I had to include this piece by Jody, even though it is only a half-piece, because it is absolutely fantastic. It was painted during the 50th birthday paint jam for Turoe a few weeks ago, which generated some outstanding writing and character pieces. Unfortunately, as I have found out to my cost, you snooze, you lose, and I just didn’t get down to the wall in time to photograph Jody’s portrait in full. The left-hand side had been sliced off (neatly, at least) by a newer piece by Cort.
Jody, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2022
I feel I ought to know who the character is in this piece, but I don’t. It is remarkable to think that Jody can create something so brilliant in only four hours, and it is humbling to see the amazing work that these artists produce. A half beauty from Jody.
Another dabble in my archive threw up this old piece (photographed in 2016) by Jody on the side of what was once a magic club, and I think, a comedy club at the top end of Park Street. I don’t know why I never posted it before, but then again I could probably say that about most of my unseen/unpublished archive.
Jody, Upper Byron Place, Bristol, February 2016
The piece has long-since gone, but is a reminder of Jody’s takent and versatility, as well as admiring the impact his work has had on the city over the years. I am not very good with the magis scene, but am guessing that the magician portraits are of Houdini and David Blaine. For a long time this mural was part of the furniture on Park Street, and it is a pity it is no longer there.
You may recall that earlier on this year, at the start of the Upfest 75 walls in 75 days event, several beautiful new pieces were vandalised in one night. This piece from Jody was one of the pieces. I have been holding out for a long time hoping that Jody would come back and repair the damage, but so far no dice. So my impatience has got the better of me and I am sharing the piece on Natural Adventures in its vandalised state.
Jody, Raleigh Road, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
I took the feature picture only a day or two after it had been completed by Jody. Pictures of the clean piece are a bit of a rarity, and consequently haven’t been shared much on social media. Jody is a well known Bristol artist who is an old friend of Upfest, creating some amazing walls over the years. This Samurai is a real beauty and an eye-catching piece, but I can’t help getting angry every time I see it because of the writing and the smear on the nose. Some would say that it’s a jungle out there. I would say that there are some idiots out there.
Jody, Raleigh Road, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
Even with the damage to it, this piece is utterly outstanding – and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Jody will repair it one day.
UPDATE – A day or two after I posted this piece it was repaired, so I returned and took some pictures of what the piece should have looked like:
Jody, Raleigh Road, Bristol, October 2021, Upfest 21
Painted at the weekend (I think) this is a real beauty from Rusk (I told you there was more from him coming) and Jody. I can’t really articulate just how good this collaboration is and although the writing and the portrait don’t integrate, they certainly complement each other brilliantly.
Rusk, Raleigh Road, Bristol, March 2020
On the left The expected high standard and tight work from Rusk delivers in bucket loads. A horizontal mix of bright and dul colours with some ‘glinting’ accents together with some nice inter-linking letters, a lilac outline and grey shadow – a lesson in how to make the complicated look simple.
Jody, Raleigh Road, Bristol, March 2020
To the right is a sensational portrait which is a tribute to Nipsey Hussle by the brilliant Jody. OK, so I’m old and my musical tastes although broad are not comprehensive and I have never heard of Nipsey Hussle before. He was an Ameican rapper, activist and entrepreneur who died in 2019, shot outside his Marathon clothing store in Los Angeles. I might have to go and dig out some of his music, and I thank Jody from bringing him to my attention.
Rusk and Jody, Raleigh Road, Bristol, March 2020
I had seen this collaboration on Instagram and got myself down to Rakleigh Road a quickly as practical because one never knows just how long these things might last. This is a real beauty.
A gallery of absolutely stunning work from Bristol artist Jody
All photographs taken by Scooj
Jody, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023Jody, Queen’s Road, Bristol, August 2023Jody, Queen’s Road, Bristol, August 2023Jody, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023Evey and Jody, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023Jody, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2023Jody and Dibz, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, September 2022Jody, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, September 2022Jody, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2022Jody, Upper Byron Place, Bristol, February 2016Jody, Raleigh Road, Bristol, October 2021, Upfest 21Jody, Raleigh Road, Bristol, March 2020Rusk and Jody, Raleigh Road, Bristol, March 2020Jody, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, October 2019Jody, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, October 2019Jody, Millennium Square, Bristol, September 2019Jody door, North Street, Bristol, June 2019Jody, Upfest, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, June 2019Jody, Upfest, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, May 2019Jody, Upfest, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, May 2019Jody, Stokes Croft, Bristol, March 2019Jody, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018Jody, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018Jody, Charlotte Street, Bristol, February 2018Jody, Charlotte Street, Bristol, February 2018Jody, Spotted Cow, Bristol, January 2018Jody, Greville Road, Bristol, September 2015Jody, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017Jody, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017Jody, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, November 2017Jody and Cheo, North Street, Bristol, April 2017Jody, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016Jody, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016Jody, North Street Green, Bristol, January 2017Jody, North Street, Bristol, April 2016Jody, North Street, Bristol, April 2016
This is the second of two #onyourside pieces down at TempleMeads station in Bristol and is by the brilliant Jody. The campaign is called ‘Goals worth talking about’ and this mural features Bristol City’s David Noble who scored a memorable goal at Selhurst Park.
