3539. New Stadium Road (29)

Tom Miller is an artist I have taken a great deal of interest in ever since I first encountered his unusual surreal pieces in Stokes Croft and in The Bearpit back in 2016. At that time he was still studying his craft at the university, but it was clear that he was creating something rather special. Some of his work is captured in this gallery.

Tom Miller, New Stadium Road, Bristol, February 2021
Tom Miller, New Stadium Road, Bristol, February 2021

What is most pleasing is that he is now getting a number of commissions and his artwork is appearing on large walls around the city, but he is keeping it real by continuing with his street art work too. This magnificent piece on one of the most prominent walls in Bristol took him a couple of weeks to paint and during that time I stopped to catch up with him.

Tom Miller, New Stadium Road, Bristol, February 2021
Tom Miller, New Stadium Road, Bristol, February 2021

Tom is genuinely one of the nicest artists I know, he is so modest and always seems to enjoy a bit of a chat. I have to say that I was concerned for his safety when he was painting this, because it was incredibly windy and the scaffold tower was wobbling much more than would have been comfortable. He survived though and what an amazing job he did.

Tom Miller, New Stadium Road, Bristol, February 2021
Tom Miller, New Stadium Road, Bristol, February 2021

This piece, as you would expect, is so full of colour and detail. Some might call it busy, but I would call it expressive. Lots of body parts combined with flowers and other familiar shapes and objects fill the space, and then there is some respite from this crowded scene to the right of the piece with two less frenetic panels.

Tom Miller, New Stadium Road, Bristol, February 2021
Tom Miller, New Stadium Road, Bristol, February 2021

The focal point is the face in the middle, and I wonder if it might be a subconscious nod to a piece that stood here for a few years of a large portrait of a girl with a yellow face.

Tom Miller, New Stadium Road, Bristol, February 2021
Tom Miller, New Stadium Road, Bristol, February 2021

As I said, the two panels on the right offer something different from the rest of the piece, with some landscape and cosmos to calm things down a bot. The far right section reminds me a little bit of the Pink Floyd record sleeve of ‘Dark Side of the Moon. This epic wall is a great addition to Bristol’s iconic street art culture and is one that people leaving the city on the M32 can’t fail to see.

3538. Lower Ashley Road (5)

Rosalita is an artist who seems to have burst into life since November last year, and although I had seen a few of her pieces before then, she has jumped into another league of productivity. This is a great thing to see, because her work is exciting, imaginative, vibrant and thoughtful and adds another dimension to the Bristol street art scene.

Rosalita, Lower Ashley Road, Bristol, March 2021
Rosalita, Lower Ashley Road, Bristol, March 2021

This quick piece on the hoardings of Lower Ashley Road didn’t last long, so I am really pleased I made the effort to photograph it. Rosalita has painted an acrobatic figure, perhaps a carnival entertainer (she does like her carnivals), in a striped red and white costume (the best colours). There is a whole ton of movement in the piece and the body form is perfectly proportioned. I still have a couple more pieces from Rosalita to post and am hoping that this purple patch continues.

3537. M32 Cycle path (113)

Another Bristol artist who seems to paint walls in pulses with long breaks in between is Subtle. This is one of two lovely pieces of graffiti writing from the artist a week or two back both using a similar colour palette.

Subtle, M32 cycle path, Bristol, March 2021
Subtle, M32 cycle path, Bristol, March 2021

This particular hoarding is notoriously difficult to photograph because of the bright sky behind it and I would guess is best photographed at dusk. These turned out ok, but everything behind the piece is bleached. Subtle presents us with his super-size letters and a some really neat bubble decorations in pink and white. The borders and shadows are very nicely done and this piece is everything one would expect from Subtle… big, bold and beautiful.

3536. M32 roundabout J3 (286)

Dott Rotten has been spoiling us with his SPOILT pieces of late, and this red and green beauty on the M32 roundabout is an absolute classic. Dott Rotten’s writing style is fairly recognisable, although when he writes other letters it can take me a while to pin him down. However, it is not so much the style that gives him away as the quality of his finishing.

Dott Rotten, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2021
Dott Rotten, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2021

In that respect, there are some similarities with Rusk’s work which is always so neat and tidy. These joined up letters are brought to life with a light and dark shade of fill with some repeating patterns of dots and boxy segments. What makes it jump out though is the wonderful contrast with the vibrant red backdrop. A lovely piece.

Thursday doors – 11 March 2021

Doors 141- Mr Bloopy doors

This week I have compiled a little collection of doors that have been tagged with a Mr Bloopy. These tags can be found absolutely everywhere Bristol, not only on doors, so this is a very small subset of these happy-go-lucky tags. One or two have appeared on Thursday doors before, but never in a collection like this. Enjoy.

