It must be fun ‘going big’ from time to time, and on a bad-weather day there is no place better than St Werburghs tunnel to spread yourself out a bit. Mr Draws has made the most of the space with this long piece of graffiti writing, which even with a wide-angle shot is impossible to photograph head on.
Mr Draws, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025
Under the lights of the tunnel, this chrome piece takes on all sorts of colours, from silver through to gold. Decorative arrows point inwards to the letters spelling Mr Drawers, the long format version of his name. The impact of the letters is enhanced with a colourful background using that effective combination of blues and pinks. Going large can be fun.
Another work trip, another town to explore. This time I was on a team trip to plant some trees in the Derbyshire Dales for an EU LIFE project called LIFE in the Ravines. Our team work in government nature communications, and this was a chance for us to ‘get our hands dirty’ on the kind of work we talk about and promote all the time, but less frequently get to experience.
What this meant was that I had to stay overnight before the morning of our tree planting, which gave me the perfect opportunity to explore Buxton (the spring water place) a town I had never been to, and spend the early morning snapping a few doors.
This first set of doors from Buxton is not what I was expecting to find, but my visit just happened to coincide with a classic car auction near the botanical hot house, and the opportunity to photograph some car doors was simply too good to resist. I am not really a car person, for me they are a way of getting from A to B, so my labelling these cars might be way off the mark, and I would be happy for any car buffs to put me straight. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did:
Jeep with no door, (is a bonnet a door?), Buxton, Derbyshire, April 2024
What car is this with the nice red door? (E type Jag?), Buxton, Derbyshire, April 2024
Convertible Volkswagen beetle with roof ‘door’, Buxton, Derbyshire, April 2024
Green door, green classic car, Buxton, Derbyshire, April 2024
Door of a boxy classic car (MG?), Buxton, Derbyshire, April 2024
Four door classic car with lovely curves, Buxton, Derbyshire, April 2024
Four door Jaguar, Buxton, Derbyshire, April 2024
This has to be some kind of Citroen van with rear doors (unseen), Buxton, Derbyshire, April 2024
A rather attractive four door family car (Austin?), Buxton, Derbyshire, April 2024
Vintage two door, four seat car, Buxton, Derbyshire, April 2024
Two-seater vintage car with an extra door on the toolbox, Buxton, Derbyshire, April 2024
A classic Landrover with classic Landrover doors. At 16 I was taught to drive on one of these by my 14-year old cousin on my uncle’s farm in Cornwall, Buxton, Derbyshire, April 2024
I expect that is enough cars for now. I am on holiday next week, but will try to post something if I get time. If not I’ll see you in two weeks. Have a great weekend.
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.
It feels like an age since I last photographed anything by Taboo, but the fresh wall on Greenway Bush Lane, seems to be an inviting prospect for street/graffiti artists in the area. In this piece he has teamed up with another artist (I don’t know who) to create this very pink collaboration.
Taboo, Greenway Bush Lane, Bristol, February 2025
Taboo’s anti-style letters spell TABOO, with the irregular letters partially disguised, especially the ‘OO’, also the T and last O are painted in red paint and seem disjointed from the rest of the piece. His letters are characterised by a distinctive midline running through them, a technique used by a lot of anti-style writers.
Unknown artist, Greenway Bush Lane, Bristol, February 2025
At first, I thought the dragon (having a pint – and why not?) was part of a combination piece by Taboo, but on closer inspection realised it is in a very different style, and is using black rather than blue to pick out the detail. I can see the letters HB Nick, but unfortunately that doesn’t get me very far. A nice collaboration on this rather exciting wall.
Every now and again, Donz ventures beyond his L Dub ‘manor’ and visits the centre of Bristol, and this little wall is one he has painted before. With views of the Clifton Suspension Bridge, and some cover from the rain and (in summer) the sun, this is a tidy little spot, adjacent to the long wall in Cumberland Basin.
Donz, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2025
This graffiti writing is typically colourful, and set on a plain, neutral background, that helps to give focus on the letters. The seemingly random colour patches are semi-blended, as if they were thrown at a canvass. The piece is finished with a bunch of little circle decorations. Interesting to note, that even without a drop shadow, the writing manages to offer some depth.
It can be quite a challenge photographing pieces when I am walking the dog, because he doesn’t much like standing around, and will often pull on his lead, just as I am taking a picture (annoying). This is particularly challenging at the Purdown spot on account of the small herd of goats which live within the enclosure, which send the dog into a frenzy of sniffing, pulling and general desperation to find the beasties.
DFC1848 and Skem, Purdown, Bristol, February 2025
On my last trip to Purdown, I saw this rather nice collaboration from DFC1848 and Skem. I am very familiar with DFC1848 and his work, but I don’t think I have posted any pieces by Skem before. These two monsters straddle the writing in the middle spelling out SKEM. I particularly like the way Skem’s monster interacts with his letters as DFC1848’s monster cheekily watches on. A nice collaboration from a pair of ‘out-of-towners’.
I came across this artist for the first time earlier this year, and I have to say I am rather taken with their work. I have said before that some letters and words lend themselves really well to graffiti writing, and the word ‘SQUIRE’ seems to work very nicely indeed.
Squire, Brunel Way, Bristol, January 2025
There is nothing snazzy or pretentious about this piece, written on a DIY skate ramp under Brunel Way. The letters are almost cartoony, with solid green fills and yellow spots for decoration. Basic and appealing. I will be keeping my eyes peeled for more from Squire.
Stivs, Fade and Dibz, L Dub, Bristol, February 2025
A common collaborative presentation, which so many of my posts feature, is a three-way triptych between two writers and a character artist. Dibz and Fade have played out this structure with numerous fellow collaborators, often Jody. In this piece, however, it is Stivs who performs the honours with consummate skill.
Stivs and Fade, L Dub, Bristol, February 2025
The three artists have taken over the entire corner wall of the pumping station with a bright scene incorporating the film/TV/merchandise franchise ‘Transformers’. On the left Stivs and Fade share the space, with a large robot character on the left by Stivs, and some beautiful ‘flat’ lettering from Fade (with the ‘A’ upside down?), all set on an urban silhouette scene.
Stivs and Dibz, L Dub, Bristol, February 2025
On the right-hand elevation, Stivs and Dibz have combined with the ‘Bumblebee’ character to the left and some classy bright writing from Dibs in the middle. To the right of the writing is a ‘metallic’ emblem, so beautifully crafted, with the letters THK fashioned into a robot mask. A very impressive piece by these three artists in a place that receives very little foot-fall, so seen by relatively few people.
Another H-bomb of colour and energy from Grimes, this time in Dean Lane. He really is quite incredible, the way that he generates so much movement through his pieces, which dazzle and amaze.
Grimes, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2025
The colours in this piece are warm and fiery, with so many elements, each beautifully interlocking with its neighbours. If I were to liken this work to any other artist it would be Deamz, who left Bristol some years ago now, but who also created complex graffiti writing pieces. This is praise indeed for Grimes’ work. The finishing touch of a blue plasma border is nothing short of brilliant, offsetting the warm colours with a chilly edge.
Natural adventures 