Photographing street art is a bit of an artifact of my desire to explore and innate curiosity. Last weekend I went to the recycling centre – we continnue to clear out our home, but like a plate of spaghetti, the residual never seems to diminish. I decided o take a different route out and was rewarded with a few walls on Alfred Street that I have never been aware of. The pieces there are not new, but are utterly splendid.
Aspire, Alfred Road, Bristol, March 2020
Front and centre is this magnificent (citron crested?) cocatoo by Aspire. I can honestly say that I think it is the best piece I have seen from this artist, maybe ever. There is something about the composition, its weirdness, toadstools and alien spaceships and this unphased cocatoo, that simply blows me away. Aspire moving to London was a real pity for us in Bristol, but what a treat to be able still to find ‘new’ work by him. More to come from this hidden spot.
There are an increasing number of topical pieces appearing on the streets at the moment, and if nothing else, street artists are fantastic chroniclers of the social, political and economic landscape. There is plenty of material out there to inspire their work at the moment, although it is unclear whether they will be able to physically paint. I suspect that some will continue.
Face 1st, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2020
This piece by Face 1st in the tunnel perhaps epitomises and encapsulates our fears in graphic form of the terrible Coronavirus. Britain is in shock this morning when all that we hold sacred, our ability and desire to socialise, has been taken away. We are not yet commanded to remain in out homes, but it is only a matter of time. The death rate in the UK is disturbingly high and the next three months or so are goinng to be very testing.
Throughout, this blog will continue come what may…I have so much archive material that I can at last share with you all.
Definitely Hire has come out of hibernation with this, his second piece in a week in Dean Lane, coming so quickly after his rabbits that I wrote about in Natural Adventures last saturday. I always describe Hire;s writing as having a Gothic look, and this piece typifies that.
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020
The rather compact writing is very well disguised and I can only guess that it says HIRE as most of his pieces do, but I can’t quite see it here. When you look carefully at the piece you may notice that the writing is in two colour combinations. One is black and white, the ther brown and yellow. The more you know this, the more discrete the two sections become, it is almost like an optical illlusion. Another fine technical piece from Hire.
Painted at the weekend (I think) this is a real beauty from Rusk (I told you there was more from him coming) and Jody. I can’t really articulate just how good this collaboration is and although the writing and the portrait don’t integrate, they certainly complement each other brilliantly.
Rusk, Raleigh Road, Bristol, March 2020
On the left The expected high standard and tight work from Rusk delivers in bucket loads. A horizontal mix of bright and dul colours with some ‘glinting’ accents together with some nice inter-linking letters, a lilac outline and grey shadow – a lesson in how to make the complicated look simple.
Jody, Raleigh Road, Bristol, March 2020
To the right is a sensational portrait which is a tribute to Nipsey Hussle by the brilliant Jody. OK, so I’m old and my musical tastes although broad are not comprehensive and I have never heard of Nipsey Hussle before. He was an Ameican rapper, activist and entrepreneur who died in 2019, shot outside his Marathon clothing store in Los Angeles. I might have to go and dig out some of his music, and I thank Jody from bringing him to my attention.
Rusk and Jody, Raleigh Road, Bristol, March 2020
I had seen this collaboration on Instagram and got myself down to Rakleigh Road a quickly as practical because one never knows just how long these things might last. This is a real beauty.
It has been almost exactly a month since I last posted a Thursday doors entry on Natural Adventures. It has been busy at work lately and I have felt the squeeze a little.
These are two doors I recently photographed. Neither of them particulsrly attractive, but they more than make up for it in Character.
The first door is on the side of the amazing Mickleburgh musical instruments shop in Stokes Croft – we actually bought our piano there and it is an incredible place, almost Dickensian in its demeanour.
Where is the chicken? Flat door, Stokes Croft, Bristol, March 2020
The door has been tagged, bombed and slapped (with stickers). I can make out a tag by 2HOT and a slap from Ryder. I’m not too sure who the face and ‘ou est le poulet’ is by but the whole thing adds up to a cornucopia of street graffiti so commonj in this area.
Restaurant kitchen door, off Park Street, Bristol, March 2020
The second door is a little different and looks like it has seen a whole ton of action over the years. Much used but not much loved. It appears to have a thick layer of grease or something dripped on it, but the thing that really makes stand out for me is the extractor fan… the door would not be complete without it.
More doors coming soon.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors and you ought to 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.