Mr Bloopy door, Bristol, July 2019
Mr Bloopy door, Bristol, July 2019
Mr Bloopy door, Bristol, March 2021
Mr Bloopy door, Bristol, March 2021
Mr Bloopy door, Bristol, February 2017
Mr Bloopy door, Bristol, February 2017
Mr Bloopy door, Bristol, March 2021
Mr Bloopy door, Bristol, March 2021
Mr Bloopy door, Bristol, March 2019
Mr Bloopy door, Bristol, March 2019
Mr Bloopy tag on a knackered old door, Bristol, July 2020
Mr Bloopy tag on a knackered old door, Bristol, July 2020
Tagged door (that tag again), St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2020
Tagged door (that tag again), St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2020
Tagged door, Moon Street, Bristol, March 2019
Tagged door, Moon Street, Bristol, March 2019

Another busy week for me so I’m afraid that’s yer lot. Enjoy the emerging spring (those of you in the Northern Hemisphere) and let’s look forward to some pro[er door action soon.

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

3534. New Stadium Road (28)

The incredible Laic217 has been out and about again although his efforts over the last year or so have very much been in fits and starts. It is a long time ago since he has painted in this particular spot and how his work has come along since then.

Laic217, New Stadium Road, Bristol, March 2021
Laic217, New Stadium Road, Bristol, March 2021

I am a complete sucker for his work and every time I find a piece my endorphin levels are suitably topped-up. This is an absolute belter, and I think one of my favourites. The woolly hat reminds me of the cap that my all time hero Jacques Cousteau used to wear and is so perfectly sprayed. Laic217 has become such a specialist in painting different fabrics and textures and the black and red puffer jacket is a perfect example.

Laic217, New Stadium Road, Bristol, March 2021
Laic217, New Stadium Road, Bristol, March 2021

The pose of the skeletal character is typical of a Laic217 piece with  a spray can at the ready. Some great detail, imagination and craftwork have been combined to produce this fine work… one that is so utterly worth a look if you get a chance.

3532. Bragg’s Lane (2)

Bragg’s Lane is a little bit off the main drag of street art spots, and although there are pieces here from time to time, I can’t think of quite such a good ‘gallery’ as there is at present. This is a fine contribution from Mr Klue and Mr Sleven, who often collaborate and who were very busy in the tunnel at the back end of last year.

Mr Klue and Mr Sleven. Brigg's Lane, Bristol. February 2021
Mr Klue and Mr Sleven. Brigg’s Lane, Bristol. February 2021

I’m not entirely clear when this collaboration was painted, but it is looking bright an clean and is I tagged, so it must be relatively new. Mr Klue provides the foundation for the collaboration with his inimitable abstract style in his preferred purple and pink tones with dashes of yellow. One of his key motifs, the mad hatter’s hat, makes a welcome appearance to the right of the piece.

Mr Sleven. Brigg's Lane, Bristol. February 2021
Mr Sleven. Brigg’s Lane, Bristol. February 2021

Mr Sleven has made great use of the shutter door to frame his bright and vibrant piece. The face appears to be that of a very unscary monster with three eyes and a mouth displaying four gold teeth spelling out LOVE. The multicoloured skin of the monster is stitched together a la Frankenstein’s monster, and the artist has spelled out his name using the same stitch technique. This is a fine collaboration and well worth seeking out, but it is a bugger for parking.

3531. St Werburghs tunnel (228)

Another nice piece from Mr Draws whose work creates a drumbeat for the whole graffiti art scene in Bristol. If Mr Draws isn’t painting then things must be very, very bad indeed. I don’t post all of his work, simply because with only two posts a day on Natural Adventures I have to be selective with all artists. Anyhow, in my retirement I’ll have hundreds of images in my archives to post, so all is not lost.

Mr Draws, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2021
Mr Draws, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2021

The entrances to St Werburghs tunnel are so much easier to photograph than the interior, and the colours are so much truer. This is a classic Mr Draws piece, with a deep black shadow and some decent fills with yellow accents. Mr Draws marches on.

3530. St Werburghs tunnel (227)

Obviously I am thoroughly enjoying Zoe Power’s enhanced presence on the streets at the moment, with her recent collaboration with Mr Penfold, her work in progress under the railway bridge on Stapleton Road and of course, this lovely collaboration with Rtiiika in the tunnel.

Zoe Power and Rtiiika, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2021
Zoe Power and Rtiiika, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2021

I had heard that she was keen to do more street work but was nonetheless surprised to stumble on this collaboration so soon. I have seen two or three Rtiiika pieces around Bristol, but this definitely raises her profile. Their styles are complementary and the bright colours work well. Zoe’s characters continue to remind me of Matisse and Rtiiika’s character also has a touch of modernism about it. I love this and want to see a whole lot more from these two.

3529. Moon Street (87)

Moon Street, once one of the most vibrant and active graffiti streets in Bristol has become something of a forgotten backwater since the gentrification tsunami struck the Stokes Croft area about two years ago. Since that time decent pieces are few and far between, but every now and again there is a little gem, like this dazzling piece from Lee Roy.

Lee Roy, Moon Street, Bristol, February 2021
Lee Roy, Moon Street, Bristol, February 2021

Everything about this one screams out ‘look at me.. I’m here and I want to be seen’. As I have said in an earlier post of a piece from Lee Roy, he seems to have gone into overdrive in the last few weeks and is chucking up his unique brand of graffiti writing all over the city. I particularly like this one though. Great for the somber mood we seem to find ourselves in these days.