I am really flagging. This is a beauty from Hypo, who I met at the M32 roundabout a couple of days ago. He continues to turn out quality pieces with great regularity, and this one is so full of energy and effervescence.
Hypo, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2024
We talked a little of his penchant for symmetry, and chatted about Werm who is going through a phase of writing his letters with a bilateral symmetry. In symmetry lies perfection… That’s yer lot, back to bed for me.
I have Covid. A pretty strong dose of it and am rather under the weather. This would go some way to explaining why I am late with today’s posts. Natural Adventures has strong ties with viruses, it was started in February 2015 while I was recovering from a really bad bout of flu. But for that I might not be sitting here writing right now.
Wispa, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2024
Wispa reminds me of Maria Von Trapp, a flibbertygibbet, a willow the wisp, a cloud. Her name would appear to be a good description of the way she travels the country, never staying too long, so it seems. This is a nice piece of writing that was painted alongside Werm a week or two back. Nice stuff and great to know she has been visiting.
Doors 280 – Doors of Central London – Part I – March 2024
As ever I continue to find myself pressed for time, and today is no exception. I am heading down to Cornwall later this morning on my annual fishing break with my long-suffering best mate. There may be an impact on next week’s Thursday Doors, as I return on Wednesday and will have a lot of catching up to do at work on Thursday. We’ll see.
These photographs were taken on a walk from a workshop I was running near Southampton Row in London back in March to the house where I lived with my parents after I left school and during my University years – more of that place in a couple of weeks. I love being able to combine my work trips/meetings/workshops/events with urban walks sniffing out doors and graffiti. On to the doors… I’m in a hurry remember?
Double set of next-door doors with attractive fanlights, Central London, March 2024Beautiful door and porch and photobombing pigeon, Central London, March 2024Steps – door – portico, Central London, March 2024Steps – door – portico, Central London, March 2024Steps – door – portico, Central London, March 2024Benjamin Disraeli lived in this house, Central London, March 2024Austere doors with stone image of Mercury, Central London, March 2024
That’s yer lot this week. More from the same walk next time. Until then toodle pip.
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.
My heart sang when I saw this wonderful piece by Daz Cat on the end of the long wall under Brunel Way. It is not the first time he has decorated this spot with a cat, and somehow the space lends itself really well to his upright characters, which I guess is why he paints there.
Daz Cat, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2024
In this piece, the androgenous cat is doing a hand stand on top of a globe or water or a toilet seat, or something decorated with clouds. The pants the cat is wearing are hilarious, and the tottering movement of the legs, brilliantly portrayed. This Daz Cat at his fabulous story-telling best.
A couple of weeks ago, before we drove our daughter to her new university adventure, I had to drop the dog off with a dog-sitter which took me to a part of town I don’t go to all that often. While I wouldn’t describe the area of Redfield as a graffiti/street art hotspot, there are a few pieces knocking about the place and it is always worth having a little explore. I got lucky and found this Taboo piece, which might have been there for some time, but it was a discovery for me nonetheless.
Taboo, Dove Lane, Bristol, September 2024
This is a fabulous anti-style graffiti writing/character combination piece that Taboo is so good at, full of innovation and charm as well as being a little bit surreal. The letters spell out TABOO, with the last ‘O’ represented by a bricky busily building a wall. This is a wonderful piece that demonstrates the rare and extraordinary talents of Taboo.
Benjimagnetic, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2024
Benjimagnetic has been dropping pieces at about the rate of one a month or so for the whole year, many of them in St Werburghs tunnel, which leads me to think that he must live pretty locally to the spot.
Benjimagnetic, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2024
This is a classic piece of deconstructive graffiti writing that Benjimagnetic specialises in. The letters spell out BEN, but without knowing that, you wouldn’t really be able to guess. The colourful piece is made up of so many independent components that all come together in a coherent abstract writing piece that makes a whole lot of sense. Very nice work from Benjimagnetic.
This wall in Dean Lane has taken a lot of paint recently, and anything painted here hasn’t lasted more than a few days, and so it was for this wonderful piece of anamorphic graffiti writing by Lokey. The piece was part of the celebratory paint jam marking Andy Council’s birthday (note the AC50), and encouraged by Paul H, we visited the spot the day after the works were finished, which was just as well given that several of them didn’t last long.
Lokey, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2024
Recently, Lokey has been taking his daughter with him to paint (which, incidentally I think is brilliant), but on this occasion it was just him, so he was able to put maximum effort and concentration. I think that this is probably the best piece I have seen from Lokey for a while… so full of precision and a perfect teaser for the eyes. Those letters really pop. Wonderful stuff.
Turoe and Soker, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2024
Two of the Bristol masters have been at work in this fabulous collaboration in Dean Lane. Turoe and Soker have been writing for way longer than I have been posting about street art and are without doubt part of the established scene in the city. Although they don’t paint as often as some other graffiti writers, their work is always immaculate.
Turoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2024
The colour selection of both pieces is superb, with cool steel blues dominating. There aren’t the words to describe how good Turoe’s writing is. There is some wildstyle work, but it is not fussy or over-complicated. The colour transitions in the fills are exquisite and the 3D drop shadow with a vanishing point just beneath the piece sets the piece up perfectly.
Soker, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2024
Soker’s piece is rather more elongated and has a slight metallic quality. The letters SOKER are clearly marked out, but it is the design of the letters that is so attractive. What a pity I photographed it when it was in the shade, as I expect that in the sunlight it would give off a quite different aura. Simply a wonderful collaboration.