)

Elvs, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2022
Elvs, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2022

So many of my recent posts of archived work from 2022 begin with a disbelief or confusion about how I managed to not post/publish the piece in question. However, that opening is becoming a little clichéd and although it is tempting, I will not begin this post that way.

Elvs, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2022
Elvs, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2022

I love this piece from Elvs – Beautiful writing and a Garfield… my life is complete. There are some pieces that speak loudly enough for themselves, and this is definitely one of those. I’ll leave you to enjoy it.