I have said it many times on these pages, that it is always worth varying routes and going away from the beaten track because once in a while you will find something new in an unexpected place. I only occasionally drive down this road, but was pleased I did due to finding this mural by Mr Penfold.
Mr Penfold, Easton Road, Bristol, March 2026
Mr Penfold’s work is so distinct, his abstract designs incorporating bold colours and great shapes, where the spaces in between the elements are as important as the elements themselves. Bright and precise, this is a beacon of joy on an otherwise mundane stretch of road.
Another diversion away from my usual routes took me to Easton Road where I came across this magnificent mural from Caryn Koh, possibly the last thing I might have expected to see in this part of town. What is disappointing is that my son’s work is very close to this mural, and he never thought to let me know it was there.
Caryn Koh, Easton Road, Bristol, March 2024
This is a powerful portrait of a woman superimposed or floating over a pond with beautiful water lilies in it, but look a little closer and you can see that the pond is polluted with plastic bags and bottles and straws, a commentary and observation in the state of our environment. One day it would be nice to think that people, those in power and citizens alike, would learn to value nature and habitats because we live here and now. Who wants to live on a planet with diminishing beauty and wildlife?… let’s watch the hands go up. Nobody. So we must do what we can do to live in a better world, and that doesn’t have to equate to one where financial wealth is the only goal.
Thank you Caryn Koh for using your art to socialise the issue.