Tian’s visit to Bristol filled me with excitement, and the ‘treasure hunt’ he left behind on East Street, left me with a very memorable hour or so while walking the dog a few weeks back. His wheatpastes may go unnoticed by many, but not by me.
Tian, East Street, Bristol, April 2025
The Japanese lady in a kimono is taken from a piece called ‘le kimono d’invisibilité’, and just looks so incongruous with its surroundings and yet blends in as if she has always been there. A stunning piece from an artist who has mastered content and placement. One of the very best.
How excited was I to find this outstanding wheatpaste by Tian earlier this month? A rhetorical question of course. Back in April 2016, the French artist, Tian, bombarded Stokes Croft with a series of beautiful paste ups, and visited Bristol again in May 2019 doing much the same. Both visits were celebrated by me, and many others who enjoyed discovering his series of interesting cut-outs.
Tian, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2025
I guess he was visiting the city again, but this time I have only found two wheatpastes, one of which has already gone. I expect there are more, but I don’t know where to look. This one, on the swimming pool wall, is of a Japanese woman in a kimono holding chopsticks. This is very much in a theme that Tian has cultivated over the years, and embraces the sepia tint as part of the piece. I am so excited about this, and keen to find some others in the North Street area.
Conrico is a very unusual street artist. He appears to be equally comfortable with graffiti writing or characters or landscapes and so on, always appearing to tell stories in his work. Much of his art and creativity is influenced by Japanese culture, and his spray technique looks much more like brush work than spray-painting. He is quite unique.
Conrico, Purdown, Bristol, January 2025
This piece was painted in three hours and features an Asian lady in an American diner – I found out this information from his Instagram feed. The piece is based on a photograph of Minami Yuzuzu, a Japanese actress/popular figure? His blend of cultures and special style has created a special and imaginative piece, not the sort of thing you might expect to see walking the dog through a WWII gun emplacement (unless you lived in Bristol).
At first glance I was fooled into thinking that this piece was by Conrico, mainly based on the subject matter, but also a little o the style, but it didn’t quite feel right. It turns out it is by visiting artist Quale, as part of a chapter 17 World Wall Stylers paint jam challenge with the theme Ninja Scroll. Ninja Scroll is a 1993 Japanese animated jidaigeki–chanbara film written and directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri – who knew?
Quale, Frome side, Bristol, November 2024
This piece (sorry about the glare, this wall is difficult to photograph) is stunning. It is so full of movement, and little pastiches from the film. I don’t know anything about Quale, but hope to see more in Bristol in the future.
Elno, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023
One of the highlights of my trip to Cheltenham for this year’s Paint Festival was the opportunity to meet and chat with Elno, a lovely, lovely person who made plenty of time to talk about her work, and a piece that I photographed earlier in the year from the Lighthouse Community Gardens. I caught up with her just as she was completing the piece, only the sword handle was incomplete and, of course, her signature.
Elno, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023
I made a bit of a mistake asking Elno if her character had any links to Avatar (the film), and she swiftly put that one to bed. I gather that she has been painting characters like this for a while, and it is purely coincidental that this one resembles any kind of animation film characters, and if I am honest, I feel a bit of a fool for even asking as the resemblance is tenuous at best.
Elno, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023
There is so much to like in this piece from the composition with its very strong Japanese influence. Characters with large eyes are always beguiling and beautiful, and the red hair, complete with flower, complements the blue skin perfectly. I love the touch of patterned material on the woman’s shoulder, adding some extra class to the piece. I suggested that she try to make it to Bristol for Upfest, a suggestion that didn’t fall on deaf ears. Let’s hope.
Elno, Lighthouse Community Garden, London, April 2023
I think the thing I love most about this outstanding piece from Conrico is that it is probably the most surprising subject for street art imaginable. A Japanese takeaway sushi meal, still in its plastic container, is either completely bonkers or utterly inspired, and I prefer to err on the side of the latter.
Conrico, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2022
There is no question that this is brilliantly painted in Conrico’s paint brush style, the plastic transparent box alone is worth a mention. Take a look at the delicacies inside the box, and you will notice that they spell out Conrico Steez, the full signature of the artist. I love, love, love this creative food fiesta – bravo!
the backstory… I found some chopsticks in a drawer that were given to me by a crew member of the Koei Maru 30, a Japanese fishing boat that I worked on in the Falkland Islands – it was his way of making friends and welcoming me. Finding them transported me back to 1988.
I can’t express how excited I was to see this last week, but it appears that Tian has been on another tour of Bristol and has left dozens of paste ups in the Stokes Croft area. Although He came for Upfest 2016, his last wheatpasting drop was in April 2016 so it has been some time, but how utterly worth the wait.
