Urban – Page 142 – Natural adventures

6093. Upfest 2024 (20)

Anna Higgie, North Street, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

There are some pieces that don’t require lengthy explanations or commentary because their beauty speaks for themselves and this gorgeous mural by Anna Higgie painted for Upfest 2024 is one of those.

Anna Higgie is an illustrator, originally from Australia, but now based in Bristol and who works out of a studio in Stokes Croft. I have posted a couple of her pieces on Natural Adventures before, but I think her street work is occasional and that she focuses on her illustrations. This bright and striking floral piece is so good, and if I am honest, deserves a rather nicer wall than this one, but perhaps the beauty of the piece is enhanced by the slightly grubby surroundings. This piece could hang happily in a gallery or home (with a wall big enough)… for example my home! As ever at Upfest it is always gratifying to see a good mix of local, national and international artists represented.

Thursday doors – 13 June 2024 – Street art doors

Doors 268 – Street art and graffiti doors of Bristol (and Weston-super-Mare)

I have been away from Bristol a bit this week, and not had any time to prepare my final part of Cheltenham doors, which I will share in my next Thursday doors post. When this happens, I tend to recycle some existing photographs that I have taken for my graffiti and street art blog posts. gather them together and post them as a doors collection. It is a pragmatic solution to a diminishing time resource window (any more corporate speak welcome at this point).

These doors (and I use the term as loosely as possible) were originally posted in March, April and May 2023, but may have been photographed before that. I hope you enjoy them. Normal service should resume next time.

Alex Lucas, Montpelier, Bristol, February 2023

Conrico, Boswell Street, Bristol, April 2023

Zase, Cottrell Road, Bristol, April 2023

I cheated a little with this one, but there is a door behind the wall.

Maybe, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2023

Is a hatch a door?

Aspire, Weston wallz, Weston-super-Mare, May 2023

Do car doors count?

That’s it for this week.

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.

by Scooj

6092. Upfest 2024 (19)

Karl Read, West Street, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

Karl Read is something of a regular at Upfest, which is a great thing, and with each passing festival his work gets better and better. Painted over a stunning piece by Irony (one of my favourite of all time) cannot have been easy, but what Karl Read has replaced it with is worthy of this spot.

Karl Read uses large stencils for his work, and certainly in the past I have seen him struggle in windy conditions, but he has absolutely nailed his technique in this piece. The contrast between the black and white figures and the colourful peace sign made out of ‘Lego’ building blocks is a clever mechanism to bring focus to different parts of the work. The message is a poignant one in a troubled landscape of conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine. This is a stunning stencil from a great artist.

Irony, West Street, Bristol, October 2021, Upfest 21

6091. Upfest 2024 (18)

Goin, Spotted Cow, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

Goin is a brilliant stencil artist, who has visited Bristol a number of times, usually in association with Upfest. I met him one time when he was doing a little ‘extra’ piece on a non-legal wall, and he was reluctant to give anything away. I knew who he was because I recognised his style, but didn’t let on. This is a wonderful piece painted on the side of the Spotted Cow pub in North Street.

There is a simplicity to Goin’s work that makes it more meaningful in a way than some of the extraordinary multi-layered stencil pieces crafted by master technicians. The skill here is in telling a story, and the title of the piece ‘stop bullying’ provides enough to see what is going on. A young forlorn schoolgirl with a bag slung over her shoulder, all in greyscale, is equipped with a large red boxing glove, perhaps to protect herself. There is so much to take away from this piece and the imagery sticks in the mind. One of Upfest most consistent visiting artists.

6090. Upfest 2024 (17)

Rainbo, Hen and Chicken, Bristol, Upfest 24, May 2024

This vertical rectangular wall outside the Hen and Chicken has played host to a number of wonderful Upfest murals over the years, and this one by Rainbo is yet another super example. The piece I believe is called ‘Etherial Cloud Drakes’ and is a rather cheerful looking dragon painted because 2024 is the Chinese Year of the Dragon.

Rainbo comes from Hong Kong, and her artistic style reflects her heritage to some extent. To understand what I mean, you can look at more of her work from this gallery on her website. Interestingly her use of the word ‘drake’ in the title of the piece is actually a European name given to a particular type of dragon in legend and heraldry (had to look it up). Overall this piece is nicely thought out to fit the space and beautifully executed with some sumptuous colours and fine detail.

