6404. Exeter Road

 

Greg Stobbs, Exeter Road, Bristol, September 2024
Greg Stobbs, Exeter Road, Bristol, September 2024

This is a wonderful one-off piece that simply appeared in Exeter Road recently, and is something of an enigma. It is by an artist, Greg Stobbs, who from what I can make out is an illustrator. It turns out on digging a bit deeper that Greg Stobbs is Squirl of Squirl Art, who has appeared on these pages in the context of his Upfest pieces.

Greg Stobbs, Exeter Road, Bristol, September 2024
Greg Stobbs, Exeter Road, Bristol, September 2024

I am guessing that the piece is a commission, perhaps brokered by the Upfest team. However it came to be painted, it is absolutely wonderful and straight out of the children’s picture book style of street art. The branch and bird look very much at home on this rather tatty wall, and I very much hope that we see more of Greg Stobbs’ illustrative work in Bristol before too long.

6154. Upfest 2024 (33)

Emotional Waterfall Art, Upfest 24, Exeter Road, Bristol, May 2024
Emotional Waterfall Art, Upfest 24, Exeter Road, Bristol, May 2024

If you like bright and colourful abstract designs, then this piece by Emotional Waterfall Art painted at Upfest 2024 will be right up your street. The artist is no stranger to Upfest, and she painted an enormous mural for the 75×75 event in 2021. I am not certain, because her social media accounts are vague, but I think that she is Bristol-based, or at least from the West of England.

Emotional Waterfall Art, Upfest 24, Exeter Road, Bristol, May 2024
Emotional Waterfall Art, Upfest 24, Exeter Road, Bristol, May 2024

This piece is painted on a gate in Exeter Road (one for Thursday Doors in a year or two) adding a vibrant splash of colour. There is a whole ton of positive energy coming at you from the mixture of shapes and patterns in this delightful mural. I believe, from reading her Instagram post about that this piece, that she had a really great day painting it.

3855. Upfest 2021 75×75 (34)

Compared to some of the flamboyant pieces painted at this year’s Upfest 75 walls in 75 days event, this one from Caryn Koh is delicately understated, and the wall set back from the main drag of North Street. The low-key nature of the mural should not, however, detract from its quality and the story it tells.

Caryn Koh, Exeter Road, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
Caryn Koh, Exeter Road, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21

Dr Caryn Koh, to give her full title, has painted this mural of two of her cousins and the story of the artwork in her own words is as follows:

The mural situated at Exeter Road, Bristol, is about the relationship between siblings; how we unknowingly grow apart and have our separate paths on life’s journey but there is that unbreakable bond that binds us together.

The piece is an absolute beauty and comes across more as a fine art piece than a street mural. Really impressive.

Caryn Koh, Exeter Road, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
Caryn Koh, Exeter Road, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21

Caryn Koh is from Malaysia, although I don’t know whether she came over to Bristol specially for Upfest or whether she is in the UK in any case. Either way, it is fabulous to see her work on this scale in our city. Another outstanding piece from Upfest 2021.

3815. Upfest 2021 75×75 (18)

This mural by Carla James is utterly, utterly stunning and a serious contender for my favourite piece of Upfest 21 so far. It saddens me to report that this was one of the dozen or so pieces that was vandalised recently, which is a dreadful shame, and makes my blood boil. However, I was lucky to see it in its original condition. Carla James lives just outside Bristol, so she might be able to salvage it, depending on her work I guess.

Carla James, Exeter Road, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Carla James, Exeter Road, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

This wall is so difficult to photograph, like so many in Bedminster – I recommend that more double yellow lines are introduced, which is what we should be doing in the name of reducing car use and mitigating for climate change. The artwork and general feel of this piece is extraordinary, and I simply cannot praise it enough. Carla James has mastered the technique of painting helium balloons (a Fanakapan speciality) but it is the exquisite beauty and colours of the hummingbird that really stand out.

Carla James, Exeter Road, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Carla James, Exeter Road, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

I think that if I could take a piece of art home with me from Upfest 75×75, it would be this one (so far). I am blown away.