UK – Page 696 – Natural adventures

2473. Dean Lane skate park (251)

It feels like an absolute age (and it probably is) since I last posted anything from Jee See, and here on one of the ramps at Dean Lane he recently painrted this little collaboration piece with Pekoe. I think it might have been at the rescheduled DLH (Dean Lane Hardcore) event a couple of weekends back.

Jee See, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019

Jee See has written a rather nice 3D rendition of his moniker which adopts a whole load of very nicely done shadings, hatchings, drips, cracks and colour fades. So good to see him back in action.

Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019

Just to the right of Jee See’s writing is another one of Pekoe’s beautiful ladies in blue, a colour she often favours, and with a little tear beneath her eye – what does this tear tell us about the srtist? Is there some inherent sadness there? There is a clue in the top right of the piece which indicates that it is a tribute to Janet. Tribute pieces are often painted with a little extra love and have a poignancy to them.

I am so enjoying finding and appreciating Pekoe’s work which just seems to be on a steady improvement.

I am afraid

The world’s in a mess

extremists rise from chaos

what are we to do?

by Scooj

I have never known anything like it in my life and I am afraid. The extremists (particularly the far right) are seizing power and disregarding/dismembering those who stand in their way. To win at all costs seems to be the narrative and one that is popular amongst ignorant followers who don’t care about detail or facts or collateral damage just so long as they win and get their way, and get to crow that they are on a winning team.

This state of affairs couldn’t be any further away from consensus politics where ideas are discussed on their merits, not on their origins. Good ideas are not the property of one party or another, or at least they shouldn’t be. Had Theresa May been more inclusive in her approach to Brexit and created a cross-party working group from the start we would probably have left Europe by now, but instead she decided to lay down red lines… remember those? Then the chaos began.

In the UK, the worst part of all of this is the dominance of an unelected advisor to the Prime Minister, Dominic Cummings, who is pulling all the strings and playing Boris Johnson for the opportunist fool he is, and what does he get from all of this? He gets the satisfaction of winning, as if it is an intellectual game. He cares not one jot about the outcomes, simply that he orchestrated a win. ‘America first’, ‘win at all costs’, ‘bring back control’ – these are all jingoistic slogans designed to whip up superiority, strength and a winning mentality, while utterly ignoring reason, facts, and the damage inflicted to achieve the win.

My biggest fear though, and the reason for this rant is the way our Prime Minister and his inner circle are attacking and undermining the Supreme High Court and the judiciary more generally, suggesting that they are enemies of the state. Academics and experts have already been relegated as unimportant (Michael Gove has been particularly rampant in this field). I am afraid that the political landscape mirrors some of the darkest periods in European history. Each day trawls up yet another inflammatory or provocative episode that encourages the right wing hoards to gain momentum and confidence. I am afraid for the country I love.

2472. St Mark’s Avenue (1)

Life is full of surprises, and earlier this week I took the dog for a road walk because it has been a bit wet and the parks are getting muddy. On the walk I took a few turns down roads I have never been to before. The reward… I discovered St Mark’s Avenue – a little secret in the heart of Easton where there are stunnung pieces by Bristol artists going back several years and quite untouched by taggers. How could I have not been here before and how many other little oases like this are there in Bristol?

Silent Hobo, St Mark's Avenue, Bristol, September 2019 — Silent Hobo, St Mark’s Avenue, Bristol, September 2019

This piece dates back to 2012 and is by the magnificent Silent Hobo and what’s more remarkable is that it is pretty much in mint condition – only one of the eyes has been goofed up by some idiot. It is a great tribute to the artist that it is still here but it is more than that, it is a yardstick from which to measure his development over the last seven years. It is a beautiful portrait piece painted on a pebble dash wall which in itself is something of an accomplishment. The girl has a soulful look but her eyes are looking straight at you, something that his more recent figures don’t do in the main.

I can’t tell you how exciting it was to find this piece and indeed the whole road, I felt a bit like an archeologist uncovering an ancient tomb. More to come from this gold mine.

