Looking back to June 2019 and this rather different offering from Mr Penfold. Those who frequently visit Natural Adventures may be more familiar with his highly designed pieces with ‘liquorice allsort’ colours, often commissions, that adorn many a Bristol shop front.
Mr Penfold, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2019
I didn’t know Mr Penfold did these character paintings, and this particular one probably remained in the archive due to being unsure who the artist was. How daft am I?… it couldn’t be much clearer, with the writing ‘PENNY’ slapped across the piece. It demonstrates that the human condition is to see what we expect to see and anything that falls outside our assumptions is at risk of being discarded. A more forensic approach might be needed. Love this unusual piece.
If there are any silver linings to the Covid-19 pandemic, and I say this fully recognising the horror that faces us all, one would have to be that Mother Earth can take a breather from carbon outputs, chronically stifling air quality, disturbance of species and habitats and rabid consumption that we have all become so accustomed to… a temporary turning down of the global dial. Another silver lining is that with fewer opportunities to photograph street art and fewer pieces being painted, I have an opportunity to delve into my archive and bring you some wonderful work that has been dormant on my computer files for a while. This is a resource I will be dipping into for as long as it takes. A trip down memory lane.
Bad Taste, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2019
First up from June last year is this rat piece from Bad Tast, an artist I posted about not too long ago showing a collaboration with Soap in St Werburghs Tunnel. I don’t know if Bad Taste sprays anything other than rats, but it is an accomplished piece and practiced style and a welcome addition to Bristol street art.
Soap and Bad Taste, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2019
I love seeing Sophie Long’s work on the streets and simply don’t see enough of it out there, so finding this on North Street a little while back was genuinely a wonderful surprise. Her striking wildlife paintings/street art are truly beautiful and nearly always have this characteristic dripping which marks the piece as one of hers.
Sophie Long, North Street, Bristol, January 2020
This tiger is skilfully done, although if I were being ultra critical I’d say the the body proportions aren’t quite right. The head is a little exaggerated and the body too short, but it does comply with our mind’s eye of what a tiger looks like. I very much look forward to seeing more of her work if and when the lock down eases.
This one is not for the easily offended, and if graffiti cock ‘n’ balls are not your thing, I think you might need to move on pretty swiftly. This is a rather mischievous collaboration between The Cat Came Back and DNT on the Turbo Island wall.
The Cat Came Back, Turbo Island, Bristol, January 2020
On the left is the cock – one of graffiti’s most enduring images – that is part cock, part cat. I can’t quite make out the writing, but I think it says ‘I’m Cat’. You can make up your own minds about this one.
DNT, Turbo Island, Bristol, January 2020
On the right is another kind of robot sort of creation from DNT. The whole collaboration looks like it was painted in a bit of a hurry or under the influence of alcohol/other. A bit of fun for some.
Although I have seen a few pieces by Rapt recently, this is my first post featuring the artist from Newport across the Severn Estuary. He seems to favour St Werburghs tunnel and I think he probably lift-shares with Elvs, as they are often to be found painting side by side.
Rapt, St werburghs, Bristol, March 2020
Rapt has a strong and bold writing style and tends to stick to his basic font which includes an upside down ‘T’ at the end of it. In this example he has some nice cracks in the lettering, some great shading and bullet holes and blood for good measure. Look out for more from this artist.
What a week. This is my first Thursday doors post since the lock down was imposed in the UK, and it is a very unsettling and confusing time for us all. Under our rules we are allowed one outing a day for personal exercise, provided we follow all the social distancing rules.
I am alternating my exercise of choice between working on the allotment and walking the dog (in my wildest dreams I never thought that the dog would offer me the means of temporary escape from ‘house arrest’). Yesterday we took a walk down to Stokes Croft and Montpelier and, never one to pass up an opportunity, I photographed some doors.
Just in case you thought this might be irresponsible, I kept my distance from the few people that were out (mostly, like me, exercising in some way), and carried out all the necessary hand washes before leaving and on return home. One observation was that I saw more homeless people on the streets than I saw homed people… I worry about their fate, a group already likely to be more prone to sickness and with nowhere to go to keep clean.
So here are some doors from my exercise dog walk:
Green gates, Montpelier, Bristol, March 2020Pink door, Montpelier, Bristol, March 2020Two doors and a tiled entrance, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, March 2020Garden gate, Ashley Road, Bristol, March 2020Solicitor’s door, Stokes Croft, Bristol, March 2020
Well that’s it for this extraordinary week during an extraordinary period in all our lives.
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.
There is a whole shed-load of development going on at this eastern end of Lower Ashley Road, and in fact there are some protestors camping in the three remaining maple trees just behind this hoarding who are fighting to stop the developers from felling them – you can read more about this on the Bristol Tree Forum. For street art photographers, hoardings are usually good news, albeit temporary, but the developments rarely are.
Face 1st, Lower Ashley Road, Bristol, March 2020
This hoarding wasn’t up for long before the great and the good got to action and Face 1st was always going to make his mark on this inviting opportunity. This is a classsic Face 1st piece with the hair of the smiling girl spelling out FACE. I would think that he can probably paint these with his eyes closed. Always such a pleasure to see his work.
From the moment I saw this piece I have had a terrible earworm and as the Coronavirus pandemic has worsened so has the earworm. To avoid the perilous infection don’t read the small writing under the ‘U’ of Subtle.. oh oh, too late… you’ve done it now! This is a cracking and topical piece by Subtle under Brunel Way in one of his favourite spots.
Subtle, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2020
I have seen several Coronavirus-related pieces lately and some are humorous and some less so. It is difficult to know where the lines are in making light of the pandemic – this is uncharted territory. In my view Subtle gets away with it in this piece, mainly because I now he is a great bloke and also it is a rather good piece.
Not all that long ago I was saying on Natural Adventures that I don’t post enough pieces by T-Rex, so here is a gorgeous winnged dinosaur from her on the recently discovered (by me) Alfred Street wall. There piece is linked with the Aspire piece to the right by incorporating toadstools, and an alien theme.
T-Rex, Alfred Street, Bristol, March 2020
T-Rex has absolutely nailed these cartoon-style characters and they appear all over Bristol, often on caravans and vans that people live in dotted about the place. At any one time you are never too far away from one of these dinosaurs. This is an uplifting and happy piece, and I guess we could all do with a bit of happiness in our lives at the moment.
Yesterday, the UK went into lockdown which means that artists shouldn’t be spraying on the streets and I won’t be out taking photographs. This will give me an opportunity to go back through my archives and share with you pieces that deserve to be liberated. Watch this space for pieces going back as far as 2015.
Never was a message from #DFTE more apt and more welcome. As we find ourselves thrown into lockdown in the UK due to the Coronavirus pandemic, acts of kindness must be at the front of our minds at all times. For my part, having patience with my family is probably the single biggest challenge, but I must chill out and see the good. My wife and kids are amazing people and we have a chance to reset the dial in these unusual circumstances.
#DFTE, Christmas Steps, Bristol, March 2020
This is the second piece of street philosophy from #DFTE on Christmas Steps, right at the top (of the lower section). I rather like the fact that another kind soul has slapped a sticker on this framed installation saying ‘you are beautiful’. Bristol street art bringing out the best in us.
Natural adventures 