Tag: Graffiti

Thursday doors – 11 February 2021

Doors 137 – yet more random doors from Bristol

It has been a very cold week, but at least it has been dry, and unlike the east of the country that has had considerable snowfall, it has not materialised here in Bristol. However it isn’t the weather that makes Thursday doors such a challenge at the moment, but the ongoing coronavirus lockdown, which for many doorsters means photographing local doors or raiding archives, or doing a bit of both.

This week, like last week, is a simple stroll around some doors not too far from where I live, and while they may not be all that interesting, at least they are not recycled from a previous post… although it might not be too long before that starts to happen. Enjoy…

A rather fetching door and surround, Bristol, January 2021
A rather fetching door and surround, Bristol, January 2021

Tatty door, nice frame, Montpelier, Bristol, January 2021
Tatty door, nice frame, Montpelier, Bristol, January 2021

Tatty door, nice frame, Montpelier, Bristol, January 2021
Tatty door, nice frame, Montpelier, Bristol, January 2021

Blue door with a clock painted on it . Six past nine. Bristol, January 2021
Blue door with a clock painted on it . Six past nine. Bristol, January 2021

MOTs here, a small garage and open door, Redland, Bristol, December 2020
MOTs here, a small garage and open door, Redland, Bristol, December 2020

Blue door, sideways entrance, Redland, Bristol, December 2020
Blue door, sideways entrance, Redland, Bristol, December 2020

Alas, that is all I can manage this week. Soon things will get better and I will be able to extend my range of doors a little.

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

3480. Purdown HAA Battery (14)

An oasis of colour in a desert of thick wet mud, and thank goodness for it, because the dog and I got filthy… if there hadn’t been any decent pieces on the battery walls I think I’d have been well miffed. But decent pieces there were and this one was a truly wonderful surprise from Hanski, who has recently hit the Bristol scene running.

Hanski, Purdown Battery, Bristol, February 2021
Hanski, Purdown Battery, Bristol, February 2021

With two Universities in Bristol, we have quite a large number of art students in the City, and some of them like to Chuck paint at walls… Hanski is one of them. Hanski’s work is like Cubism meets the 1980s, with tons of bright and bold colours and disaggregated features reassembled to create a new face. I am so much looking forward to a whole lot more from Hanski.

3479. Brunel Way bridge (90)

There are times when you have to just sit down and absorb a piece, to enjoy it to the maximum, and marvel at its splendour. This amazing piece by Sled One is one of those, and I don’t think that anything I write will actually add anything to the majesty of this work.

Sled One, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2021
Sled One, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2021

The regal character, part of a wider collaboration set on a pink background, is as unsettling as it is crazy. A lizard-like queen with a full set of pearls (is it Queen Victoria?) is holding a sceptre which looks like it has a fly on the end.

Sled One, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2021
Sled One, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2021

The surreal piece might be political commentary, or it might not, with Sled One it is customary to not really know what is going on. Accepting that there is a great story there somewhere is probably enough and we all have to let our imaginations run wild. I love this a lot.

3478. M32 Cycle path (108)

As gentrification marches on apace, there is a bit of a squeeze on the number of walls that artists can paint, and in North Bristol this is has been exacerbated by the loss of The Bearpit, which has become an inert, dead urban space that people pass through. Utilitarian and functional, but perceived to be safe, and the homeless people have been moved on to be homeless somewhere else. I have a feeling that the discredited Rudi Giuliani, who was praised at the time, moved the ‘bums’ out of Manhattan, without actually addressing the issue of homelessness. Perception is everything for politicians. Smoke and mirrors.

The point I was clumsily trying to make is that the M32 Cycle path is unlikely to be developed any time soon and has become more popular than ever for street artists and graffiti writers, whit a much higher turnover than a few years ago.

Benjimagnetic, M32 cycle pth, Bristol, February 2021
Benjimagnetic, M32 cycle pth, Bristol, February 2021

This is a very nice piece by Benjimagnetic, which has replaced a rather ordinary throw up that had trashed the Halloween piece from Smak last year. Benjimagnetic has been turning out pieces with alarming regularity lately and I am struggling to keep up with posting them, but at least I can now read them (I think) because mostly they say BEN. Always good to find a new Benjimagnetic piece.

3477. Felix Road (1)

It is all too easy to get trapped into visiting the places that you are familiar with and I have been guilty of not exploring too much around Bristol for about a year, for fairly obvious reasons. Every now and again though I have ventured into new territories, often on the back of seeing something on Instagram and setting off to find it. This wonderful piece by Dabuten Tronko is an artefact of one such mission, an added bonus, if you like.

