5040. St Werburghs tunnel (355)

Billy, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2022
Billy, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2022

This magnificent piece by Billy is almost exactly a year old, and although it didn’t last long, it is a poignant reminder that Ukraine is not the only country suffering at the hands of Russian aggression. As Billy says to the left of the piece: “‘My home’ Drawing by a boy from Syria in a workshop I once did – Billy”

Billy, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2022
Billy, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2022

Billy’s naive style lends itself very well to replicating the work of children. This composition has a clear message that is delivered with utter simplicity. The horror of war on the left, and the green and pleasant place we call home on the right. When thee two forces meet, there tends to be only one winner. This piece could equally well apply to any war zone, but it somehow feels appropriate to post it on the day after the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Thank you, Billy.

Conflict

.

Archipelago

out of sight and out of mind

Galtieri strikes

.

by Scooj

Unimaginable

.

It isn’t thunder

or lightening lighting the sky

bombs fall on Ukraine

.

by Scooj

War crimes

.

In Mariupol

where Ukrainian fighters

stick it out, until…

.

by Scooj

4345. Purdown AA Battery (41)

Laic217 has thrown himself into demonstrating his support for Ukraine, which probably feels rather close to home, as a Polish person, in this his third war related piece in recent weeks. Unsigned, this piece is obviously the work of Laic217, and is both hard-hitting and poignant.

Laic217, Purdown, Bristol, March 2022
Laic217, Purdown, Bristol, March 2022

To express rage and anger at dictator Putin’s war through art is a very powerful thing, and Laic217 really captures the horrors being experienced in Ukraine every minute of every day. The blue and yellow neck scarf is nicely painted with superb folds in the fabric, and the hat says it all. Another slightly unconventional piece from Laic217, and one that chronicles the major issue of our time.

Trapped

.

Freedom, I can run

they cannot run anywhere

there is no escape

.

by Scooj

Thursday doors – 17 March 2022

Doors 177 – Doors for Ukraine

Sweet and simple this week. I am short of time again, so I thought I’d recycle some blue and yellow doors to show my support for the proud and wonderful people of Ukraine. There is little else I can do. A small gesture.

A rather different door at the Cornwall Yoga Centre, Truro, Cornwall, August 2021
A rather different door at the Cornwall Yoga Centre, Truro, Cornwall, August 2021

Laic217, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2022
Laic217, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2022

So that’s about it for this week, I hope that these doors chime for you and help us all to reflect on the terrible suffering that is happening in Eastern Europe right now.

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

4301. Brunel Way (146)

This is another stunning tribute to the honour and bravery of the people and government of Ukraine in the face of an invasion directed by the Russian dictator Putin. Maybe Paints, to give him his full moniker, is without doubt going from strength to strength and is grabbing the attention of the Bristol community, as evidenced in this lovely interview he recently gave to Bristol 24/7 which is well worth a listen.

Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2022
Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2022

This column piece (he talks about columns a lot in the interview) is in his favoured Brunel Way location, and features two face profiles, in the colours of the Ukrainian flag, looking at each other, with the sun, the earth and the moon between them in an inky black starry sky. His techniques include the use of stencils, and a ‘secret’ method for creating the planets. I have enjoyed following his progress over the last year, and am excited about what he has in store for us in the future.

4300. Sparke Evans Park (35)

Never far from our thoughts is the suffering of a nation at the hands of the dictator Putin. As one might expect, the war in the Ukraine has prompted a great many artists to express their own feelings about the situation in their own way. This is a perfect illustration of how street art and graffiti act as a visual chronicle of our times, marking historic moments through art and interpretation.

Laic217, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2022
Laic217, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2022

This piece is a remarkably powerful one, and quite unlike anything I have seen before from the artist, Laic217. I am guessing that as a Pole, Laic217 feels particularly close to the unfolding events in Eastern Europe. This epic piece illustrating the brave and proud resistance by Ukraine and its citizens simply says ‘Glory to Ukraine’. I will go along with that.

Distracted

.

The first signs of spring

would normally bring me joy

this is different

.

by Scooj