Tag: bird

5765. Jubilee Street (8)

Mr Crawls and Mote, Jubilee Street, Bristol, December 2023
Mr Crawls and Mote, Jubilee Street, Bristol, December 2023

Haha, this is another fabulous collaboration piece from Mr Crawls and Mote whose painting partnership is bearing fruit, and I might venture to suggest that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. The piece is painted on the hoarding down by Jubilee Street, which a few years back was a favourite place for artists like Deamze and Soker, until developers started demolishing the hell out of the area – now we are left with hoardings instead.

Mr Crawls and Mote, Jubilee Street, Bristol, December 2023
Mr Crawls and Mote, Jubilee Street, Bristol, December 2023

The different but complementary styles of the two artists and similar subjects and portrait orientations lend themselves to something quite special. On the left Mr Crawls has painted a gull (or is it an eagle?) with horns and on the right Mote has created a wonderful monster bird. Both characters have outsize beaks, but quite different personas. More to come from these two, which is great news.

5751. M32 roundabout J3 (543)

Mr Crawls, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023
Mr Crawls, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023

Mr Crawls had a very productive end to 2023, and has picked up where he left off already this year, and is collaborating a lot with Mote, which is so good to see. This is a solo piece from December , one of two similar pieces in the area that were probably painted as a pair, the other was sited at the end of St Werburghs tunnel.

Mr Crawls, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023
Mr Crawls, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023

Mr Crawls has stayed true to his bird character theme, but has been adapting the subject to great effect lately. This one is a partial skeleton bird – a little bit sinister, but not really. His artwork is all good, with some strong lines and suitable shading which adds depth to the bird’s head. I predict a big year ahead for this relative newcomer who has already made a significant mark on the Bristol scene.

5737. Dean Lane skate park (673)

Mr Crawls and Mote, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2023
Mr Crawls and Mote, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2023

Well, they’ve been at it again, and I love it. Mote and Mr Crawls seem to be enjoying their collaborative outings, and not content with picking a single spot, they have been painting together all over the city. This piece in Dean Lane is tucked away between the railings and the swimming pool, and not the easiest to photograph.

Mr Crawls and Mote, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2023
Mr Crawls and Mote, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2023

The collaboration has a slightly gory story to it, with an axe embedded in each of the characters and blood spurting from the wounds. Mr Crawls’ bird character has a slightly sinister look to it, I think it might be the eyes, and has a beak that looks like it might belong to a seabird like an albatross or something. Mote has reverted to one of his happy-go-lucky monster characters, although the axe would looks particularly nasty piercing one of his eyes. All a little bit weird. Plenty more from these two to come.

5707. Exeter

None Here, Exeter, October 2023
None Here, Exeter, October 2023

One of the difficulties of posting pieces from towns and cities that aren’t Bristol is that I don’t know where the photographs are taken, and so the titles become rather generic, for example in this one I have simply given it the label Exeter. I have done a little detective work, and the pub sign just behind the bush says ‘The Nest’ so, using Google maps, I know that this piece is on New N Road.

None Here, Exeter, October 2023
None Here, Exeter, October 2023

The rather endearing collection of birds is by resident artist None Here, whose work can be found all over the city. Although the artwork is a little naive, it is most captivating, and great to know that somebody is out there decorating spots that would otherwise be dull and lifeless. Although the birds are generally non-descript, I think I can see a gull and a heron. More to come from my trip to Exeter back in October.

5703. St Werburghs tunnel (392)

Mr Crawls, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2023
Mr Crawls, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2023

I am currently on my way to London to watch Arsenal play Brighton in the Premier League, my first match of the season. The train is expected to be very full, and I don’t have a reserved seat (even though I ordered on when I bought the tickets). I expect to be evicted at any moment, so will keep this short.

Mr Crawls, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2023
Mr Crawls, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2023

Mr Crawls seems to be having the time of his life, whether it is on his own or painting with Mote. This is a fine variation on his bird theme on the farm end of the tunnel, and shows off the inner workings of one of his birds. More of these to come.

