Tag: Andy Council

1355. North Street Green (10)

I recently took a few work colleagues on a guided street art tour to Bedminster as part of an organisational event designed to share skills, learn more about the work we do and to get to know each other better and the city we live in as part of a wellbeing initiative. The tour was very oversubscribed, and I may have to run some more. It was something of a success and all the participants told me that they had really enjoyed it.

Andy Council, North Street Green, Bristol, February 2018
Andy Council, North Street Green, Bristol, February 2018

What luck it was then that we came across one of Bristol’s most well known street artists at work, just finishing off a new work as part of his nomination as Upfest artist of the month for March in the build up to Upfest 2018, Andy Council.

Andy Council, North Street Green, Bristol, March 2018
Andy Council, North Street Green, Bristol, March 2018

His style and presentation should come as no surprise to regular readers of this blog. He has created a wonderful dinosaur, a stegosaurus type I think, which is composed of architectural features, including the Clifton Suspension Bridge on the head of the beast. I stopped for a quick chat with Andy, but it was the coldest day of the year so far and I felt I needed to keep the tour moving. It was nice to be able to show people an artist at work, and even better that it was Andy Council.

1320. Chalk Farm (4)

This sensational piece, which was part of the Ferdinand estate initiative organised by Global Street art and Camden Council, is by Bristol’s very own Andy Council. So good to see an artist’s work in London that I am very familiar with.

Andy Council, Chalk Farm Estate, London, November 2017
Andy Council, Chalk Farm Estate, London, November 2017

This has all the hallmarks of a great AC piece: An animal (in this case a horse with a flowing mane), a fantastic colour palette and the whole being composed of architectural elements and local landmarks.

Andy Council, Chalk Farm Estate, London, November 2017
Andy Council, Chalk Farm Estate, London, November 2017

I remember seeing this on social media when he first sprayed it and thinking that I would probably never see it. When I found it, I certainly hadn’t been looking for it. If I had done my homework properly I would have known where to look. Somehow though I prefer to wander around places using my instinct to track down potentioal street art spots. It is like a sixth sense.

1241. Dean Lane skate park (100)

It is a rare thing for me to come across an Andy Council piece that is not a composite of buildings to create a beast of some kind. Equally rare is to see an Andy Council collaboration, but here is a piece that he sprayed just before Christmas with Hemper in the far corner of Dean Lane, and it is a real humdinger.

Andy Council and Hemp, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2017
Andy Council and Hemp, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2017

I don’t know much about Hemper other than that he is a well established and highly regarded writer in Bristol and I have only come across his work a couple of times. This collaboration feels like a bit of fun between two friends. Andy Council has made a character out of his ammonite signature, which has turned out really well. This was a nice piece to find, even though I got to it too late to see it untagged.

1121. Chalks Road

This lovely piece by Andy Council is in South East Bristol, in an area I don’t pass through too often, except when visiting the reptile shop to get supplies for my daughter’s chameleon, George. I managed to stop and take these pictures on one such trip.

Andy Council, Chalks Road, Bristol, July 2017
Andy Council, Chalks Road, Bristol, July 2017

I think the piece has has been around since early 2017, and you can see from the foliage growing in front of it that it was not recent even in July when I took the picture. As with all Andy Council’s pieces, there are numerous references to Bristol and the locality in the buildings that make up this ram with a fish tail, which I recognise as the star sign representation of Capricorn, being one myself. It is always good to see the iconic Clifton suspension bridge included in street art.

Andy Council, Chalks Road, Bristol, July 2017
Andy Council, Chalks Road, Bristol, July 2017

I like this piece very much. It is unusual and incorporates some interesting colour selections commensurate with the two halves of the beast. Well thought out and as always, well executed.

927. Bedminster

Some pieces are difficult to photograph. It might be a narrow lane, an awkward height, in front of a parking bay, in a tunnel or as in this instance a tree casting speckled light and shade rendering my photographic efforts utterly useless. I had to visit this spot four times before I could get a half decent picture of it.

Andy Council, Bedminster, Bristol, July 2017
Andy Council, Bedminster, Bristol, July 2017

It took an overcast moment and diversion on my way to Upfest to get this dinosaur by Andy Council. It was worth waiting for, to see the architectural detail that comes together to create this triceratops (I think). It is always good to see the Bristol suspension bridge incorporated into a work. Yet another note to self on this matter – must do a special post of street art that incorporates the bridge.

