7008. Princes’ Place

Jamel, Princes' Place, Bristol, June 2025
Jamel, Princes’ Place, Bristol, June 2025

I was walking to a cricket match a couple of weeks back with some friends, when I spotted a flash of colour down a side street. I made my excuses, said I’d catch them up, and dashed across the road to get a closer look. My reward was this lovely Mural by Jamel (AKA Loch Ness), looking fresh as a daisy. Loch Ness was one of the first street artists I became aware of in Bristol, and he even gave me a spray-painting class as part of an Upfest festival sponsorship initiative, some years ago.

Jamel, Princes' Place, Bristol, June 2025
Jamel, Princes’ Place, Bristol, June 2025

I haven’t seen anything by the artist for years, so this was a great find. The piece features a lion, which serves as a backdrop to a set of Bristol icons; the Clifton Suspension Bridge, Concord and hot air balloons. This is a wild and imaginative mural, probably a commission or for a friend/family, and is a bit of a gem. I hope this signifies a revival of Jamel’s work.

600. North Street No. 173

A turkey isn’t just for Christmas…or on second thoughts a turkey is just for Christmas, apart from this one by Andy Council on North Street in Bedminster.

Andy Council, North Street, Bristol, January 2017
Andy Council, North Street, Bristol, January 2017

This colourful shutter piece gives us what we expect from Andy Council; an animal form created from architectural ‘blocks’ and local icons, in this example Concord forming the crest of the bird. Instantly recognisable, his works encourage close inspection to figure out all the micro-stories going on in the piece.

Andy Council, North Street, Bristol, January 2017
Andy Council, North Street, Bristol, January 2017

Sorry about the bins in this one – I guess I should have moved the one on the right of the picture, but I feel it is good to see these things in their context sometimes.