Jody, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, October 2019
It is great to have two such outstanding murals painted by two of Bristol’s best artists representing the two footballing halves of the city side by side. There is great rivalry between the two teams, but sometimes there are more important things to consider. This piece is not typically identifiable as a piece by Jody, as we are more used to seeing portraits of beautiful women. This is a concession perhaps to the beautiful game. Worth getting down to the station to see these two murals.
In Millennium Square, a cultural centre of Bristol, a new piece by Jody has been commissioned and the piece is riding high on the crest of the wave of enhanced public awareness of environmental issues.
Jody, Millennium Square, Bristol, September 2019
I’m not too sure where the commission has come from, but the subject matters owes an awful lot to the iconic film Jaws (one of course). Instead of an unwitting swimmer, the sea is full of floating plastic and the ‘prey’ a plastic bottle of water. The sad truth behind this sensational and clever piece with a strong message is that it does tell a story of our heavily polluted seas. It is a homage (probably the wrong choice of word) to the Anthropocene epoch. Such a piece of public art could not have even existed a hundred and fifty years ago. What have we done? Nice piece by Jody.
We live in curious times. In the UK we have been enduring an insane paralysis brought about by Brexit, something that has irreversibly divided the nation. In the United States, the most powerful man in the world, President Donald Trump, sets an uneasy tone which resonates globally as his uncompromising ‘business man’ approach to politics destabilises all around him in his efforts to deliver an America first agenda. And yet all this pales into insignificance in the light of two of the most pressing issues in human history… climate change and biodiversity loss.
Jody, Upfest, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, May 2019
In such moments unlikely heroes arise, and none more unlikely than sixteen year-old Swedish schoolgirl Greta Thunberg. This incredible painting by Bristol’s Jody, part of Upfest’s Summer Editions programme, is a worthy tribute to a young girl whose voice speaks for millions and whose direct messages have contributed to a change in how governments listen to this narrative. Of course listening and acting are two different things, but Greta seems to be in no mood to stop campaigning just yet.
Jody, Upfest, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, May 2019
Jody, Upfest, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, May 2019
Jody spent a couple of weeks creating this piece and I saw him on a few occasions while he was painting it. We chatted briefly, and I was rather pleased to find out that he has read some of my posts on Natural Adventures. He said that my reviews of his work were kind, and I rather foolishly said that I was kind to everyone, which then made me feel like I was saying that his work was not special. Well let’s put that straight right now… his work is exceptional and of the highest quality and this will I’m sure become an Iconic image of Greta. I believe that pictures and stories about it have already gone global.
Jody, Upfest, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, May 2019
It is funny how Greta Thunberg has become a world leader in taking these issues to governments and citizens and bringing climate change up the agenda. Of course, other campaigners have been banging on about this for decades, but somehow her arrival and campaigning came just at the right time, following huge public opinion shifts around the issue of single use plastics, themselves probably prompted by the amazing work of the BBC and Blue Planet 2 and of course Sir David Attenborough.
We have reached a crossroads, and nations must decide how they are going to meet the challenges of Climate change and biodiversity loss. I would say at this point (and I apologise for pointing this out) that there is a strong correlation between Brexiteers and Trumpists (small ‘c’ conservatives) and climate change denial/apathy or even charges of conspiracy. What these people have not registered or acknowledged is that climate change and biodiversity loss will not discriminate against those people they impact upon, nobody will be immune.
We will all lose unless something is done. Large businesses and their shareholders will lose money and maybe collapse; coastal cities and towns will become battered by increasing frequency of storms and rising sea levels; insurance companies will struggle to operate models that can cope with the claims made; more people will go hungry as crops ruin, trade collapses and selfishness protects the rich.
A bleak future for all of us, and the ‘flat earthers’ who don’t want to face up to these challenges put all of us at risk by their deliberating and self-protection. Fools. Look no further than the man-made islands in Dubai and the most fantastic monuments to human folly – built on funds from fossil fuels, these islands will inundate as sea levels rise. You couldn’t make it up.
Here endeth the rant.
Jody, Upfest, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, June 2019
I thank Upfest for making this happen. I thank Jody for choosing to paint this outstanding piece. I thank Greta Thunberg for giving me hope and inspiration. I have dedicated my life to the environment personally and professionally and at last I feel we might be approaching a tipping point where public opinion influences public policy.
Jody, Upfest, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, June 2019
Let’s hope that this iconic piece and iconic young woman continue to inspire us all (even those who disagree with their message, in fact especially those who disagree with their message).
A new Mexican cantina has opened up in Stokes Croft called Masa and Mezcal where the old MEATliquor use to be. The cantina looks rather nice and has a fresher feel than its predecessor. Because this is Stokes Croft, it wouldn’t quite feel complete without some street art about the place, and this building has always had art and tags.
Jody, Stokes Croft, Bristol, March 2019
Who better to adorn this new outlet than Bristol’s Jody. Here he gives one of his beautiful portrait pieces which blends into the graffiti that pre-existed on the wall in a thoughtful and sensitive way, giving the whole thing an air of credibility rather than whitewashing and starting afresh.
Jody, Stokes Croft, Bristol, March 2019
This is a piece that will be missed by many, because although it is new, it looks like it has been here for ever. Very beautiful, very clever.
Natural adventures 