Tag: Hands

6781. M32 roundabout J3 (661)

Minto, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2025
Minto, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2025

There was a period last year when Minto was in full flow, and barely a week passed by without a new piece from the graffiti artist, but over the winter months his activity in Bristol slowed. It was great to see this piece on the roundabout recently, and I hope that it signifies a return to more frequent pieces from him.

Minto, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2025
Minto, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2025

The piece combines graffiti writing with a wizard character reaching out, and some fabulous perspective as the hands grab out towards the letters. Although difficult to see, the word MINTO will be concealed in there somewhere, but it is all rather more cryptic than in many of his other pieces, and just for good measure he has written his name to the left. A cool piece.

6289. Muriel Alleyway (6)

Tanith Gould, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, August 2024
Tanith Gould, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, August 2024

Bristol’s smallest street art festival took place at the end of July, organised by Rtiiika, in Muriel Alleyway, Brislington. This is an alleyway which has a couple of dozen garages backed onto it as well as garden back walls, which make fabulous canvasses for street art and murals. The spot has has a few pieces painted along it in a fairly sporadic fashion, but this event ensured that many of the available well/garage spaces were painted. Most of the artists were part of the Bristol Mural Collective, including Tanith Gould, who has painted this exact wall previously.

Tanith Gould, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, August 2024
Tanith Gould, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, August 2024

I love Tanith Gould’s illustrative style, which includes, I guess, quite a lot of symbolism and meaning. She has virtually replicated the hands that were here before, but the surrounding decoration is rather different. There is something very calming about the piece, which I really like. Below is her earlier piece from July 2021, for comparison.

Tanith Gould, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, July 2021
Tanith Gould, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, July 2021

5258. Upfest 2022 (68)

Ale Poire, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Ale Poire, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

The quality and variety of pieces at last year’s Upfest was as good as it has ever been, if not a little better. My only regret is that I didn’t manage to capture completed pieces by many artists, because there was an abrupt end to the two-day festival, after which the boards in Greville Smyth Park were dismantled, and that was that. Fortunately, just as I was leaving, Ale Poire (from Guadalajara, Mexico) was signing her beautiful hands piece, and the signature usually indicates the piece is complete.

Ale Poire, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Ale Poire, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

There is something very special and expressive about hands, and Ale Poire has captured a tenderness in this emotional painting. The simplicity of the composition combined with the technical craft of the artist left me with one of the most memorable images of the festival. A very special piece, which would last for only a few hours after I took this picture.

4416. Picton Lane (13)

I cannot really find the words to express just how good an artist Kosc is. His work seems to get better and better and as he progresses, he keeps raising the bar. Here we have an artist who seems to be at ease with his chosen materials and who creates outstanding work, but continues to push his boundaries.

Kosc, Picton Lane, Bristol, April 2022
Kosc, Picton Lane, Bristol, April 2022

This amazing piece in Picton Lane has a hint of the Sistine Chapel about it with two outstretched hands making finger contact set against a green leafy backdrop, including shadows cast against it. Kosc enjoys his anatomical pieces and appears to study the shape and form of bodies.

Kosc, Picton Lane, Bristol, April 2022
Kosc, Picton Lane, Bristol, April 2022

This piece feels like a study, and something that would sit comfortably in an artist’s studio, and is simply amazing to see in its location. Difficult to photograph without a wide-angle lens, but I think you can get a sense of it, and quite weird to think that there is door behind this. A supreme work from Kosc.

3839. Muriel Alleyway (6)

I have lost count of the total number of new artists I have written about this year, but it is dozens, and each and every one of them brings something new and exciting to the city of Bristol. This superb piece, looking great in the sunshine, is by Tanith Gould, who painted it alongside a piece in the same colour scheme by Yoliws a few weeks ago.

Tanith Gould, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, July 2021
Tanith Gould, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, July 2021

I don’t know much about Tanith Gould, but have done a little digging and have found out that she is a fine artist from Falmouth (a town close to my heart) who works in paint, film and photography… well she can now add murals to her list with this beautiful piece. Hands are always tricky to carry off in street art, and many artists really struggle with them, but Tanith Gould has pulled it off with aplomb here. There is a lot of symbolism going on in the piece with fungus and fish cupped in the palms of the hands. I don’t know what it all means, but there is surely a story to tell here. I hope that Tanith Gould makes a speedy return to the city to show off more of her great work.

314, North Street, Standard (2)

A little while ago, Jody created this beautiful detailed piece, which was very quickly adopted as the Upfest Twitter icon, only recently replaced by Cheo’s design. Jody’s work has an incredible realism and then tosses the realism into a surreal setting.

Jody, North Street, Bristol, April 2016
Jody, North Street, Bristol, April 2016

At last year’s Upfest he produced an incredible work of fingers dripping with oil, and here we have this delicate image of two hands making a heart shape, and encompassing a moth. Full of symbolism? Maybe.

Jody, North Street, Bristol, April 2016
Jody, North Street, Bristol, April 2016

This work is very memorable and located at the heart of North Street, where its predecessor was this Christmas piece by Cheo. I guess the wall will be repainted at this year’s festival, but as I discovered recently with the Inkie piece (Best thing since sliced bread), not all the street art in the area will be over-painted.