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.

3332. Brunel Way bridge (75)

Virtually impossible to photograph properly, but wonderful to see is this Halloween Taboo piece. I seem to recall a little while ago saying that I hadn’t found many Halloween pieces this year – well, scratch that, I have found rather a lot, and on this wall there were six or seven alone.

Taboo, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2020
Taboo, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2020

It is tricky to see the full Taboo on this, but I think you get the idea, and the character ghost is absolutely brilliant. I think the contrast between Taboo’s letters and characters is what makes his work so interesting, almost as if they are by two different artists.

Taboo, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2020
Taboo, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2020

A very fine piece indeed.