Tian, Stokes Croft, Bristol, May 2019
Over the next few weeks I will post more of his pieces. Once again he presents us with stencil work that has been printed and pasted up and this first design appears to be a Japanese scene with a geisha. If any of his past work is a guide, the piece is probably taken from a famous film, but I don’t know for sure.
Tian, Stokes Croft, Bristol, May 2019
Unusually for the work of Tian that I have seen, this piece diverges from his normal sepia-toned pieces and in fact if you look carefully there are two different tones of orange used in the versions of this wheatpaste.
Tian, Stokes Croft, Bristol, May 2019
These four paste ups were from various spots on my way to work… what a walk that was. I seem to remember it was raining quite hard but it simply didn’t matter I was in street art appreciation mode.
Tian, Stokes Croft, Bristol, May 2019
Loads more to come from this fabulous French artist.
This is another of my infrequent posts which is what Natural Adventures was originally set up for. For those of you unfamiliar with my Falkland Islands journal I will offer a quick recap. In 1988 I landed a job as a fisheries scientist working with the Falkland Islands Government on a contract just shy of a year. This blog is a faithful digitisation of the journal I wrote on that trip. For me, this is a catharsis, for you it may be an insight into the mind of a 24 year old on an exciting and challenging adventure.
The scene is set in the first post ‘An Ill Wind‘, which you might like to read for context.
Suday 26 June 1988. Koei Maru 30
Aah, at last a day off. I slept so terribly, the rough sea rolled me about something rotten. It is a little better now, but would have been terrible if we had tried a set (setting the longline) this morning.
I think my stomach bugs are caused by the sashimi! my body just isn’t used to it. I must confess that the raw tuna is excellent.
Wrote letters to Mum and Ad and to Deb.
I have been considering a reply to Karen’s rather frustrated letter in which she seems to ask ‘what are we doing here?’ or something similar.
I’ve thought of many answers, but some may seem a little brutal, and sinceshe thinks I am a brute anyway I don’t want to upset her again.
Began to write my schedule for other scientists (I refuse to call them observers) who will work on the KM30 while I am on leave, namnely Crag and Phil.
I am still furious about my tax position with PDA – this company seems to be nothing but trouble.
Monday 27 June 1988. Koei Maru 30
A beautiful sunrise – I wonder if I will see such lovely sights again when I return to the UK – for starters I don’t think I will ever be up in time!
I hear Africa calling
Possibly cos I’m listening to African Sanctus at this moment.
Some more pretty corals today – I should be able to build up quite a good collection.
Several albatross were caught up in the lines today – I think they go for the squid bait when the line is deployed and get caught up, dragged down and drown – it is very sad indeed. I also thought it was unlucky to kill an albatross, but maybe that is only if it is intentional.
Black browed albatross and giant peterels alongside the Koei Maru 30, 1988
Not long now ’til home.
Tuesday 28 June 1988. Koei Maru 30
I’m getting sick and tired of saying long, tiring day, but today really was – I hope I get some decent sleep.
Had a good radio chat with Elizabeth today – she’s also due for a break in August. She gets two holidays in the time I’ve only had one! RAW DEAL!
The fishing was ace today – I hope it puts egg on the Fishing Master’s face – the crew were working fairly close to capacity I reckon.
5 tons/day, yeah pull the other one shortie!
Zone IV has been the best covered so far – all this is quite a laugh really.
Wrote a letter to Beth – very sweet of her, Charlie and Carl to write, but thwen I suppose I did write first. Letters are my life-blood.
Watching ‘With love from Oregon ’87’ for the third time – what a terrible drama, but a gorgeous half Indian (red) (OMG – we don’t say that these days – native north American) half Japanese girl of about 16 in the starring role.
I now feel at ease with all but two of the crew – ‘Rolf Harris’ and Iagi – they don’t seem to want to be friendly. I’ve made good friends with the grumpy old man – he’s really quite a good bloke.
Abe and Abe, crew members of the Koei Maru 30
Aah – shower and bed – nice.
Wednesday 29 June 1988. Koei Maru 30
A short day – it became too rough to set more than 60 lines (baskets). It was all over by 7.30am. So I decided to sleep, to make up for lost sleep last night – unfortunately this means that I won’t be tired and won’t be able to sleep tonight – vicious circle.
It’s funny but however hard I try I just can’t conjure up any original thoughts – I have none, so my diary becomes a dull, dreary account of my days and not an abstract random selection of my thoughts. I hope the reader (if any) will bear with me. It must be obvious that I’m not very happy at the moment, perhaps this can explain sume of this mundainity (is there such a word?).
As I write I often wonder if any of my children or grandchildren (if I have any) will pick up my diaries and read them. Perhaps they will understand me better for it and see into who I am a little more clearly.
Natural adventures 