Mr Crawls, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2024
One of the nicest surprises of 2023 has been the rise and rise of Mr Crawls, whose bird pieces have become a familiar sight all around the city. More recently, he has teamed up with Mote to produce some great fun pieces that work so well, each painting in their own style, which somehow come together seamlessly.
Mr Crawls, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2024
At first, I thought that Mr Crawls might be a bit of a one-trick-pony, but far from it, he has been modifying his characters and switching them up as he goes along. This solo bird has a comical cartoon expression, that Mr Crawls manages to paint so well. I predict another bumper year from this irrepressible artist.
This sumptuous red and gold piece of graffiti writing is one half of a collaboration with Noise, which I posted a few days ago. The pieces were painted as a contribution to the World Wall Stylers theme for December. On reflection I perhaps should have posted the pieces together, but firstly I couldn’t capture both pieces in one photograph and secondly felt they both deserved to have a post of their own.
Werm, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2023
I met Werm a week or so back for the first time in a while and it was great to catch up. I like this piece a lot. Werm has started to simplify his work a little, and in my view that is a good thing, concentrating on the impact of the piece rather than its technical complexity. Sometimes less is more, and definitely it works in this instance. The colours go a long way to enhancing the quality of this one. Great stuff from Werm.
I have seen a few pieces by Mysto about the place recently, and feel like I might have seen work by the artist before in Bristol, but I’d have to go back through my archives (an impossible job) to be certain. There is something very captivating about these large letters and how they are presented.
Mysto, Greenbank, Bristol, December 2023
The most striking thing about this piece, on first inspection, is the overall diamond shape within which the letters ‘MYSTO’ sit. The 3D ‘barcode’ shadow is consistent and lifts the letters very neatly. The highlight is the beautiful fill work which seamlessly blends three tones of green in horizontal layers across the piece. This is a nice accomplished piece of graffiti writing from Mysto.
Sake is an old school graffiti artist who only paints occasionally these days, but who has been painting for a long time. It has been great to see this wall, one of my favourites, getting quite a lot of attention recently, but having said that, nothing seems to last very long, and I think this piece disappeared quite quickly.
Sake, Dean Lane, Bristol, Dacember 2023
The writing, and fill in particular, are reminiscent of early New York graffiti writers, something that Sake carries off with authenticity and style. The letters are nicely presented and the driop shadow really good, but it is the pink stars running through the letters that win me over in this cracking piece.
Today I mark my 250th Thursday doors post with the third and final part of photographs of doors from a wonderful National Trust property in East Cornwall, called Cotehele. Incidentally my first Thursday doors post (12 October 2017) was short and sweet – perhaps I need to ‘talk less, smile more’.
This last collection of doors from Cotehele is as eclectic as the last set, with the common thread being that all the doors are reasonably old, some very old, and all of unpainted wood. I think that the house has evolved over centuries, and so the doors and doorways are scattered around the property without any real sense of planning, which adds to the character of this rambling eccentric property. I recommend a trip very highly if you should ever find yourself in the area.
Here we go:
Main hall door adorned with a whalebone? arch, Cotehele, Cornwall, August 2023Fabulous glass panelled door, Cotehele, Cornwall, August 2023Stunning writing desk with multiple drawers and doors, Cotehele, Cornwall, August 2023Door into a very narrow bedroom, Cotehele, Cornwall, August 2023Panelled door into a bedroom, Cotehele, Cornwall, August 2023Well worn panelled door, Cotehele, Cornwall, August 2023Ornate wooden door, Cotehele, Cornwall, August 2023Landing door with curious frame and well worn keyhole and handle, Cotehele, Cornwall, August 2023Cotehele, Cornwall, August 2023
That’s it from East Cornwall for now. I will not be posting Thursday doors next week, instead I will be enjoying the slopes of the SW Alps. See you in a couple of weeks.
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.
Although I have seen several pieces by Sub dotted about the place, this is the first time I have posted one on Natural Adventures. I met him for the first time when he was painting this piece alongside Bloem, who I also met for the first time – it appears that they often paint together, which I kind of already knew, but the penny only fully dropped properly when I saw them together.
Sub, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2024
This is a very nicely worked piece with large bold letters and a solid blue fill flooding across the whole thing. The letters are nicely formed, and apart from the green smudges, the piece is simple, with only some feature lines on the drop shadow, providing a sense of perspective. I have a feeling that there is a lot more to come from Sub, and I will watch his development with interest.
Claro_que_sssnoh, Frome Side, Bristol, January 2024
I only venture down under the M32 alongside the canalised River Frome when I don’t have the dog with me, so it doesn’t happen very often, more is the pity, because there are often some cracking works to be found, such as this lovely large piece of graffiti writing from Claro_que_sssnoh.
Claro_que_sssnoh, Frome Side, Bristol, January 2024
This wall is large, and there is a steep ledge just in front of it, so the best way to take pictures is from the opposite bank. The writing is instantly recognisable as Claro_que_ssnoh’s work, and spells out HONS in his unusual angular/curvy script. Great colours and a decent background help to make this one stand out a bit. Another one for the gallery.
Kool Hand has come on a long way from his early days, when he concentrated on one character, his orangutan, that gave him scope to practice his technique. Fast forward to now, and he is coming up with all sorts of characters, and adding layers of sophistication to his painting.
Kool Hand, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2023
This looks like a crocodile character, really stands out with the white background and the colours he has chosen, there is definitely no hiding here. The fills are good and solid, the lines thick, but crisp, and his cutting-in is good too. All round, this is a good character piece from the Bristol regular.
Just a reminder that Face 1st remains one of my favourite Bristol artists. He and his PWA friends provide the rhythm and bass upon which the Bristol street and graffiti art scene thrive. This piece, I think a solo effort, takes us back to a simpler version of Face 1st’s work.
Face 1st, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, January 2024
This laughing girl piece with the letters FACE making up her hair is a theme that Face 1st has used to great effect for many years, and here, he is reminding us that he is happy to keep revisiting the idea, in his unstoppable way. What is a little different to similar pieces from the past is that the letters are made to look chunky and deep some good 3D work. Keep ’em coming.
Natural adventures 