6089. Upfest 2024 (16)

Jacqui Butterworth, North Street Standard, Bristol, Upfest 24, May 2024

This is a particularly popular wall, although sometimes a little tricky to photograph. It is outside the North Street Standard and for this year’s Upfest has been stunningly painted by Jacqui Butterworth. After admiring the photorealism of the piece, the first question or thought has to be that there is a rather special story going on here, with plenty of symbolism. Interpretation is another matter though.

The mural starts with some steps leading up to a grand piano upon which a black and a white swan have made themselves at home. Two cygnets are in attendance and the one beneath the piano is lying down with some roses scattered on the floor.

The ‘harp’ inside the piano is reflected on the shiny underside of the piano lid, although I note that the black swan isn’t, implying that it is a figment of the viewer’s imagination. There are so many details to enjoy, such as the toppled wine glass above the keyboard, the shiny glint on the lid prop and the patterns on the castors. This is a beauty indeed, and conjures up the music of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. Bravo Jacqui!

6088. M32 roundabout J3 (581)

Ra is an occasional and always very welcome visitor to Bristol, and his choice of wall to paint this beautiful piece is interesting. This wall used to be the home of a fabulous mural by Michele Curtis and the Paintsmiths celebrating Roy Hackett, a Jamaican, who arrived in Britain in 1952 and became co-founder of the Commonwealth Co-ordinated Committee (CCC) which was started 1962. Unfortunately the wall was re-rendered, painted and then subject to the tagging and bombing that walls like this are subject to. This piece by Ra is the best piece, in my opinion, to adorn the wall since.

The stylised and beautifully decorated blue hand is in a pose with the middle finger and thumb touching is, I believe a mudra that represents energy and health, and it provides us with a feeling of balance. Certainly this piece feels in balance, with a complementary background and some flashes of light surrounding the hand. A wonderful spiritual piece which is beautifully executed.

Michele Curtis and the Paintsmiths, Byron Street, Bristol, May 2019

6087. Cumberland Basin

Mr Underbite, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2024

Now, this is what I like. Mr Underbite is a bit of a favourite of mine, and to find his melancholic character dotted about the place is always a real pleasure. The fact that he has switched things up with this small piece in Cumberland Basin makes it all the more pleasurable.

Mr Underbite has used this small section of wall really well, presenting his character in three separate sections, each containing a part of the face, a deconstruction if you like. Anyone familiar with Mr Underbite’s work would immediately recognise this piece and attempt to reassemble it in their heads. To anybody else, this might look a little abstract and unfathomable. What a great way to play with a character. For reference, a typical Mr Underbite piece is shown below.

Mr Underbite, River Avon, Bristol, March 2024

Lifeblood – 30 Days Wild (10/30)

Urban oasis

unculverted stretch runs free

nature overflows

by Scooj

30 Days Wild is an initiative organised by the Wildlife Trusts. It is an annual challenge event, for those who choose to participate, to do one ‘wild’ thing a day throughout the month of June. I will try to write a nature haiku every day if I can, as my contribution to this celebration of wildlife and biodiversity. I did this back in 2015 and thoroughly enjoyed the challenge.

6086. Cumberland Basin

Mr Crawls and Mote, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2024

I’m not sure how old this collaboration by Mr Crawls and Mote is, but it can’t be all that old, because it contains some fairly recent features incorporated into each of their work. The reason I am a bit puzzled is that the fencing in front of the wall looks like it has been there a while. All I can think is that they moved it out of the way to paint and then put it back afterwards.

Mr Crawls, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2024

To the left is a a stylised cartoon bird by Mr Crawls, which is a development of his earlier birds that we used to see about the place. There is something slightly more figurative about the artwork, and it is a direction that the artist is going in that I am definitely enjoying.

Mote, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2024

Like other artists, street artists appear to go through ‘periods’ and I would call this Mote’s ‘eye’ period, where he is playing with different presentations of eyes. The mouth of this one seems to almost be leaning in to Picasso territory, or maybe something a little more surreal. Lots more fun from these to to come, but I was happy with finding this collaboration which was just a little bit off the beaten track.

	Sheree on 7433. St Werburghs tunnel…
	Bill Bisgood on By a frozen lake
	scooj on 7432. M32 roundabout J3 (…
	scooj on Mont Blanc
	scooj on Mont Blanc

	Sheree on 7433. St Werburghs tunnel…
	Bill Bisgood on By a frozen lake
	scooj on 7432. M32 roundabout J3 (…
	scooj on Mont Blanc
	scooj on Mont Blanc

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: