Tag: Nottingham

5700. Nottingham

Kid30, Nottingham, November 2023
Kid30, Nottingham, November 2023

I think that Kid30 is synonymous with Nottingham or vice versa, as he certainly seems to be the most prominent street artist in the city, with his work popping up all over the place. I only saw this piece after I had gone past it and looked behind me, whilst rushing to a meeting with my team colleagues.

Kid30, Nottingham, November 2023
Kid30, Nottingham, November 2023

I think the piece was painted in early September and Kid30, according to his Instagram, said it was the first time he had painted this spot, and due to the pigeon attention, likely to be the last. There are plenty of cartoon characters stitched in to the piece, but I can only make out a few of them. Betty Boop, with somebody else’s eyes, Yogi Bear (I think), Homer Simpson and the head of another cartoon hero. The picture of a masked character that is being pasted up appears in a lot of Kid30’s work, and I think is called Smallkid. I really like his style and would like to see much, much more.

5699. Nottingham

Laura Decorum, Nottingham, November 2023
Laura Decorum, Nottingham, November 2023

I have been on quite a few what I call ‘road trips’ lately for both work and touring universities with my daughter – it is perhaps a misnomer, because I invariably travel by rail, which means I am reliant on my legs to get me around the cities and towns that I visit.

This year I have managed to have a walk about in London, Weston-super-Mare, York, Lincoln, Cleethorpes, Exeter, Birmingham, Nottingham, Manchester and Sheffield, and in most of these locations have sniffed out some street art and doors. It feels a little bit like I have been ‘on tour’ and I rather enjoy it. The street art and graffiti that I find is always rewarding, because I am unfamiliar with the locations and often the artists too. This wonderful mural, I stumbled across in Nottingham, falls into that category perfectly.

Laura Decorum, Nottingham, November 2023
Laura Decorum, Nottingham, November 2023

This is a beautiful mural painted above a clothes shop by Laura Decorum, who started her artistic journey with face-painting – she has come a very long way indeed. The mural is difficult to photograph because of the narrowness of the street and height of the mural, but I think you get the picture. I think that the piece was painted sometime around July this year, and was probably either a commission or a festival piece. There are lots of things to admire from the stylised female character to the objects and textures, the fold is very nicely sone. A treat.

5659. Nottingham

Kid30, Nottingham, November 2023
Kid30, Nottingham, November 2023

With this piece, I got to see that Kid30 is not a one-trick pony. The only pieces I have seen by him before, and that is only a few, have been mash-up pieces of cartoon characters stitched together. This x-ray tortoise piece is something quite different.

Kid30, Nottingham, November 2023
Kid30, Nottingham, November 2023

I would guess that this piece is probably a commission, although maybe he simply felt like doing something a little different. I am not sure whether the tortoise skeleton is anatomically correct, but  it looks pretty credible to me. Kid30 has used this grayscale piece to show off his talent, which is pretty visible throughout Nottingham.

5658. Nottingham

Boaster, Nottingham, November 2023
Boaster, Nottingham, November 2023

I find myself writing (last night) about this wonderful piece by Boaster in Nottingham from a hotel room in Sheffield having spent the day in Manchester. I seem to be ‘on tour’ quite a lot these days, although this trip isn’t with work, but with my daughter who is checking out some university options.

Boaster, Nottingham, November 2023
Boaster, Nottingham, November 2023

I have come across Boaster twice before at Upfest, and remember really liking his surreal work. This piece is a belter, spelling out BOASTER with individual mini-pieces for each letter. The B and the O are both outstanding in their own right, let alone the rest of the letters. It is such a pleasure and a privilege to be able to visit other towns and cities in England and to enjoy their culture, architecture and of course street art. The best bit is that I hadn’t studied the street art scene in Nottingham, and that each piece I found was a super unexpected bonus. Bravo Booster!

Boaster, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Boaster, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Boaster, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Boaster, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

5647. Nottingham

Steve (STE), Nottingham, November 2023
Steve (STE), Nottingham, November 2023

On walking to the station to return to Bristol from a meeting in Nottingham, I had a few spare minutes to explore the area near the station, and I am pleased that I did, although I stressed about cutting it a bit fine with my train departure time. The light was also diminishing… I am not a big fan of these short day length. I found a few pieces, including this beautiful robin by Steve (STE).

Steve (STE), Nottingham, November 2023
Steve (STE), Nottingham, November 2023

I know nothing of the artist, but on seeing this stunner, will certainly be looking out for him in future. I tend to get so wrapped up in the Bristol street/graffiti art scene, that I forget there is a massive amount of talent beyond the West Country. The beautifully captured robin, in full song, is an absolute triumph, it is rare to see a bird looking so natural in street art work. The words Sierra, Tango, Echo form a backdrop to the bird, and make up Steve’s Instagram handle, I am not sure what they mean, but could they be followed with Victor, Echo? A stunner for sure.

5646. Nottingham

Kid30, Nottingham, November 2023
Kid30, Nottingham, November 2023

A short while ago, I had a team meeting in Nottingham and decided that It would be wise to travel up the evening before, because it is a bit of a schlep from Bristol and I would have been late for the start of the meeting if I travelled up on the day. I have only been to Nottingham twice before, and remember little of both trips. On the day of the meeting, I got up early and took an aimless walk to see if I could find any street/graffiti art and some doors for Thursday doors. It was a very productive walk on both counts.

Kid30, Nottingham, November 2023
Kid30, Nottingham, November 2023

I found this outstanding shutter piece by Kid30 near Sneinton Market (I think) and although I haven’t seen much of his work, I am familiar with him thanks to a couple of visits he made to Upfest in Bristol. Kid30 specialises in deconstructing cartoon characters, and then stitching them back together again in a random assembly. In this fabulous piece I can find Top Cat, Krusty the clown, Bender from Futurama, Pluto and the Pink Panther. Not a bad collection in one piece really. Look out for more from this lightening visit to Nottingham.