A gallery of fabulous murals from Bristol artist Billy Colours, BILLY, BIÜY
Instagram: @billycolours
all photographs by Scooj
Billy
Tag: Billy
4305. Leonard Lane (31)
Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside. Leonard Lane could hardly contrast more with a seaside scene, which helps this gorgeous mural stand out by Billy. Billy Colours, to give her her full name, together with Mr Penfold and Rtiiika, decorated the wall opposite the Centrespace Gallery at which they were exhibiting alongside Zoe Power, Merny and Beth Kirby in mid-February. Regrettably, I never made it to their show, which I am gutted about, but I have a busy life and things like that often fall outside the ‘to do’ list.
The naive style and simple captions tell such vibrant stories in a direct and honest way. It might sound patronising to say that her pieces are charming, and I definitely don’t want to be patronising, so to say they have a spellbinding charm about them might be a better way to say it. Lady in a hat as a caption works very well for me, and this piece left me feeling happy.
4284. M32 roundabout J3 (388)
A week or two back , Billy and Merny had a great time painting a few spots. I love it when these two get together as their naive style shines a bright light on the incredible diversity of art in Bristol. Their work is always full of messages and commentary, usually reflecting the contemporary political landscape.
This piece would seem to be a dove of peace, and perhaps the colours selected represent both Ukraine and Russia, locked in an horrific war of dictator Putin’s making. It is the written message that is so powerful in this piece, recognising that these are dark times and that the National mood is low. Billy simply says ‘I hope you are ok’. I hope we are ok too.
4047. Brunel Way (130)
This wall under Brunel Way was taken over a couple of weeks back by the Bristol Women’s Collective in a fabulous paint jam which resulted in several small and very interesting pieces. This one is by Billy, and really ticks a lot of boxes for me (in other words I like it).
The abstract design, inspired by a swirly rug in Old Market, obviously, is simply painted and presented, but combined with the words tells a wonderful story and encourages the mind to wander into the market and imagine. An unmistakably Billy piece, and fabulous at that.
3841. Greenbank (13)
Although it isn’t something that should be too much remarked upon or even overthought, there is a really large contingent of female street artists in Bristol, which probably goes against the stereotype of being the province of young male delinquents (a stereotype that is so misinformed I might add). One of the regular ladies wot paint is Billy, whose colourful murals never disappoint.
This one on the long wall at Greenbank is particularly beautiful and calming. The message is simple and positive, ‘a nice flower in the park’ and the bold shapes and design a pleasant antidote to wildstyle writing or photorealism. This naive style of street art is equally valid and often very powerful in its simplicity and voice. Lovely work from Billy, once again.
3712. Muriel Alleyway (2)
Billy is an artist whose work I really admire and enjoy. Her childlike naive style betrays a clever storytelling ability through art and words that make her pieces talk. Add to that the wonderful colours that she uses with such freedom and you have a vibrant and meaningful piece of art that we can all relate to.
In this wonderful little lane in Brislington, Billy brings us a ‘wish you were here’ postcard-style holiday piece featuring a sunbathing nude and a curious blue character on a beach next to the sea. I wonder if this is more about our past reminding us what a holiday actually looks and feels like. It has been such a long time for us all since out last proper holiday. First world problems!
A wonderful and enjoyable piece.
3578. M32 roundabout J3 (296)
Aah, such deep joy. This is my favourite collaboration of the year so far. For me it simply speaks of spring, of life, of happiness. The colours are strong and vibrant and the execution of the two elements of the collaboration by Billy and Sepr is so natural and so very easy on the eye.
On the right of the piece is a classic Sepr character holding an old wired telephone handset stating that ‘it’s for you’ and expecting at any moment to hand the phone over. The colours are magical and the green shadow is outrageously bold but somehow works brilliantly.
To the left is a visual interpretation of what is being heard in the earpiece of the telephone handset. ‘Hello, this is spring, can I help you’ says Billy’s half of the mural both in words and visually. A rural landscape with a lamb and daffodils and a spring rainbow are contained in a speech bubble. This is magnificent and I would challenge even the coldest hearted critic of street art not to find some happiness in this piece.
I’ve not seen these two collaborate before, but if this is anything to go by I sincerely hope it is not the last time.
3512. St Werburghs tunnel (226)
There are some artists whose work is capable of lifting a mood, and for those fleeting moments while I am looking at their work I am transported away from my troubles. Billy is one of those artists. Bright, simple and colourful her work usually carries a message which gives depth and meaning to the artwork.
This piece ‘what a mess’ was painted alongside Merny’s truck piece, the pair often paint together, and helped to lift this spot into a blaze of brightness. I don’t know if the ‘mess’ relates directly to the subject of the piece or whether it is deeper than that and describing the state of our country. On either level it works.
Sadly this piece along with Merny’s didn’t last too long, and the aggressive tagging that partially covered them over was annoying to say the least. I just don’t get some people.
3274. M32 Cycle path (82)
Happy Haloween folks – although I’m never quite sure whether Haloween is supposed to be happy or scary – I’m still a bit old fashioned and struggle a bit with the commercialisation of this pagan festival, but then again isn’t it the same with Christmas? I digress…
I have done something a little unusual today, I am posting a piece that I only photographed this morning. This is a rare occurrence mainly because of the processes I have to go through to prepare my blog posts and the time I have available to do it. I tend to line up photographs in batches and upload them onto wordpress which means I can write the blogs from my iPad if necessary. But today I have seen something amazing and I have a moment of time to bump my queue with this outstanding Haloween piece by Smak painted only yesterday.
This was one of those wonderful discoveries. I had been to the recycling centre (tip) and on my home stopped off at St Werburghs tunnel and then on to the M32 Spot and cycle path just on the off chance that there might be something new… and there was lots, but right up there with the very best discoveries was this magnificent horror ventriloquist’s dummy by Smak.
I have had a little Google play and I think that the puppet might be Billy from the film Dead Silence, but not being fond of the horror film genre (I get scared tooo easily) I can’t be too certain. The portrait is masterfully painted and care and attention have been given not only to the subject but also to the background.
Finding this made my day.
Scary Haloween…
3227. St Werburghs tunnel (193)
This is one of two walls, that happen to be opposite each other at the entrance to St Werburghs tunnel, by Billy, while painting together with her buddy Morny. Billy’s pieces (she is called @billycolours on Instagram) are always brightly coloured and have a child-like simplicity to them.
This fabulous mural shows a figure in bed, presumably looking up at a mobile of planets, with a thought bubble and the words Wake Up! The piece tells a really simple story in a clean and clear way – Billy has a gift for this kinnd of story, and it shows tht you don’t need deep sophistication to get a message across. A bright and cheerful addition to the tunnel. Sadly this piece only lasted a few days before being bombed with rather inferior throw ups.
Natural adventures 