Crocodile – Natural adventures

7440. Greenbank (178)

Avem808, Greenbank, Bristol, January 2026

What an absolute pleasure it was to come across this combination piece by Avem808, while walking the dog along the Bristol to Bath cycle path behind Greenbank Cemetary. I have only seen a handful of pieces by the artist, but each of them has been a cracker.

I think this is the first combination piece I have seen by Avem808 and it is composed of the letters AV and EM bookending a cartoon crocodile character in the middle. The blended letter fills are very well done, and he has an interesting take on the 3D drop shadow that seems to go in all directions, possibly to a vanishing point in the middle somewhere. A refreshing piece and I hope, an indication of what is to come this year.

7425. Dean Lane skate park (898)

I had meant to post this epic piece by Rowdy some time ago, and somehow it slipped through the net. I think I had wanted to get some better photographs, but because of its size it is difficult to do it justice.

The Huge Bristol crocodile was painted back in August last year and is a bit of a signature character for Rowdy. Indeed, the crocodile is pretty well known throughout Bristol, having appeared in so many different spots over the years. A characterful piece from a characterful artist.

6987. St Michael’s Hill (7)

Rowdy, St Michael's Hill, Bristol, June 2025 — Rowdy, St Michael’s Hill, Bristol, June 2025

When I think about Bristol street art, one of the first images that springs to mind is a Rowdy crocodile. Somehow what he does and how he does it embodies a sense of mischief and humour, edge and naive art, and is at the very heart of the Bristol scene.

I love this little spot at the bottom of St Michael’s hill, which has played host to a few different artworks over the years. I love also that is obviously used to be a butcher’s shop and still has the old tiles. Some crocodiles and a radiant cat decorate the walls and window perfectly and ooze everything that Rowdy is all about. I love this.

Rowdy

A gallery of crocs and other wonderful characters from the established and popular Bristol Artist Rowdy.

Instagram: @rowdyunofficial

All photographs by Scooj

Rowdy, Andy Council and Acer One, Purdown, Bristol, August 2024

Rowdy, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2024

Rowdy, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, February 2023

Rowdy, Brunel Way, Bristol, January 2022

Rowdy, Redpoint Climbing Centre, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest21

Rowdy, Chatterton Square, Bristol, April 2021

Rowdy, Stapleton Road, Bristol, May 2020

Inkie and Rowdy, Wilder Street, Bristol, July 2019

Rowdy, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2018

Rowdy, St Werburghs farm, Bristol, July 2018

Rowdy, The Bearpit, Bristol, January 2017

Rowdy and Sweet Toof, The Carriageworks, Bristol, December 2016

Mau Mau and Rowdy, Picton Lane, Bristol, November 2015

Rowdy, Picton Lane, Bristol, November 2015

Rowdy, lilo, Picton Lane, Bristol, November 2015

6370. Purdown (79)

You don’t expect to see production collaborations up at Purdown, so it was wonderful to see this ‘take-over’ by Rowdy, Acer One and Andy Council on the concrete slabs of the derelict anti-aircraft gun emplacement. The light conditions were tricky on both occasions that I went up there, and the photographs don’t really do justice to this creative display.

Starting in the Centre and on the margins, Acer One has painted one of his mind-boggling impossible triangle pieces, displaying great technical skills and accuracy. This is the third such piece I am aware of that he has painted in this spot.

Andy Council, Purdown, Bristol, August 2024

On either side of Acer One’s centrepiece, Andy Council has painted his trademark ammonites in living-fossil form, each using his composite method to stitch together the creatures from components to make a whole. The dusky pink background used by Acer One and Andy Council works very nicely with their respective colour schemes.

Finally, bookending the collaboration, Rowdy has joined in the fun with a fabulous collection of Bristol crocodiles. More than any other active artist in Bristol, I think that Rowdy represents that raw, quirky, subversive and original talent that underpins the whole graffiti/street art scene in the city, and long may it last. This is a fabulous production piece from the trio of great artists.

5891. St Werburghs tunnel (412)

Although he doesn’t paint all that often these days, Rowdy is responsible for some of the most iconic street art in Bristol. His crude pieces, often featuring his trademark crocodile, have been a mainstay of the Bristol scene for decades. He painted this small piece during Ryder’s RAW paint jam a couple of weeks back.

In this piece, Rowdy has painted a masked cat character hovering above a vibrant nigh time urban scene. There is an energy to the piece and a hint of subversion which I like. Of course a vertical green crocodile is in attendance. Of course, as is common in many works in the city at the moment, it is accompanied with the words ‘Free Palestine’. It is always a pleasure to see anything by Rowdy.

5779. Dean Lane skate park (680)

Kool Hand, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2023

Kool Hand has come on a long way from his early days, when he concentrated on one character, his orangutan, that gave him scope to practice his technique. Fast forward to now, and he is coming up with all sorts of characters, and adding layers of sophistication to his painting.

This looks like a crocodile character, really stands out with the white background and the colours he has chosen, there is definitely no hiding here. The fills are good and solid, the lines thick, but crisp, and his cutting-in is good too. All round, this is a good character piece from the Bristol regular.

5424. Brunel Way (222)

Kool Hand, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2023

Only a few days ago I was talking about the frequency of epic paint jam walls, and this is another example from a Bristol group of artists, including the ever improving Kool Hand. The artist returns to one of his favoured animal characters, a crocodile, for this fun animated piece, which perhaps takes a little inspiration from the Terminator movies.

The crocodile, with a peeled back face, revealing a robotic skeleton, is holding a ‘boogie box’ or ghetto blaster on his left shoulder and clutching a spray can in his right hand. The piece is nicely finished, and is a bit of a ‘stretch’ piece for Kool Hand whose work is becoming more diverse and creating narratives. The full collaborative wall is below:

Kool Hand, Conrico, Werm, Korbe and Daz Cat, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2023

5247. Greenbank (81)

Kool Hand and Daz Cat, Greenbank, Bristol, May 2023

I can’t believe we’re almost at the end of May, but it is true and with each day that passes more and more pieces of graffiti writing, and street art adorn our city walls. It can be a struggle at times to keep up, but a pleasurable struggle, if there is such a thing.

The light wasn’t particularly helpful on the day that I photographed this collaboration between Kool Hand and Daz Cat, but I might have just got away with it.

To the left, a Kool crocodile chills up against a colourful palm tree, looking almost like a piece of quilt work (watch out Louis Masai!). On the right is a Daz Cat cat floating and mixing music. What is interesting about the collaboration is that Kool Hand’s work is quite flat, and Daz Cat’s has depth and perspective, bringing different aspects and styles to the piece. It is always good to see these two painting together.

5041. Cheltenham Road

Rowdy doesn’t paint all that often, so it is always a huge pleasure to see his work when he does. This shop is literally around the corner from where I live, and has recently had a facelift, painted by Rowdy. It had already had the Rowdy treatment before, but this is a serious upgrade.

Of course, we have Rowdy’s famous crocodile design, not just one, but a float of them (correct collective noun – a bask, if they are on land). It is the reclining cat, however, on the top panel that steals the show for me, a cat that has appeared sveral times elsewhere in Bristol, which makes me think that I ought to publish a Rowdy gallery sometime soon.

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