Set against dramatic skies, that I don’t recall being as dramatic as they look in these pictures, is one of the greatest murals in Bristol to date. This is a masterpiece by the utterly brilliant fine artist Andrew Burns Colwill.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Devon Road, Bristol, July 2018
Taking up an entire wall of an end-of-terrace building the mural depicts a fabulous representation of the diverse cultural heritage of Easton. This is a part of Bristol that has embraced multi-culturalism and celebrates it with an annual feast.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Devon Road, Bristol, July 2018
I am not fully acquainted with all the characters that ABC has depicted here but I am pretty sure that they will be well known characters and figureheads from the Easton community.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Devon Road, Bristol, July 2018
I love the feast, I love the celebration, I love the sky and I love Andrew Burns Colwill. I truly believe he is one of the great story tellers of our city and he tells the stories through his vivid paintings. A true gent and a man I admire greatly – Andrew Burns Colwill is one of the outstanding talents of the city and represents much about its outspoken independence, its unique place in the UK, its tolerence, its rage, its compassion and acceptance.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Devon Road, Bristol, July 2018
Andrew Burns Colwill is a great Bristol artist and one who has championed environmental awareness vigorously in recent years, particularly with his 20:50 vision pieces. At Upfest 2017 he really excelled himself with this magnificent polar bear sitting on what at first appears to be a piece of ice, but which is actually a pick up truck floating in a sea of plastic.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
His ongoing commentary on the destruction of our planet, and visions of what it might look like in 2050 results in a series of haunting images, of which this is one. A prophet of what might be, if we don’t pull our fingers out and get things sorted. Andrew Burns Colwill, like many others in the environmental movement, has been talking about plastic for some time…at last it feels like the government is listening.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
This is one of the best pieces of the 2017 festival, and the good news I understand is that it is here to stay. The Coopers Arms pub, where this piece can be found, will be keeping it. ABC’s fine art pedigree shine through in this work and he is truly the king of murals in Bristol. I salute you.
On an environmental leave day a couple of weeks back I was litter picking down on the New Cut, the diverted course of the tidal River Avon in Bristol. During the litter pick, one of my colleagues asked whether I had looked at a piece of street art she has been telling me about for a little while. During the lunch break, I took a short walk into Bedminster where the mural was, not far from the New Cut.
Anderw Burns Colwill, Upper Perry Hill, Bristol, November 2017
I found the piece, and instantly saw that it was by Andrew Burns Colwill, his style is so distinctive. This piece has breathed new life into what was previously a bland wall and brought with it an exotic feel – street art for a local community. It is beautiful.
Anderw Burns Colwill, Upper Perry Hill, Bristol, November 2017
This work has a lovely watercolour quality to it. The details of the piece poke through a misty haze, and the derelict archway give it a classical feel, the whole thing being soulful, peaceful and romantic. I’m not sure if the church is based on a real one or whether it is from Burns Colwill’s mind, probably the latter.
Anderw Burns Colwill, Upper Perry Hill, Bristol, November 2017
I am a big fan of Andrew Burns Colwill’s work, and have found him great company on the few occasions I have met him. One day I will go for that drink with him and get that interview he agreed to some months ago!
I first saw this mural at Upfest 2016, but wasn’t sure who it was by or whether it was a festival piece. It turns out that it is by the magnificent Andrew Burns Colwill and it was not his Upfest piece, but a commission.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Gathorne Road, Bristol, May 2017
Colwill is a truly brilliant artist with a very colourful history, who has just completed a magnificent exhibition entitled ’20/50 Vision: Tomorrow’s Habitat’ at the It’s All 2 Much Gallery in Stokes Croft. The works place some of our most treasured species into future places where all is not as it should be. A global warming/pollution warning to us all.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Gathorne Road, Bristol, May 2017
This piece is altogether more mainstream, and for a marine biologist like me a real treat.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Gathorne Road, Bristol, May 2017
Well this is the one really, a very very special piece by Andrew Burns Colwill.
