I only took this picture a couple of weeks ago and it has been buffed over at least twice since then. It is by the irrepressible Laic217 who never tires of creating these wonderful skulls and skeletons in various guises.
Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2018
This skull is donning a gas mask, or is it a sophisticated protection mask from the fumes of spray paint? I guess perhaps the latter and the yellow patterns are the paint fumes. It works either way really. The detail in the eye sockets of the skull is awesome and the bucket hat with the smiley so full of character. Laic217 has smashed it with this one.
I have known about this mural for several years, but just never stopped to take a picture of it until very recently, and it looks as good close up as it does from a distance. It is by the hugely talented and lovely Bristol Artist Andrew Burns Colwill.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Westbury Hill, Bristol, August 2018
Painted in 2011, this mural depicts a giant looking out of a window and uses the trompe l’oeil technique to provide a false perspective that there is a window in the wall and that render has fallen, exposing brickwork underneath. It is in fact a flat wall.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Westbury Hill, Bristol, August 2018
I love the little details in the piece…the rose in the window sill and the ivy dropping down from the top of the window, and of course the cracks and the brickwork make this a truly magnificent piece, that I expect the good people of Westbury-on-Trym take for granted.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Westbury Hill, Bristol, August 2018
There is something rather forlorn about the giant’s expression and there is an untold story unfolding – the words ‘and the giant looks on, still waiting…..’ – tell us all is not well and I fear a broken heart is just around the corner. A most wonderful piece.
Unusually I find myself rather conflicted about this extraordinary recent piece by 3Dom on the M32 wall. I am such a big admirer of his work, but for reasons I cannot identify, this one doesn’t really tick my boxes. It is technically beautifully done, and the blue patterning around the outside is masterful, but there is something about the face that doesn’t work for me. It is peculiar, but I feel a little disloyal, though I don’t suppose that you can like everything all the time.
3Dom, M32, Bristol, August 2018
It is great to see more of his work about the place though, and this piece did manage to survive longer than the Sepr piece two to the left which had been buffed by the time I got there.
Sepr, Upfest 24, The Nursery, Bristol, May 2024Sepr and 3Dom, Turbo Island, Bristol, May 2024Sepr, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2024Sepr and Boaster, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2024Sepr, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2024Sepr, Coach and Horses, Bristol, February 2023Sepr, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, October 2022Sepr, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2022Sepr, Upfest 22, Bristol, June 2022Sepr and Sled One, Dean Lane, Bristtol, April 2022Sepr and Acer One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2022Sepr, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2022Sepr, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2022Sepr, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, November 2021Logoe and Sepr, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2021Sepr, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2021Sepr an Acer One, Chatterton Square, Bristol, April 2021Sepr, St Paul’s, Bristol, March 2021Sepr, St Paul’s, Bristol, March 2021Sepr, St Paul’s, Bristol, March 2021Sepr, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2021Billy and Sepr, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2021Sepr, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2021Sepr, Lucky Lane, Bristol, March 2021Sepr, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2021Sepr, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2021Sepr, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2021Sepr and Acer One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2021Sepr, M32 Spot, Bristol, December 2020Epok and Sepr, M32 Spot, Bristol, December 2020Sepr, Brigstocke Road, Bristol, December 2020Sepr, Brigstocke Road, Bristol, December 2020Sepr, Brigstocke Road, Bristol, December 2020Sepr, Brigstocke Road, Bristol, December 2020Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol, November 2020Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol, November 2020Sepr and Inkie, Princes Place, Bristol, October 2020Sepr, Princes Place, Bristol, October 2020Sepr, Paint Festival 2020, Cheltenham, September 2020Sepr, Cowmead Walk, Bristol, July 2020Sepr, Cowmead Walk, Bristol, July 2020Sepr and Feek, New Gatton Street, Bristol, June 20203Dom and Sepr, Star and