As mentioned by Dan in his recent Thursday Doors posts, it is traditional this week, to take a look back at the doors of last year and post our favourites, so here we go for my favourite doors of 2021. I hope you enjoy them (again). Note – all these doors were first posted in 2021, although some were photographed in previous years.
A rather fetching door and surround, Bristol, January 2021Church door with (extra) large hinges, St Agnes, Bristol, May 2020Double doors, Stokes Croft, Bristol, May 2020Beware of the dog, makeshift door, Bristol, March 2021Garage door to Electricity House, Christmas Street, Bristol, March 2021Bristol South Baths, Entrance doors, Bristol, May 2019Door at number 2, Blaise Hamlet, Bristol, May 2021Door to the Hospital of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1254), Chichester, May 2021Door with beautiful brickwork including a crest above it, Chichester, May 2021Closed shop door, Lyme Regis, Dorset, July 2021Perfectly proportioned house and fine blue door, Lyme Regis, Dorset, July 2021Polruan Block House door, Polruan, Cornwall, August 2021Blue hillside door, Liskeard, Cornwall, August 2021A stunning door to the former home of the mother and aunt of the Brontë sisters, Penzance, Cornwall, August 2021Captain Cutters House door, Penzance, Cornwall, August 2021Vine cottage green door, Looe, Cornwall, October 2021Double garage doors, Bristol, June 2021
So another year of Thursday doors comes to an end – with all the COVID-19 disruption it hasn’t been the easiest year to get out and photograph doors, but it has nonetheless been great fun. May I take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy Christmas and New Year, and see you all in 2022.
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.
I am definitely struggling to keep up with the volume of work that Stivs is producing these days, and I still have some real corkers in my archive that are under serious threat of not making it onto Natural Adventures at all. I need a quiet period when I can dig out some of these nuggets and publish them.
Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2021
This recent piece is one of two, side-by-side in one of Stivs’ favourite spots, and as he is inclined to do these days, he has gone ‘big’ with both. His calligraffiti style has gone quite Gothic on us with this piece, but the letters are clean and clear, spelling out STIVS, where the ‘S’s have reclined slightly. Yet another tight piece of graffiti writing from this tireless creative talent.
I would think it would be safe to say that Laic217’s status as a character artist in Bristol is at the highest level, and what is so gratifying about this has been watching his consistent progress over the years. His pieces are so self-assured, and have an ease about them, although the content is sometimes not quite so easy. This is one of at least three recent pieces by Laic217 in Bristol.
Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2021
The subtle use of colour in the background is just enough to provide some contrast with the greyscale character, helping to lift it from the wall. The theme is a common one for Laic217, with a skeleton, clad in dark robe material, is busy spraying the wall with cloudy grey paint. The whole thing appears effortless, although that is only because the artist’s expertise has made it do. This is a great and typical example of Laic217’s work.
Painted alongside Rozalita and 3F fino on the Sally Army wall at Dean Lane skate park, this striking portrait is by Tao.create. I have only seen a handful of pieces by the artist and I have liked what I have seen so far, but this is the best yet and introduces her work to a larger and more engaged audience.
Tao.create, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021
The bright portraits demands to be looked at and is big, bold and colourful. Some elements are better painted than others, the hair is very nicely done, and some of the features more developed than others (for example the nose has more work and detail than the mouth). I would like to think that Tao.create will continue to develop her obvious skills and follow in the footsteps of other Bristol portrait artists such as Pekoe and Hazard. Definitely one to look out for.
This is the third piece I have posted from this favourite wall of mine in Bedminster. It is also another example of the great work from Tack Jucker, who has embedded himself quickly into the Bristol graffiti art scene with relative ease.
Tack Jucker, Catherine Mead Street, Bristol, November 2021
Tack Jucker is an artist who seems to enjoy painting wildlife, and in particular monkeys and apes, and in this respect he shares an interest with Nightwayss. Now I’d love to see a collaboration of monkeys from these two.
This piece from Tack looks a lot like a chimpanzee, with a rather aggressive expression, and sharper than normal teeth. The absence of pupils in the eyes, gives the character a bit of a distant and ghostly look. This is a lovely piece painted in pink and rose shades and is as good as anything else I have seen from the artist.
As I have recently mentioned, the long brick wall at Sparke Evans Park is fast becoming one of the premium walls in Bristol, and the quality of artwork there is improving all the time, perhaps highlighted by this remarkable collaboration between Dibz and Shade One.
Dibz and Shade One, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, November 2021
The left hand side is a characteristically colourful piece of wildstyle graffiti writing from Dibz and is a birthday celebration for a friend. I can’t decipher the writing, but it looks something like ‘Motof’… ish.
Dibz and Shade One, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, November 2021
I believe that the outstanding portrait by Shade One in greyscale is a picture of the Birthday girl, but I cannot be certain, but it would make sense. Shade One’s portraits are always eye-catching and this one is no exception. All in all a remarkable collaborative effort.
It is thrilling to see so many female artists hitting the streets through paint jams organised by the Bristol Womxn Mural Collective, and last month’s session in Dean Lane skate park were particularly productive, including this gorgeous fox mural by Urban Fay (Natasha Fay Watson).
Urban Fay, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021
I’m not too sure I have posted anything by Urban Fay before, so this fox, a creature so closely associated with Bristol, is a perfect start. The decaying animal reminds us of the circle of life, and there is a lovely bit of narrative from the artist on this:
What wondrous blessings each morning’s sunrise brings us. The cycle goes on.