In a modest setting behind the Harbourside shops and restaurants stands a container. Painted on the side of the container is one of the best pieces of free street art in Bristol. It is amazing. I have watched as people shuffle past it without looking and then someone will glance at it and recognise what a magnificent work it is. Certainly one of my favourite pieces in Bristol…ever.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Anchor Road, Bristol, January 2017
There is an elaborate story unfolding in this picture. In the middle we have two figures sitting at an hourglass table playing a game of chess. One is a modern/future man, the other on the left looks to be ancient Mayan or something like that clutching a scroll. There are remnants of a bridge behind them one side built of wood the other of stone, representing the eras these two characters come from, maybe.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Anchor Road, Bristol, January 2017
Then if we zoom out a little we see more of their surroundings. Above them, floating in the air lifted by balloons with faces, is an island with a city – what it represents I am not sure, but some similar motifs were portrayed in Colwill’s Upfest piece from last year. To the right, the ruined stone bridge can be seen in its full glory, and a bomb shell is sticking out of the ground. To the left the bridge becomes closer to its environmental beginnings…more organic, and there are flowers in the foreground.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Anchor Road, Bristol, January 2017
Taking another look to the right we observe evidence of civilisation in the form of a stone city on the hill, married with weapons of destruction.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Anchor Road, Bristol, January 2017
Further to the right still, soldiers are emerging from a war torn forest – looking like a scene from the Great War.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Anchor Road, Bristol, January 2017
To the left hand side we can see pyramids through the mist in the distance, so maybe the red-robed character is ancient Egyptian. On this side too, there are more figures, tribesmen wielding spears lurk in the trees.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Anchor Road, Bristol, January 2017
The whole piece would be a fine addition to any art gallery, but here it is for all to see if only they would look. I believe the picture to be about the struggle between the environment and our close connection to it and the consequences of progress. Now I am no expert and I haven’t had the pleasure of talking to Colwill so my description and conclusion are based on what I see. What do you see? Have you looked?
Have you ever had that strange thing when you hear a word for the first time, maybe on the radio, or at work or something, and then, having never been aware of it in your life before, you keep hearing it again and again. One of those words for me was ‘segue’. It is funny how awareness works. And so it is with Andrew Burns Colwill for me. I didn’t know who he was only a little while ago when I posted about his goldfish. Now, as I go through my archives, I keep finding pieces by him, that I didn’t know were by him, and the best bit about that is that I can now post them here. ABC is very much front of mind for me at the moment.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Greville Road, Bristol, June 2016
This piece entitled ‘Health and Safety’ encapsulates our nation’s obsession with H&S and our equal counterbalance of mocking it. “Hold the handrail” they say at work when going up or down the stairs. Infuriating, but somehow endearing. The problem I have with H&S is that it is enforced, not because people care, but because people want to be seen to be caring. Being seen to be doing things is the biggest sham. Just do it…then you will be seen.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Greville Road, Bristol, June 2016
I seem to be on a bit of a soapbox. three glasses of wine and this is what happens. Back to ABC…I really like his work. There is something very serene about it, but in this piece there is something troubling too. Perhaps he is so moved by the H&S thing that he needed to express his feelings through his amazing art. I just rant. More to come in a while.
A little while back I posted an amazing wall painting by Andrew Burns Colwill from Upfest 2015. It was the goldfish leaping out of a bowl piece in the Tobacco Factory car park. Well, Andrew was back again this year, and this time I managed to get some pictures of him at work.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016This work looks to be a little more cryptic, it appears to be full of symbolism and I am not too sure what it all means. The balloons have faces on them and a sea of paperwork is disappearing down a plughole…or something.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016Whilst I am not as keen on this as the goldfish, I am drawn to it every time I walk past it. I guess I will have to try and find out more about it.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016I have recently become aware of another of his works very near my work, on the side of a container near the back of Bristol aquarium. I will try and get a photograph soon. It has been there for a while…I just never ventured to take a look. Unusual for me.
This is a beautiful piece of art that I think had been painted for Upfest 2015, although I am not certain. I took the photographs a little while ago, and the wall has since been painted over.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Raleigh Road, Bristol, April 2016The work is by Andrew Burns Colwill, a Bristol fine artist whose watery paintings have an incredible serenity and dream-like quality about them. I didn’t know much of the artist until I read his extraordinary bio on his website, and it really is worth a quick click and read.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Raleigh Road, Bristol, April 2016Of course, I particularly like this piece because it has fish in it and I am very fond of fish. (Note to self – do a street art fish special some time). Andrew’s touch is delicate and detailed, and beautifully captures the movement in the piece. One of my favourites of the year.
Natural adventures 