Tag: Greenbank

3841. Greenbank (13)

Although it isn’t something that should be too much remarked upon or even overthought, there is a really large contingent of female street artists in Bristol, which probably goes against the stereotype of being the province of young male delinquents (a stereotype that is so misinformed I might add). One of the regular ladies wot paint is Billy, whose colourful murals never disappoint.

Billy, Greenbank, Bristol, July 2021
Billy, Greenbank, Bristol, July 2021

This one on the long wall at Greenbank is particularly beautiful and calming. The message is simple and positive, ‘a nice flower in the park’ and the bold shapes and design a pleasant antidote to wildstyle writing or photorealism. This naive style of street art is equally valid and often very powerful in its simplicity and voice. Lovely work from Billy, once again.

3834. Greenbank (12)

It was most gratifying to see this lovely piece from SkyHigh at Greenbank, which he rattled off while he was in town painting his Upfest mural. I met him when he was painting the Upfest piece and he asked me where he could paint a little extra one, and so I pointed him in the direction of Greenbank and hey presto! here it is. I haven’t posted his Upfest piece yet, because none of my pictures so far are up to much.

SkyHigh, Greenbank, Bristol, July 2021
SkyHigh, Greenbank, Bristol, July 2021

SkyHigh, apart from being a really nice bloke is an immensely talented writer and wildlife artist, and we are blessed that he has visited Bristol a few times over the years, but to see his best work you need to go to London and Leake Street in particular. The niche that he has perfected is creating his SkyHigh moniker with block letters, each designed differently, giving a kind of collage effect. This is a supreme piece of graffiti writing from one of the masters of his craft.

3816. Greenbank (11)

One of the things that regular readers of Natural Adventures might have noticed is the high proportion of female street artists that are featured. This is not me being selective, but an honest reflection of just how many female artists are regularly painting these days. I am saying this as a brilliant thing, not as a surprising thing, which I think might shatter a few people’s preconceptions about street art and graffiti. There are few artists, male or female, who appear as regularly as Pekoe.

Pekoe, Greenbank, Bristol, June 2021
Pekoe, Greenbank, Bristol, June 2021

This wonderful portrait piece is on the (very) long wall at Greenbank. The face, in yellow, has features that are really clear and sharp, and the blue lips are particularly eye-catching. The big hair, a Pekoe trademark, is beautifully decorated with all sorts of squiggles and symbols. Another triumph from the lovely Pekoe.

3811. Greenbank (10)

I get a real buzz every time I see a piece by Merny. I don’t know why I like his art so much, but I think it is probably a combination of the deliberate naive style combined with humour and originality that really appeals to me. One can become blazé about the high quality writing we see every day in Bristol, but it is impossible to walk past a Merny piece and think that it looks like any other piece of art. It doesn’t.

Merny, Greenbank, Bristol, July 2021
Merny, Greenbank, Bristol, July 2021

This is a piece of our times and a commentary on the COVID-testing culture that we live in. There is a sadness and a sense of threat in the piece softened by the style and bright colours. Of course, the little labels make an appearance and add so much to this observational work. A very nice piece from Merny.

3794. Greenbank (9)

It would seem that since joining PWA, Nightwayss has been painting more frequently and seems to be enjoying his collaborations. This wonderful piece is in the middle of a Face 1st, Nightwayss and Soap triptych, and incorporates the recently devised PWA wobbly line border.

Nightwayss, Greenbank, Bristol, June 2021
Nightwayss, Greenbank, Bristol, June 2021

Nightwayss’ pieces are well known for featuring monkeys and apes and in this piece he doesn’t disappoint. A ghoulish giant ape is consuming a train (I think), and behind is a fabulously written ‘NIGHT’. With all the dots in the background, there is a feel of comic book print about the piece, and the theme adds to that feel. A great piece.

3739. Greenbank (8)

Trying to keep up with the sheer amount of new pieces in Bristol is as challenging as it has ever been. As a direct result, there is more of a chance that pieces will be tagged, spoiled or even over-painted by the time I get to them. This for a street art hunter is not a great state of affairs, but one I think I am going to have to accept, because there is absolutely no let-up aim Bristol and no end of new entrants into the scene.

