5686. Leonard Lane (44)

Creamy Lines, Leonard Lane, Bristol November 2023
Creamy Lines, Leonard Lane, Bristol November 2023

The second of three pieces painted recently by Creamylines in Leonard Lane is, of course, a fabulous landscape with sun rays and clouds. The space that he has chosen to paint is quite small, and so the black lines feel a little more dominant than when he paints larger walls.

Creamy Lines, Leonard Lane, Bristol November 2023
Creamy Lines, Leonard Lane, Bristol November 2023

Although his work is quite formulaic, no two pieces are identical, and there is some comfort in knowing what you are going to get from Creamylines. It might be interesting to see him tackle a couple of different ideas – perhaps painting in landscape format or painting a different kind of landscape… urban, desert, forest for example. I remain a big fan of his highly original work.

5682. Leonard Lane (43)

Ejits, Leonard Lane, Bristol, November 2023
Ejits, Leonard Lane, Bristol, November 2023

Ejits is an artist I associate more with legal festival murals and commissions than with a paint jam in Leonard Lane, and yet here she is rubbing shoulders with all sorts of artists in this central Bristol spot. I suspect that it was painted as part of the recent paint jam in the Lane.

Ejits, Leonard Lane, Bristol, November 2023
Ejits, Leonard Lane, Bristol, November 2023

The stylised cartoon face is typical of Ejits’ work, characterised by dark outlines and solid fills, with no blending of colours. In this piece she has added a whole load of yellow doodles surrounding the face and adding interest to the piece. Annoyingly, the piece has been tagged, although it is not entirely unsurprising in this spot. I would love to see more of her work on the streets in addition to her commissions.

5677. Leonard Lane (42)

Peggy, Leonard Lane, Bristol, November 2023
Peggy, Leonard Lane, Bristol, November 2023

Over the last year or so, we have become used to seeing Peggy’s wonderful floral works, starting with a few modest pieces in Dean Lane, to now, and some large, complex and bold pieces. I love watching street artists grow in confidence and ambition, and Peggy is establishing herself, while sticking to her essential floral designs.

Peggy, Leonard Lane, Bristol, November 2023
Peggy, Leonard Lane, Bristol, November 2023

Leonard Lane is a bit of a ‘go to’ destination at the moment and is as colourful and vibrant as I have ever seen it. This piece bursts with energy and colour, lighting up the rather dimly lit alleyway. Lots of designed curls in pink, orange and yellow surround a central eye, in this piece that definitely grabs the attention. Great work from Peggy.

5671. Leonard Lane (42)

Alex Arnell, Leonard Lane, Bristtol, November 2023
Alex Arnell, Leonard Lane, Bristtol, November 2023

Tell me that this isn’t scary or alarming, and I’ll buy you a beer should we ever meet. I think that Alex Arnell may have paid Bristol a swift visit in October or November this year, because I have come across a few of his highly distinctive scribble pieces recently, and I know that he is not a local artist.

Alex Arnell, Leonard Lane, Bristtol, November 2023
Alex Arnell, Leonard Lane, Bristtol, November 2023

Although the piece is a child-like scribble, it is in fact far more sophisticated than that and the subject is highly unsettling. Lots of colour and layers combine to give us this angry/scary portrait – the stuff of nightmares. I am not sure what materials Alex Arnell uses for his work, but it would be interesting to see if he could scale it up and use spray paint to create the same effect. Interesting and distinctive.

5600. Leonard Lane (40)

Billy, Leonard Lane, Bristol, October 2022
Billy, Leonard Lane, Bristol, October 2022

A final quick delve into the archives, before I wish you a happy/scary Halloween. Every couple of weeks or so, I like to take a quick look back in my archives to see if there are any gems that I may have, for whatever reason, failed to post. Going back to last October, I found this delightful piece, as always, from Billy in Leonard Lane.

Billy, Leonard Lane, Bristol, October 2022
Billy, Leonard Lane, Bristol, October 2022

Billy’s artwork in a naïve style is always a shot in the arm, and a reminder that there is a lot of good in the world. This message in this colourful mural is clear – PEACE. Painted at a time when the war in Ukraine was dominating the headlines, it is now the appalling conflict in Gaza that is front of mind, and the peace message resonates even more strongly. Protest is pretty much all we can do, and murals like this one help to get our voices heard. Great work from Billy.