890. Bedminster

On one of my lunchtime jaunts I got lucky enough to meet Andy Council working on a piece that didn’t incorporate animals, which judging from our conversation, I think is something of a ‘day off’ for him.

Andy Council, Bedminster, Bristol, July 2017
Andy Council, Bedminster, Bristol, July 2017

He was working on quite an awkward low stretch of wall on a ramp, but has managed to craft an impressive cityscape in his most distinctive style.

Andy Council, Bedminster, Bristol, July 2017
Andy Council, Bedminster, Bristol, July 2017

The location is a spot new to me, and there is a host of other treasures there from local graffiti artists. I’ll come on to these over the coming weeks.

Andy Council, Bedminster, Bristol, July 2017
Andy Council, Bedminster, Bristol, July 2017

What I particularly like about this work is the vibrant colours and use of the space. It shows how a bit of time spent in the hands of a skilled artist can improve the local environment of what was previously a dull grey utilitarian tiled pathway. Nice to meet Andy for the first time too.

727. Greville Road (5)

It took me a little while to photograph this fine pheasant by Andy Council, but at last I bagged it. This is the third of his birds that he has recently completed in the North Street area, the others being a turkey and a cockerel, both covered previously on this blog.

Andy Council, Greville Road, Bristol, April 2017
Andy Council, Greville Road, Bristol, April 2017

This pheasant will most likely disappear in July when Upfest comes to town, as this is a very desirable wall. The pheasant is a really great pierce of work by Andy Council with the usual architectural superstructure and fantastic colours. This is a lovely piece. The other recent birds are shown below:

Andy Council, Greville Road, Bristol, April 2017
Andy Council, Greville Road, Bristol, April 2017
Andy Council, North Street Green, Bristol, February 2017
Andy Council, North Street Green, Bristol, February 2017
Andy Council, North Street, Bristol, January 2017
Andy Council, North Street, Bristol, January 2017

717. Stapleton Road, Masala Bazaar

On one of my walks a while back, I took a little detour away from the M32 cycle path, and what a good thing to. I came across this amazing spider by Andy Council. I think that it is one of his older pieces in Bristol, and since I took this picture has been almost entirely obscured by the bins adjacent to it.

Andy Council, Stapleton Road, Bristol, January 2017
Andy Council, Stapleton Road, Bristol, January 2017

Andy Council’s work is possibly the most recognisable in Bristol, and he obviously commands respect on the streets as his pieces have incredible longevity and are rarely tagged.

Andy Council, Stapleton Road, Bristol, January 2017
Andy Council, Stapleton Road, Bristol, January 2017

The spider contains local landmarks, including a nearby mosque. Another classy detail is the web etched into the filth on the wall around the spider. Consistently great work.

626. North Street Green (6)

This is a rather lovely recent piece from Andy Council to celebrate the Chinese New Year and the year of the Rooster. The colours are fantastic and he has created a special Chinese take on the Clifton suspension bridge – a nice touch.

Andy Council, North Street Green, Bristol, February 2017
Andy Council, North Street Green, Bristol, February 2017

The piece is not very far away from the turkey that he sprayed back in November. Andy Council is probably one of the most well known street artists in Bristol, as he combines his pleasure spraying with all sorts of design commissions in the city. A popular artist who is at the heart of the Bristol street art movement.

Andy Council, North Street Green, Bristol, February 2017
Andy Council, North Street Green, Bristol, February 2017

600. North Street No. 173

A turkey isn’t just for Christmas…or on second thoughts a turkey is just for Christmas, apart from this one by Andy Council on North Street in Bedminster.

Andy Council, North Street, Bristol, January 2017
Andy Council, North Street, Bristol, January 2017

This colourful shutter piece gives us what we expect from Andy Council; an animal form created from architectural ‘blocks’ and local icons, in this example Concord forming the crest of the bird. Instantly recognisable, his works encourage close inspection to figure out all the micro-stories going on in the piece.

Andy Council, North Street, Bristol, January 2017
Andy Council, North Street, Bristol, January 2017

Sorry about the bins in this one – I guess I should have moved the one on the right of the picture, but I feel it is good to see these things in their context sometimes.