Tag: Shutter

6304. Muriel Alleyway (8)

Mind 49, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, August, 2024
Mind 49, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, August, 2024

This was a bit of a red-letter day… not only was it gorgeous weather, but I got to meet Mind 49 for the first time, having been following his work for a number of years. He was painting alongside the Bristol Mural Collective at Bristol’s smallest street art festival at the end of July.

Mind 49, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, July, 2024
Mind 49, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, July, 2024

This is the first shutter piece that I have seen Mind 49 paint, and although the portrait is magnificent, I’m not convinced that the uneven surface lends itself well to his style, or at least in a narrow lane, where you can’t stand back to get the overall impression of the piece.

Mind 49, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, August, 2024
Mind 49, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, August, 2024

This is one of the first times that I have seen a full face portrait piece by Mind 49, as he usually likes to paint heads from all sorts of different angles, or with obstacles hiding parts of the face, creating a sense of mystery. A very nice piece indeed from a lovely artist.

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.

5528. Trinity Street (2)

Merny, Trinity Street, Bristol, September 2023
Merny, Trinity Street, Bristol, September 2023

On a recent drive around Bristol getting from one spot to another, I managed to stumble across a few Merny pieces that I hadn’t been aware of or hadn’t been able to locate. This one is on a shutter in Trinity Street next to a Taboo Pink Panther piece a little bit away from the beaten track. Shutters are tricky, because most of the time they are up and you don’t get to see the artwork.

Merny, Trinity Street, Bristol, September 2023
Merny, Trinity Street, Bristol, September 2023

This philosophical piece features three passers-by  and the words; “The earth spins on its axis, one man struggles while another relaxes”. I like that. The characters are painted in Merny’s naïve style and reflect everyday people. Naturally there are little identification numbers and lines dotted about the place, consistent with most of Merny’s recent works.

5467. East Street

Andy Council, East Street, Bristol, August 2023
Andy Council, East Street, Bristol, August 2023

A rare foray into a part of Bedminster last week, looking for something that wasn’t there, led me to East Street, long after the shops had shut, which meant only one thing, a glimpse at closed shutter artwork that I hadn’t even been aware of before and which might have been there for some time. Among the discoveries was this gem from Andy Council.

Andy Council, East Street, Bristol, August 2023
Andy Council, East Street, Bristol, August 2023

From the signature, it looks like Andy Council painted this composite dinosaur piece in 2022, so it is possible that it was painted as an extra piece for Upfest, but more likely it might have been a permitted or commissioned piece from the shop store owners. As with much of Andy Council’s work, the whole monster character is made up of different components, including buildings and mechanical joints. He has thrown in a few toadstools for good measure too. I was most happy to come across this, especially as the things I was looking for didn’t even seem to exist.

5456. East Street

Taboo, East Street, Bristol, August 2023
Taboo, East Street, Bristol, August 2023

I went on a bit of a wild goose chase last week looking for some boards in Bedminster, but was completely unable to find them. The walk, however, took me to East Street after working hours and all the shops were closed, and I was in shutter heaven.

Taboo, East Street, Bristol, August 2023
Taboo, East Street, Bristol, August 2023

This shutter piece by Taboo, which I think is unlikely to be a commission, but you never know, spells out Boser, the significance of which passes me by. The anti-style letters are accompanied by an anti-style cartoon Tom cat from Tom and Jerry, with four ‘echo’ faces adjacent to the first. Typically anarchic and somehow charmingly comforting, this Taboo piece ticks all the right boxes. I am not too sure about the orange figure 8, which isn’t a motif I have seen in his work before, and I believe it to be a subsequent addition by a tagger, although the orange does match the letter ‘B’ in his signature. A mystery.

5177. Boswell Street

Conrico, Boswell Street, Bristol, April 2023
Conrico, Boswell Street, Bristol, April 2023

Conrico paints an awful lot of commissions on shutters and shop fronts, and this is a recent one opposite the M32 Spot in Easton. I don’t know how he gets his commissions, but he is either very persuasive or his ‘brand’ is recognised in the area and he gets work through word of mouth. Probably a blend of the two.