2471. Back alley, Weston-super-Mare

I don’t know Weston-super-Mare all that well, in fact I think I have only ever been there three times in my whole life. The most recent trip was just me with the dog and a camera. As I looked for street art, I tried to make a note of where I was or take pictures of street names, but this little back alley managed to keep off my radar, so I am calling it back alley.

JPS, Back alley, Weston-super-Mare, August 2019

The rather troubling piece at the end of the alleyway is a leprachaun painted onto a black door by JPS. The stencil is one layer, but most effective in this rather creepy place. I expect that the character is from a horror film, but not being a fan of the genre, I don’t know which one.

School

Up to school for an

information evening

slight feeling of dread

by Scooj

2470. North Street, Weston-super-Mare

There is a fascination among street artists with Tim Burton films. Maybe it is because the characters in them lend themselves so well to being copied and spray painted or maybe there is some kind of connection with his slightly macarbre subjects. In the heart of Weston-super-Mare is this superb stencil of Emily from Corpse Bride.

PZY, North Street, Weston-super-Mare, August 2019

The artist is PZY whose work is often sited near the work of JPS and Fawn – these three seem to be fairly tight, and there seems to belittle room for other artists in town. This multi-layer stencil is beautifully worked and is about half life-size. Some fine work indeed – it would be great to see some of her pieces in Bristol.

2469. M32 roundabout J3 (169)

I have been very taken with these delightfully colourful and ephemeral pieces by Eden that appeared on the M32 roundabout a month or so ago. The works appear to be simple in composition, but there is a complexity to them that probably goes unnoticed by most people.

Eden, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2019

Take a closer look at these streaks of paint and you can see a large crowd of people milling round and going about their daily business. Take a closer look still and two of the figures near the bottom have struck up a relationship as indicated by the little lines above their head. Is it a conversation? Are they in love? are they Arguing? Take a look around the piece and you start to see other interactions happening. A lovely and interesting piece from Eden.

Thursday doors – 26 September 2019

Doors 84 – Fowey, Cornwall (part 3)

This week I will treat you with a bunch more doors from Fowey in Cornwall. I have already written two posts for ‘Thursday doors’ from this picturesque village last year and was lucky enough to visit again a week or two back during a fishing trip. There are so many great doors here that I will split them into a few posts (if that is ok with you).

Blue door, Fowey, Cornwall, September 2019

Varnished wood door, Fowey, Cornwall, September 2019

Low green door, Fowey, Cornwall, September 2019

Many of the doors in Fowey have rather special or unusual door knockers and the next two doors are great examples. It almost feels like there is some pride or rivalry in the village.

Blue door with bee knocker, Fowey, Cornwall, September 2019

Close up of the door with the bee knocker, Fowey, Cornwall, September 2019

Brown door with a crab knocker, Fowey, Cornwall, September 2019

Close up of the door with the crab knocker (yours truly in the reflection), Fowey, Cornwall, September 2019

Grand door with a scalloped portico, Fowey, Cornwall, September 2019

Another week of doors over, I hope you liked them. Enjoy what’s left of the week and have a lovely weekend.

Please go take a look at the Norm 2.0 blog – the originator of Thursday Doors where there are links to yet more doors in the comments section at the end.

by Scooj

Putting the bins out

Very possibly

it’s my least favourite job

better walk the dog.

by Scooj

Nightwayss

A gallery of incredible street art from Bristol’s Nightwayss – can you spot the monkey?

All photographs taken by Scooj

	hitandrun1964 on Ruffle
	hitandrun1964 on 7637. River Avon (119)
	Laura Newhampshire on 7638. Dean Lane skate park…
	Laura Newhampshire on 7637. River Avon (119)
	Laura Newhampshire on Ruffle

	hitandrun1964 on Ruffle
	hitandrun1964 on 7637. River Avon (119)
	Laura Newhampshire on 7638. Dean Lane skate park…
	Laura Newhampshire on 7637. River Avon (119)
	Laura Newhampshire on Ruffle

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