Garter, Bristol, June 20203Dom and Sepr, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 20203Dom and Sepr, Jamaica Street, Bristol, April 2020Sepr, Jamaica Street, Bristol, April 2020Sepr, Gloucester Road, Bristol, February 2020Sepr, Dalton Square, Bristol, February 2020Sepr, St Mark’s Avenue, Bristol, SeptemberSepr, St George, Bristol, July 2019Sepr, North Street, Bristol, May 2019Sepr, Wilder Street, Bristol, April 2019Sepr, Brunel Way bridge, Bristol, March 2019Sepr, Armada Place, Bristol, January 2019Sepr, Armada Place, Bristol, August 20183Dom, Feek and Sepr, Fern Street, Bristol, June 2018Sepr, Golden Lion, Bristol, February 2018Sepr and 3Dom, Princes’ Place, Bristol, February 2018Sepr, New Gatton Street, Brisotl, November 2017Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol, December 2017Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol, December 2017Sepr, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2017Sepr, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2017Sepr, Stokes Croft, Bristol, August 2015Sepr, Wilder Street, Bristol, November 2017Sepr, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2017Sepr, Cowmead Walk, Bristol, December 2016FLX, 3Dom, Epok, Soker, Sepr, Horley Road, Bristol, October 2016Sepr, Richmond Road, Bristol, February 2017Sepr, Devon Road, Bristol, May 2016Sepr, Brunswick Square, Bristol, March 2016Sepr, Nelson Street, Bristol, October 2015Sepr, Old Bread Street, Bristol, June 2016Sepr, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2016Sepr, The Bearpit, Bristol, March 2016Sepr, Nine Trees Hill, Bristol, November 2015Sepr, Devon Road, Bristol, May 2016Sepr, Dalton Square, Bristol, April 2016Sepr, Dalton Square, Bristol, April 2016Sepr, Midland Street, Bristol, October 2015Sepr, Grosvenor Road, Bristol, November 2015Sepr, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, January 2016Jon5, Silent Hobo, Sepr, Deamze and Dotcom, Stokes Croft, Bristol, September 2015Sepr, North Street, Bristol, July 2015Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol August 2015Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol August 2015Sepr, Albert Park Place, Bristol, August 2015Sepr, Albert Park Place, Bristol, March 2015
It is always a pity when a nice piece gets dogged, especially when it has only been up for a day or two. This particular collaboration between NEVERGIVEUP and Soge was a perfect piece for the curved wall in Dean Lane skate park. It also marked a return of the monster by NGU, something I’ve not seen for a few months.
NEVERGIVEUP and Soge, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2018
I had seen the Soge writing on Instagram, and it all really looked rather nice, but I guess some inferior talent had to go and goof it up. I’m all for the turnover of work, especially on ‘legal’ walls, but it is boring to see half-baked throw-ups going up over decent work. Still, we all know the (no) rules and just get on with it.
I was looking for the Andrew Burns Colwill piece (to follow soon) which I knew was a little off the beaten track for Upfest 2018 and spotted this brilliant little stencil by John D’oh on the wall of The Black Cat pub on the corner of West Street and Westbourne Grove.
John D’oh, Upfest, Bristol, August 2018
When I see small ‘hidden’ gems like this, I wonder how many Upfest visitors might have missed it in their quest for the ‘marquee’ artists – I don’t suppose it matters really, but as a street art hunter, I like to work hard for my trophies, it is what I do. This is a really accomplished little stencil and one that really chimes for me – a great little find – Thank you John D’oh.
I realise that this piece was not an official Upfest piece, but I don’t really care about that, because it is by one of Bristol’s finest artists, Tom Miller, and was painted in Dean Lane during the Festival – it counts in my book.
Tom Miller, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
I managed to hook up with Tom Miller a couple of times over the festival, indeed we cowered from a heavy rainshower together on the Saturday morning under one of the skate park ramps.
Tom Miller, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Yet again, Tom Miller has absolutely ‘nailed it’ as he seems to do with every piece he creates. I only wish that my photography was up to the standard that he sets with his murals.
Tom Miller, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
It is often difficult to fathom out what exactly is going on in Miller’s pieces and indeed, I think it is often open to interpretation – maybe only the artist really knows what this piece is about, but it incorporates all of his surrealist elements and the bright colours he uses. What is incredible about Tom Miller is that he seems to be just as adept with spray cans on walls as he is with paint brushes in the studio, and the end results are always unmistakably Miller pieces. Bravo two times over – I love this piece.
Natural adventures 