Merny (Morny), GreenBank, Bristol, May 2021
Merny (Morny), GreenBank, Bristol, May 2021

This fabulous witty piece from Merny (who I call Morny) is a little bit contrived but nonetheless great fun. An orange and lemon side by side are making corny word play jokes with each other, but it is the sophisticated and studied naive style that I particularly like. Pity about the corruption graffiti, but that is the world we inhabit.

3648. Greenbank (7)

Set on the backdrop of a dramatic and moody sky is this lovely piece of graffiti writing from Bnie was painted a few weeks back during an RBF paint-in. Bnie is a writer whose work I really admire, it has a freshness and simplicity that works for me. That is not to say it is simple, far from it, more that it comes across cleanly and is easy to enjoy.

Bnie, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2021
Bnie, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2021

The colour combinations in the letters contrast nicely with the patterned 3D shadows, and the ‘tie-dye’ effect of purples and whites is quite magnificent – more of that please! There is only one thing that I’m not too fond of, and that is the chocolate brown decoration on the perimeter – it is not my favourite street art colour. All in all another blinder.

3618. Greenbank (6)

I knew all about this wonderful new collaboration from Rosalita’s Instagram feed, and because I recently (and at last) found the Greenbank wall, I rushed down to take some photographs. It was well worth the trip.

Rosalita, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2021
Rosalita, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2021

The collaboration is from Rosalita and Antikki and they certainly decided to go big with this one. There is so much to love here. Rosalita’s clown face behind layers of theatrical make up that disguise the emotional disposition of the subject, as is so often the case with Rosalita’s work there is something sad or uncertain about the portrait. The hair, oh my goodness the hair. Antikki has done an extraordinary job of weaving her dancing figures into the hair, which if you don’t look properly you might miss. The whole portrait is set on a starry and atmospheric background. This is a masterclass in collaborative working where the two styles and cleverly fused into the one piece.

Rosalita, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2021
Rosalita, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2021

Like many other people, I am so enjoying Rosalita’s strong presence on our streets, which has blossomed over the last six months or so and it is great to see Antikki joining her. I would love to see more collaborations from these two.

3609. Greenbank (5)

I knew that this piece by Rosalita existed, I just wasn’t quite sure where and when I finally discovered it on the Greenbank wall it was looking a little bit worse for wear. There is definitely a dark and tragic side to a lot of Rosalita’s work and this is something of a deathly portrait set on a backdrop of flowers.

Rosalita, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2021
Rosalita, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2021

I don’t often cut-and-paste quotes into Natural Adventures, but Rosalita’s explanation of this piece on her Instagram feed gives us an insight into this portrait:

“🌺From my rotting body flowers will grow🌺
Emptying cans with a mishmash of colours.
Dreamt I visited my mother last night, in our old home, as if she had never departed. There was comfort in feeling her presence again. Buddhist believe in meditating on death and impermanence as the only certainty in life 🌱 The intention is that when we embrace the reality of death we are freed of its fear and are able to live our lives fully with an open heart 💓
It is shamanic work throughout all cultures. Themes of death are a form of meditation in my practice, the impermanence of murals is guaranteed and comes with the territory of graffiti/street art culture. In its own way is a reminder of how fragile life is, and through acceptance we can kiss the joy as it passes our way ☠️ nuff love !”

The piece is very similar to another one she painted at around the same time and which I posted here back in January 2021. Fabulous work, and I love the flowers.

Rosalita, M32 cycle path, Bristol, January 2021
Rosalita, M32 cycle path, Bristol, January 2021

3604. Greenbank (04)

Greenbank is the most wonderful temporary graffiti/street art spot. It is a very long hoarding, perhaps 100m, which separates the Bristol to Bath cycle track from a large new development. I guess the hoarding will be here for a few more months and then this great art asset will disappear and we’ll all have to look for somewhere else. This is the way.

Pekoe, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2021
Pekoe, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2021

Pekoe has been on fire over the last year and she is turning out some truly magnificent pieces. This ‘kill the bill’ portrait is in magnificent purple and yellows (which I recollect from school are opposite colours) and with her white beanie, it really hits the mark. This is beautifully finished and it looks like she took her time to add in some details in the face and hair. Another triumph from the very busy Pekoe.