Tag: Church Road

6440. Church Road

Dave Bain and David J. McMillan, Church Road, Bristol, September 2024
Dave Bain and David J. McMillan, Church Road, Bristol, September 2024

I find myself in a bit of a rush this morning, because I have a dental appointment before work. I’m slightly anxious about what is going to happen with my tooth, having lost quite a large section of it a week or so ago. I guess I have to yield to the professional and just get on with it.

I drove past this mural a few weeks ago, coming back from the dog sitter who lives in a part of town I don’t go to all that often. I don’t know how long it has been there, but I can’t recall ever having seen it before.

Dave Bain and David J. McMillan, Church Road, Bristol, September 2024
Dave Bain and David J. McMillan, Church Road, Bristol, September 2024

The large mural on Church Road is by Dave Bain and David J McMillan, and not being overly familiar with the work of either artist, I am not too sure who is responsible for which parts of the mural. The piece speaks of recreation and connecting with nature, which is always a welcome theme in my view. I love the execution of the mural, but I fear that the colours look a little washed out, but that might be an artifact of the rather overcast weather when I took the photographs. It is always great to find new pieces, especially significant murals like this one. Nice work from Dave and David.

5865. Church Road

Mind 49, Church Road, Bristol, February 2024
Mind 49, Church Road, Bristol, February 2024

Hoardings are irresistible to street artists, graffiti writers and taggers alike. They provide a safe and clean canvas, temporary in nature, for spray paint creativity, and Mind 49 has grabbed the opportunity to decorate this hoarding in Church Road with both hands. Mind 49 is making a big impact on the street art scene in Bristol, and his portrait pieces in particular are turning heads all over the city. I am guessing from the frequency of his new work that he must have moved to the city, or in the neighbouring area.

Mind Control, Church Road, Bristol, February 2024
Mind Control, Church Road, Bristol, February 2024

The portrait is really striking, and his style is fascinating. It is not photorealistic, but is representative. His can control though has a paint brush quality that is softer than the harsh crispness of photorealism. This is a really great piece, and he appears to improve each time he hits a wall. I am looking forward to seeing where he takes us in 2024.

4927. Church Road

Farrah, Church Road, Bristol, December 2022
Farrah, Church Road, Bristol, December 2022

Accidental finds are often the most rewarding, and to come across a mural of this size that I had no idea existed was a particular joy. Farrah has painted commissions all over Bristol, and her unique brand of abstract brush stroke pieces are becoming another established feature of the Bristol USP.

Farrah, Church Road, Bristol, December 2022
Farrah, Church Road, Bristol, December 2022

This end of terrace wall was sponsored by Park Insurance, for which we are all grateful I’m sure. Farrah, in her Instagram feed, talks about the importance of trees that give us “shelter, stability, food, water and oxygen”. Trees give us a whole lot more, including habitats for wildlife, food, carbon storage and an enormous sense of wellbeing. Although this tree mural can’t provide all of those things, it can certainly help to remind us how important trees are.

Farrah, Church Road, Bristol, December 2022
Farrah, Church Road, Bristol, December 2022

Farrah has expertly crafted the tree and some of the creatures in it, such as the squirrel, using her attractive brush stroke style that seems so effortless when you watch videos of her at work. It is a technique that she has perfected and seems to be taking to a higher level all the time. This is a piece definitely worth seeking out if you happen to be in the St George area of Bristol.

3746. Upfest 2021 75×75 (2)

Adding to the challenge of keeping up with the turnover of street art in Bristol has been the recent unveiling of Upfest’s 75 new walls painted in 75 days. Not only is this a huge undertaking by Upfest, in what has been a very disrupted two years, but is a major challenge for me to keep up with. At the time of writing I have seen about eight or nine new pieces with several more on the go.

Mr Penfold, Church Road, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 2021
Mr Penfold, Church Road, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 2021

Any regular readers will probably recognise this massive mural as being by Bristol artist and designer Mr Penfold. In this piece he has gone large, but that rather suits his style of big bold designs and colours.