5696. Peel Street Green (23)

Mr Crawls and Mote, Peel Street Green, Bristol, November 2023
Mr Crawls and Mote, Peel Street Green, Bristol, November 2023

One of the most entertaining and, on reflection, most likely collaborative partnerships is that between Mote and Mr Crawls. The biggest surprise is perhaps that this coming together hadn’t happened Sooner. This is the second collaborative piece that I have posted, and I have another waiting to post, although that one is rather badly tagged.

Mr Crawls and Mote, Peel Street Green, Bristol, November 2023
Mr Crawls and Mote, Peel Street Green, Bristol, November 2023

To the left, Mr Crawls has come up with something really unusual, and for once not a bird. Quite what it is, though, I am not sure. Bones, horns, a muzzle with sharp teeth – a rather nasty monster. Next tom this imaginary beast is a bird monster by Mote, looking a little more evil than some of his character creations – perhaps it is the company it is keeping. This motley duo (the characters, not the artists) prop up the far end of the long wall at Peel Street Green.

5683. Dean Lane skate park (665)

Mr Crawls, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2023
Mr Crawls, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2023

I love this door in Dean Lane, it creates a nice frame for character pieces and is definitely a candidate for the occasional feature on this blog, One Wall Many Faces. This time around it is the turn of Mr Crawls to occupy this space, and he has done a very nice job of it indeed.

Mr Crawls, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2023
Mr Crawls, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2023

As the year has progressed, Mr Crawls has become more productive, his pieces appearing all over the place, and more recently in collaborative form with Mote. I am not entirely sure what kind of bird this is. The hooked beak would suggest it is a raptor, but the colouring and characterful expression has gull written all over it. Of course, it is fictional and not a bird we recognise, mostly on account of a fine pair of horns. Great fun from the effervescent Mr Crawls.

5633. Brunel Way (245)

Mr Crawls and Mote, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2023
Mr Crawls and Mote, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2023

How could I not have seen this coming? Perhaps one of the most obvious collaborations in Bristol has happened, and it has taken place right under our noses. Mr Crawls and Mote have painted their distinctive birds side-by-side in this wonderful and ‘made-in-heaven’ collaboration.

Mr Crawls and Mote, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2023
Mr Crawls and Mote, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2023

Mr Crawls’ bird head is one of several versions of his bird, this one having horns and a hooked beak. His style is rather cartoony and the expression of the bird enhanced by the use of heavy eyelids. Mote’s style is a little bit more doodle-based and his bird is tending to the monstrous. The hatch markings in the eyes and downturned beak create a slightly grumpy appearance. It is amazing that although the basic elements are similar in the two birds, my/our response to each of them is quite different. I’m definitely looking to more collaborations from these two.

5619. Friernhay Street, Exeter

Flora&Fauna, Friernhay Street, Exeter, October 2023
Flora&Fauna, Friernhay Street, Exeter, October 2023

I have seen many birds painted on walls over the years, and some species are more popular than others. On a survey of one, the top three birds I have seen are: 3rd – Goldfinch; 2nd – Robin; and 1st by a country mile, Kingfisher. There is something magical about kingfishers and they certainly capture the imagination of street artists.

Flora&Fauna, Friernhay Street, Exeter, October 2023
Flora&Fauna, Friernhay Street, Exeter, October 2023

I had to do a lot of detective work to hunt down the name of the artist who painted this beautiful bird tucked down a side street especially as f&f wasn’t a lot to go on – turns out it is Flora and Fauna, and this is one of two of their pieces I found on my short exploration of the city. The piece is striking and rather beautiful, and painted in a fairly soft style, without too much fine detailing. F&f is certainly an artist I’d like to se more of… a potential candidate for Upfest?

5618. Exeter

None Here, Exeter, October 2023
None Here, Exeter, October 2023

Although Exeter doesn’t have quite the same volume of street/graffiti art on offer as Bristol, nor as many spots/locations, it does have one or two resident artists whose work can be found, if you keep your eyes open. One of these artists is None Here.

None Here, Exeter, October 2023
None Here, Exeter, October 2023

If you fins a street or area with street art bin Graffiti, it is highly likely to have a piece by None Here somewhere. His work is pretty much always nature-based, often featuring birds. His style is very recognisable, looking like illustrations, and I am not convinced they are painted using spray cans, but more likely paint brushes with sprayed backgrounds. This door is typical of the work I saw on my recent trip. I would say that None Here is the beating heart of the Exeter street art scene.