Tag: Climate change

3633. North Street Standard

I genuinely miss my occasional conversations with Andrew Burns Colwill. I haven’t seen the artist for well over a year now, possibly two, and that is far too long. During that time I haven’t seen too much of his street work either, so it was with great joy that I found this recent piece by him on the wall of the North Street Standard.

Andrew Burns Colwill, North Street Standard, Bristol, April 2021
Andrew Burns Colwill, North Street Standard, Bristol, April 2021

One of the things that chimes for me with all of ABC’s work is the environmental theme at its heart, and this piece is more overt than some of his work, with a direct call to action emblazoned on the left hand side.

Andrew Burns Colwill, North Street Standard, Bristol, April 2021
Andrew Burns Colwill, North Street Standard, Bristol, April 2021

The Earth sitting at the top end of an hourglass is a fabulous visual metaphor for the urgency of the predicament we find ourselves in. As the Earth drips down into the lower half of the hour glass, a face is seen in the centre, as if the soul of the planet was being drained out.

This is a fabulous piece of fine art from one of my favourite people in Bristol.

We all must do what we can, and we can do what we must.

3291. Cheltenham 2020 (13)

Mr Draws really came up with something of a surprise at this year’s Cheltenham Paint Festival with this environmental piece of an elephant and the slogan ‘ system change not climate change’.

Mr Draws, Paint festival, Cheltenham, September 2020
Mr Draws, Paint festival, Cheltenham, September 2020

I caught up with Mr Draws in the centre of town and he told me that he had used a technique for the first time which is used by many artists called a doodle grid. He reported that he enjoyed it and that it had worked really well. There seems to be a bit of a mixture of techniques and styles within the piece, for example the rather abstract foliage, the well proportioned elephant and the twigs with leaves. A strange combination but one with a clear strong message.