Mr Penfold, Church Road, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 2021
Mr Penfold, Church Road, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 2021

This particular wall is one that has hosted some amazing pieces and this is yet another one in that series. I have to say that this one went under my radar and I didn’t know that Mr Penfold had painted it until he posted it on Instagram, hence no WIP shots.

Mr Penfold, Church Road, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 2021
Mr Penfold, Church Road, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 2021

Although a stunning feature wall for Upfest, it is one of the trickier ones to photograph, especially in summer when the tree is in full leaf. It is always great to see new Mr Penfold pieces and this one is a real beauty.

1014. Church Road top (3)

A recent piece from Cheo on a wall that you need to go looking for. This is the second pairing of Cheo and Soker pieces that I have found here, but I expect they have been spraying here for years.

Cheo, Church Road, Bristol, September 2017
Cheo, Church Road, Bristol, September 2017

Some really lovely wildstyle writing and a fun character too. Cheo and his king bee just keep on pleasing. The image below is the last piece he had up here which was photographed in March 2017.

Cheo, Church Road, Bristol, March 2017
Cheo, Church Road, Bristol, March 2017

1007. Church Road, St George.

My daughter has a chameleon, which eats live locusts. Every now and then, when I have forgotten to order them I have to traipse over to the other side of Bristol to get some, and this journey takes me through St George where I spotted this shutter piece. This is in my view rather special, because it is by the highly talented Braga Last1.

Braga Last1, Church Road St George, Bristol, July 2017
Braga Last1, Church Road St George, Bristol, July 2017

Braga Last1 is a Belgian artist who has been over to Bristol for Upfest for the last two years, and I have a feeling he did this commission in 2016. There is so much to like about this piece. First off, the artist himself, secondly it depicts a cartoon version of Darth Vader and thirdly it is beautifully sprayed. I like it a lot. Belgium seems to be having a bit of a street art golden period at the moment, with other artists such as Mehsos, Bisser and Dzia all stunning audiences with their work. Of course Belgium has a very rich culture of art going back centuries, and maybe this heritage inspires them. More from Braga Last1 soon.

689. Church Road top (2)

This is the second half of the wall referred to in the previous post, which accompanies Cheo’s work. This right hand side in the beautiful wildstyle writing so typical of Soker. It is a lovely piece and like it’s neighbour, really crisp and sharp.

Soker, Church Road, Bristol, March 2017
Soker, Church Road, Bristol, March 2017

Soker’s work is very distinctive and I have yet to see a piece by him which I think is a bit rubbish or below par. He always seems to turn out excellent work…an artist on the top of his game.

Soker, Church Road, Bristol, March 2017
Soker, Church Road, Bristol, March 2017

 

688. Church Road top (1)

Tucked away behind an industrial unit in Church Road is a little lane that I have not visited before. The building is sprayed with permitted pieces all around, and many of them by Cheo. This is a recent piece, and the wall was shared with Soker – see the next post.

Cheo, Church Road, Bristol, March 2017
Cheo, Church Road, Bristol, March 2017

Cheo has been a little quiet in Bristol since Upfest, but seems to have gone on something of a spray spree recently. This is a quality bit of wildstyle work and there is a crispness so typical of Cheo’s style. This is a great piece, and nice to see a return of the bee.

Cheo, Church Road, Bristol, March 2017
Cheo, Church Road, Bristol, March 2017

39. Church Road

Another fabulous mural created as part of Upfest 2105. This huge scene by DANK (Dan Kitchener) above the Salvation Army shop on the corner of Church Street and North Street is worth a trip to the area on its own. It reminds me of some of the street scenes from Blade Runner – and that is a good thing.

Dan Kitchener, Church Road, Bristol, September 2015
Dan Kitchener, Church Road, Bristol, September 2015

DANK, a London artist remains on the legal side of street art, and supports it through the large amount of commercial work that he does. He includes among his influences comics, science fiction films and black and white ’60s war films. There is a good interview with him from a couple of years ago here.

Dan Kitchener, Church Road, Bristol, September 2015
Dan Kitchener, Church Road, Bristol, September 2015

8/10