4950. Leonard Lane (39)

Rtiiika, Leonard Lane, Bristol, May 2022
Rtiiika, Leonard Lane, Bristol, May 2022

Although Rtiiika has moved away from Bristol for the time being, her work remains very much in our memories. It was a pleasure reacquainting myself with these pictures of a piece that she painted in Leonard Lane back in May 2022. Many pieces that were painted in May were bumped because of Upfest, which always impacts on the number of posts I can write. This moment of reflection at the start of 2023 has enabled me to share some great pieces that got left behind.

Rtiiika, Leonard Lane, Bristol, May 2022
Rtiiika, Leonard Lane, Bristol, May 2022

Rtiiika’s work is pretty much unique in Bristol, although this piece leans heavily on the cubists and artists like Picasso. It is an absolute beauty of a musician playing a cello or double-bass. The musician is female, as denoted by the ‘W’ representing breasts, a motif that Rtiiika has used in her work before. This is a really classy piece and I do hope that she decides to return to Bristol.

4830. Leonard Lane (38)

Merny, Leonard Lane, Bristol, October 2022
Merny, Leonard Lane, Bristol, October 2022

Recently, you might have noticed that I have been trying to publish more than two posts per day from time to time. This is due to the fact the November has been a bumper month on the streets, and I want to share as much as I possibly can. Of course, in doing so I risk impacting on the quality of the posts, so I need to try and keep a balance.

Merny, Leonard Lane, Bristol, October 2022
Merny, Leonard Lane, Bristol, October 2022

Since the Bristol Mural Collective started painting in Leonard Lane, it has become much more of a ‘go to’ destination for street art, and the turnover of work there is on the increase. This is a lovely observational piece from Merny, where we have to make up our own story. I guess these two ladies are too busy on their social media feeds to notice one another. I think the left, left, left, left words are a reference to a dating app. Swiping left means what? is it good or bad? Dating apps are a bit of a mystery to me, given that I have been out of the dating game since long before social media was a thing. More great thought-provoking stuff from Merny.

4798. Leonard Lane (37)

Dog Bless the Band, Leonard Lane, Bristol, October 2022
Dog Bless the Band, Leonard Lane, Bristol, October 2022

Leonard Lane used to be a street with only a few pieces of graffiti, street art or tags, but over recent years it has become popular with writers and for paint jams, and now there is little bare wall left, although the quality of work there is highly variable.

Dog Bless the Band, Leonard Lane, Bristol, October 2022
Dog Bless the Band, Leonard Lane, Bristol, October 2022

You have to look quite hard at this one to make out the letters MOTEL which tells you that it is by Dog Bless the Band. Although the piece looks a bit messy, not helped by the un-buffed wall, it is actually rather nicely put together. Dog Bless the Band has used his usual low-key colours, with a hint of blending, for his letters and added a few ‘shock sparks’ for added interest. A nice touch is the picking out of the mortar lines in the brickwork of the wall into his letters. A nicely considered piece.

4586. Leonard Lane (36)

This wonderfully colourful piece, by Oma, was painted as part of a Bristol Womxn Mural Collective paint jam back in May 2022, and Leonard Lane really is a perfect venue for these kind of gatherings.

Oma, Leonard Lane, Bristol, May 2022
Oma, Leonard Lane, Bristol, May 2022

I have only seen a couple of pieces by Oma, who usually paints alongside her partner Zake, and has done so in this instance, you can see his ‘moon face’ behind her piece. Oma has developed and improved her style, and each time she paints she manages to come up with a whole new idea. The portrait is a little unsettling if you look closely. The subject has her arm down her throat and is pointing to her yellow intestine, but by way of explanation, the script text next to the piece says ‘feel your emotions’. I would truly love to see more of Oma’s work – fingers crossed.

4517. Leonard Lane (35)

Back to Leonard Lane, and this special Queen’s platinum Jubilee celebration piece by John D’oh. This is another fantastically presented piece from John D’oh, who has been producing some really outstanding work lately, really stepping up a level.

John D'oh, Leonard Lane, Bristol, June 2022
John D’oh, Leonard Lane, Bristol, June 2022

This one is an irreverent glance at the Queen, with specific reference to her second son’s indiscretions and rather odd alibi, for his involvement in a sex scandal, that he had taken his daughter to a Pizza Express in Woking on the day in question. It is nice to have these little reminders of British history so perfectly illustrated through John D’oh’s stencils. I have noticed that he has stencilled this one in another of his favourite spots, and need to get over there to photograph it.

John D'oh, Leonard Lane, Bristol, June 2022
John D’oh, Leonard Lane, Bristol, June 2022

I thought I’d include a little extra piece from John D’oh, which I think is from some time ago, but is right next to the Jubilee pizza piece. Gotta love this one!