Dabuten Tronko, Felix Road, Bristol, February 2021
Dabuten Tronko, Felix Road, Bristol, February 2021

Although this piece was painted in 2019 it takes me back to the first pieces of his that I saw back in 2017, when his work had a strong theme of wooden rowing boats. Don’t ask me why, I mean who’d ever have thought they would be the subject of street art, but in the more than capable hands of Dabuten Tronko they have an intrinsic beauty and interest. He seems to favour the deconstruction of these little boats as much as intact versions.

This is an expertly painted piece, with amazing colours and superb definition between the subject and background. So happy to have discovered it, albeit rather late in the day.

3476. Purdown HAA Battery (13)

I managed to take the dog for a very muddy walk last week up at Purdown. It is the first time I have been there for a while and there were quite a few nice pieces up there. It would appear that Zace has made himself at home up there and this is the first of several pieces by him I will be posting.

Zace, Purdown Battery, Bristol, February 2021
Zace, Purdown Battery, Bristol, February 2021

There is a simplicity about Zace’s work that keeps it real and unpretentious. Clean lines and single colour shading keeps a focus on the alien character set in a starry sky. A fun modest piece from Zace.

3475. M32 roundabout J3 (280)

Many street artists and graffiti writers have dual or multiple personas when they throw paint at a wall. There are many reasons for this, for example sometimes it is to obfuscate their identity as most of this activity isn’t strictly legal, other times it is to separate out professional from personal identities. Here we have an artist who I have met before under a different name, but here he is with his new moniker ‘SERM’.

Serm, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2021
Serm, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2021

I was fortunate enough to bump into SERM when he was half way through painting this piece and we chatted for a little while. It is interesting to see how he works and that the little smoke wisps along the top of the piece are one of the first bits he paints, which is counterintuitive for a non-artist like me.

Serm, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2021
Serm, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2021

This is a very nice piece of writing with some great colour selections and the yellow 3D shadow works particularly well. I hope this is the first SERM of many.

3474. Dean Lane skate park (386)

Nina Raines dropped me a message on 17 January to say that she and some friends were going to be repainting the North Street dental surgery, just in case I was able to come along. Unfortunately work is so busy at the moment, it is impossible for me to choose the moments I get to visit spots around Bristol, and the two days this was being painted were chockablock, which was very disappointing. Far from disappointing though was the outstanding piece that Nina Raines, Phoebe Tonks and Ana Cruz painted along the practice wall.

Nina Raines, Phoebe Tonks and Ana Cruz, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2021
Nina Raines, Phoebe Tonks and Ana Cruz, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2021

This is one of those collaborations where all three artists have combined their talents in the one piece and it is impossible for me to know who painted which bit, so this is a true fully-integrated collaboration. The 1950s look and feel of the lady with her toothbrush and toothpaste at the ready is inspired and adds a superb splash of colour in this corner between North Street and Dean Lane.

Nina Raines, Phoebe Tonks and Ana Cruz, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2021
Nina Raines, Phoebe Tonks and Ana Cruz, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2021

While the lady character is the focal point of the piece, there is so much other interest on this busy wall with the decorative patterns and outlines of children and a tooth fairy. In my view this piece is brilliantly designed and brilliantly executed, and I sincerely hope that the dental surgery are pleased with it. This is a fine landmark in this part of Bedminster.

Nina Raines, Phoebe Tonks and Ana Cruz, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2021
Nina Raines, Phoebe Tonks and Ana Cruz, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2021

Ali Hamish Campbel and Nina Raines, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2019
Ali Hamish Campbel and Nina Raines, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2019

3473. M32 Spot (104)

At times photographing and writing about street art requires some detective work, tracking down who might have painted a particular piece. This is especially true when new artists burst onto the scene. I shan’t go into the detail of how I found Tao.create, suffice it to say that it wasn’t easy.

Tao.create, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2021
Tao.create, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2021

I believe that this might be her first wall in Bristol, although I might be wrong there, but if it is, what a fabulous debut. The trapeze artist has a lovely feel about her and a grace and poise that comes across really well. The colours and shadings are very nicely done and the framing of the subject works very well on a column – it would look rather awkward on a landscape wall. Let’s hope this is the first of many.

3472. St Werburghs tunnel (223)

This is a really nice example of two artists who like to paint together switching things up a little. Kool Hand and Daz Cat have painted a lot together, but not so much over the last six months or so. When they collaborate, Daz Cat normally paints a character and Kool Hand provides the writing.

Kool Hand and Daz Cat, St Werburghs, Bristol January 2021
Kool Hand and Daz Cat, St Werburghs, Bristol January 2021

In this recent piece in the tunnel, the leopard on the left is by Kool Hand and is superbly done, I think it might be one of his best characters yet and Daz Cat has thrown up the letters DKAT. It must be fun painting with friends and playing with styles and methods and it certainly keeps things interesting for the likes of me.