This little area of columns at the M32 Spot is very much favoured by Zake and there are a few of his pieces that have remained here for about a year untouched by taggers or other artists – quite unusual really and perhaps a gesture to his unusual face pieces.
Zake, M32 Spot, Bristol, March 2020
The inclusion of a portion of neck lends itself well to spraying character portraits on these narrow columns and Zake has perfected the art. The absence of pupils gives Zake’s pieces a ghostly appearance that is a little unsettling, which combined with humorous expressions leaves the viewer on edge slightly. I like his work and am pleased that he has started painting again after a quiet winter period.
From the feature image it is difficult to gauge the significance of this collaborative wall from little more than a week ago in Dean Lane skate park. I gave you a little hint earlier this week with a piece by Rusk which is on the left hand side of this wall behind the fence and which can’t be viewed from this vantage point.
Soker, Inkie and Hemper, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020
I had decided to take the dog for a walk to Dean Lane and talk about being in the right place at the right time… this was it, and so utterly random that I had chosen to go down there. Not only were Soker, Inkie and Hemper busy doing their thing, but Rusk was also there and watching on were The Agent, Angus, DJ Perks and Tes (Slim Pickings).
Soker and Inkie, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020
It was a little bit like I had died and gone to graffiti heaven. To see these established writers all at work simultaneously was a rare treat indeed, and that other artists who had been tipped-off were watching on made the whole thing feel extra special.
Inkie and Hemper, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020
I had met all the artists before with the exception of Hemper who seems to have had something of a renaissance of late, but this wasn’t really the right time to introduce myself, more an opportunity to watch how these guys go about their businness.
Soker, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020
Soker’s chrome piece on the left is near perfect and spells out Sokem (the R and M are interchangeable in his name). The photographs of the finished pieces were taken a day or two later.
Inkie, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020
Inkie’s central panel is classic Inkie and whilst also in chrome stands out due to the deep 3D shading in a striking scarlet colour. This is the third Inkie I have seen so far this year which is not bad going especially as there haven’t been any festivals in that time.
Hemper, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020
I am less well acquainted with Hemper’s work simply because he hasn’t painted as much as the others until relatively recently. Again in chrome, this third panel of the triptych mirrors the colours of Soker’s piece on the left to give some symmetry to the collaborative work. A landmark wall and a red letter day.
Soker, Inkie and Hemper, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020
A gallery of brilliant graffiti writing from Bristol’s Subtle.
All photographs by Scooj
Subtle, Greenbank, Bristol, November 2024Subtle, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2022Subtle, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2022Subtle, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2021Subtle, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2021Subtle, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2021Subtle, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2021Subtle, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2021Subtle, M32 cycle path, Bristol, March 2021Subtle, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October2020Subtle, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2020Subtle, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2020Subtle, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2020Subtle, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2020Subtle, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2020Subtle, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2019Subtle, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2019Subtle, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2019Subtle, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2019Subtle, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2019Subtle, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2019Rezwonk and Subtle, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2018Rezwonk and Subtle, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2018Subtle, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018Subtle, Moon Street, Bristol, November 2017Subtle, Armada Place, Bristol, November 2017Subtle, Armada Place, Bristol, January 2016Subtle, Moon Street, Bristol, April 2016
Now, I rather like this piece by an artist I know nothing about and have drawn a complete blank on using the Interweb. I think the artist goes under the moniker ‘Dtok’ but it could be any number of variants. I will try to find out more.
Dtor, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020
It appears on the famous curved wall in Dean Lane skate park and is a nicely done piece of writing and character accompaniment. I have seen this character, Marvin the Martian, before on Hill Street painted by Deamze. Although Deamze has left us for Hobart, his Marvin piece is still there for all to see. When you compare the two works, you can see that Dtok is on a journey and that practice will pay dividends in the long run. I like this piece a lot but it didn’t last very long unfortunately.
It is good news indeed that Nightwayss has started to paint outside again and is sharing his talent with the citizens of Bristol after a bit of a layoff over the winter. What I love about his work is that he switches things up a lot. Sometimes writing, sometimes characters or scenes and sometimes a combination. He is not only talented but is versatile too.
Nightwayss, M32 Spot, Bristol, March 2020
This column piece is an imaginative and aesthetically pleasing piece using the space brilliantly. A monkey (of course) is, as we all know, trying to escape from a spray can and would account for at least one of these wonderful creatures appearing in nearly all of his work. Great greens and a great concept nicely painted. More from Nightwayss to come soon.
Natural adventures 