Conrico, Boswell Street, Bristol, April 2023
Conrico, Boswell Street, Bristol, April 2023

I don’t think that this is Conrico at his best, and that sometimes working to a brief can be a bit limiting, but it is nonetheless an interesting foodie triptych. Painted on the shutters of Desi Eats, an establishment I haven’t visited, is a selection of fast food, burgers and chips, alongside an oversize stylised knife and fork.

Conrico, Boswell Street, Bristol, April 2023
Conrico, Boswell Street, Bristol, April 2023

The second shutter has more fast food and a little delivery van, a bit like a tuk tuk. I am guessing that Desi Eats also deliver. I am not too sure about the ‘health and wealth’ claim on the outside, but maybe there is a more healthy selection of food available. A fun and rather different piece from Conrico.

4932. Nelson Street (17)

Taboo, Nelson Street, Bristol, December 2022
Taboo, Nelson Street, Bristol, December 2022

It was dark, and I was Christmas shopping when I passed by this shutter piece by Taboo in Nelson Street. I haven’t seen the piece in daylight since, so I don’t really know if the colours are a true representation in these pictures.

Taboo, Nelson Street, Bristol, December 2022
Taboo, Nelson Street, Bristol, December 2022

Taboo does paint rather a lot of shutters, and it would seem that he enjoys it, although it can’t be easy to do them, because of the textured surface. In common with several of his works, Taboo has incorporated a trippy Mickey Mouse character into his unruly letters. There is always so much to look at and admire in Taboo’s work, and I love the smiley peeping the first letter and the long ghoul-like fingers. I have been bamboozled by the letters, and am not too sure what they spell, APOS or OPOS maybe? A nice piece nonetheless.

4917. Park Street

Conrico, Park Street, Bristol, December 2022
Conrico, Park Street, Bristol, December 2022

My first street art post on Natural Adventures was by an unknown artist on Park Street, and was a rather unusual political installation involving a coffin. How things have moved on since then. This piece by Conrico was photographed at night, so the colours might be a little deceptive.

Conrico, Park Street, Bristol, December 2022
Conrico, Park Street, Bristol, December 2022

The wonderful piece has been painted on the shutters of one of the multitude of café’s on Park Street and is a lovely portrait piece of a woman enjoying a hot beverage (to use British Rail language). Painted in the typical paintbrush style that is Conrico’s signature, he has created an engaging and welcoming piece, one of many commissions he has painted around the city.

4528. North Street

I have said it many times, but it is worth repeating, that one of the additional benefits of Upfest is that artists often leave a little bit extra, over and above their ‘official’ pieces. This shutter piece is a ‘quick one’ by Irony that he painted before leaving Bristol. How privileged we are.

Irony, North Street, Bristol, June 2022
Irony, North Street, Bristol, June 2022

This piece is so good, and leaves us guessing so much about the woman in the portrait. We are teased by Irony, and it is what we can’t see that is as important as what we can see. I have spoken repeatedly on Natural Adventures about the talent of Irony, and this piece reinforces his status as a world class street artist. A magnificent portrait piece.

4466. North Street

Timing can be crucial when photographing street art, and shutters in particular need to be down to be photographed properly or indeed at all. Parking also presents a problem (if not on foot) with some specific spots, and this shutter piece by Taboo on North Street has evaded me for far too long, but a week or son ago the stars aligned, and I was able to grab a couple of snaps.

Taboo, North Street, Bristol, May 2022
Taboo, North Street, Bristol, May 2022

Taboo has such an interesting style, that I have a feeling might be called anti-graff, although it is only a term I have recently become aware of, and I might have got that wrong. However, using his writing and character combination, Taboo has smashed this shutter, with great design, colour and a spectacular Minnie Mouse.

Taboo, North Street, Bristol, May 2022
Taboo, North Street, Bristol, May 2022

There is a lot to like here, made all the more admirable for being on a shutter, which are notoriously difficult to paint. Captured and catalogued at last.