Tag: Merny

6471. Lower Approach Road (13)

Merny, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, October 2024
Merny, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, October 2024

This wonderful piece by Merny has been outside Bristol Temple Meads station for ages, but I only recently managed to photograph it. The problem with the station area is that I tend to save the pieces there for when I am going to be travelling by rail, but of course I never leave enough time to photograph them.

Merny, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, October 2024
Merny, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, October 2024

Painted in 2022, the tender piece depicts a man leaning over another who is in a sleeping bag, saying the words “I’ll wake you up when it is over John”. I am not sure what the piece is about but I amguessung that it is a commentary on the state of rough sleeping in our country. The naive style that Merny uses some makes the message even more poignant. A thought-provoking piece.

6165. M32 roundabout J3 (432)

Merny, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2024
Merny, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2024

I am getting rather excited about an exhibition of Merny’s work in Bristol running from 12-18 July 2024, in other words, starting on Friday this week, entitled ‘A Waste of Paint’.  Time enough to enjoy this recent piece that was painted during a paint jam a couple of weeks ago. It is great to see that Merny is able to get out and paint from time to time as he has to juggle his painting free time with parental duties.

Merny, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2024
Merny, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2024

The piece tells its own story, that you don’t really need to hear from me, because you can work it out for yourself. The naively painted characters, which look like they have been painted with brush work are sharing a tender moment of illness and care, but in a humorous setting. The trademark bullet labels are there and accompanied by steps 1 and 2. A wonderful piece, and so different from much of what you tend to see in Bristol.

5886. Coach and Horses

Merny, Coach and Horses, Bristol, March 2024
Merny, Coach and Horses, Bristol, March 2024

Another artist and another protest piece about the war in Gaza. This time, some direct talking from the wonderful Merny. A warplane, fully marked up with his trademark letter/number pointers, is accompanied with the words “Stop killing people you tucking fwats”. Hear hear!

Merny, Coach and Horses, Bristol, March 2024
Merny, Coach and Horses, Bristol, March 2024

Merny’s work is deceptive in so much as it looks naive in style, but there is a deep sophistication that underpins his artwork, which always tells a story, often with a light dusting of humour. The piece is attention-grabbing, and along with all the other anti-war work in the city is representative of a groundswell of opinion that wants piece in Gaza specifically, and in the Middle East more generally.

Merny, Coach and Horses, Bristol, March 2024
Merny, Coach and Horses, Bristol, March 2024

It looks like Merny took the opportunity, while he was in the area, to paste a couple of posters on a nearby wall, which again have a simple sophistication about them and a wordplay caption “Problems? Just smooth things over”. The picture is of a mechanical sander – a great bit of bonus material from Merny.

5621. Elton Street (24)

Merny, Elton Street, Bristol, October 2023
Merny, Elton Street, Bristol, October 2023

On the side of the Lost Horizons Arts Centre there are some framed panels which are curated by the Centre, and I think that Bnie has a lot to do with that curation. Most of the panels were refreshed about three weeks ago, and this one from Merny is particularly fun.

Merny, Elton Street, Bristol, October 2023
Merny, Elton Street, Bristol, October 2023

Merny says “jelly! Get over it!” – you’ve got to laugh, really. The jelly, which is sitting on a pink plate, is brilliantly painted, demonstrating an understanding of colour, shading and portraying translucence that few artists manage. To do it in his naive style is even more remarkable. Break-out labels finish the piece nicely, a piece which I think combines fun, mischief and talent in equal measure. Jelly – get over it!

5528. Trinity Street (2)

Merny, Trinity Street, Bristol, September 2023
Merny, Trinity Street, Bristol, September 2023

On a recent drive around Bristol getting from one spot to another, I managed to stumble across a few Merny pieces that I hadn’t been aware of or hadn’t been able to locate. This one is on a shutter in Trinity Street next to a Taboo Pink Panther piece a little bit away from the beaten track. Shutters are tricky, because most of the time they are up and you don’t get to see the artwork.

Merny, Trinity Street, Bristol, September 2023
Merny, Trinity Street, Bristol, September 2023

This philosophical piece features three passers-by  and the words; “The earth spins on its axis, one man struggles while another relaxes”. I like that. The characters are painted in Merny’s naïve style and reflect everyday people. Naturally there are little identification numbers and lines dotted about the place, consistent with most of Merny’s recent works.

5224. Barton Road (1)

Merny, Barton Road, Bristol, May 2023
Merny, Barton Road, Bristol, May 2023

In this game, exploring definitely pays off. We have been clearing out the house recently, and on one of my two trips to the recycling centre, I drove a different route home, and was rewarded with a block of hoardings and a couple of warehouse buildings with graffiti art of varying ages. Finding a spot like this is both exciting and also a little bit embarrassing, because it has taken me so long to find it.

Merny, Barton Road, Bristol, May 2023
Merny, Barton Road, Bristol, May 2023

Merny’s work beautifully reflects the Bristol textile quarter – something I never knew even existed. The colourful piece features bobbins, cloth and sewing machine parts in beautiful design, brightening up the shutter door of the Bristol Weaving Mill. The piece is actually twinned with a Billy piece – to follow.

5145. M32 roundabout (462)

Merny, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Merny, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

“I’m avin this trolley”. How skilful Merny is as a storyteller… even with her back turned to us you can tell this is an elderly lady making a grab for a trolley outside a supermarket. A lady unshakable in her determination to have what she has set her eyes on – we’ve all encountered this lady at some time in our lives.

Merny, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
Merny, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023

Merny’s naive style works perfectly for this scenario, and there is an honesty and authenticity in his work, which contributes to the storytelling. As with all his works, Merny has added a series of numbered pointers, suggesting there is a key explaining the elements of the picture, such a clever and compelling mechanism. There is always so much to enjoy about Merny’s work.

5083. Greenbank (74)

Merny, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2023
Merny, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2023

More Merny mirth. The utterly unique style of this storytelling artist is always enjoyable, and forces the viewer to stop and think for a moment or two. Here the subject is busy, fixated on his phone. My interpretation is that he is telling himself he will go to sleep in one minute, knowing that his addiction to social media will not allow that to happen.

Merny, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2023
Merny, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2023

The naive style combined with the numbered tags are so much a part of Merny’s work, that there really is no need for a signature. Some may dismiss his work, but I consider it to be thoughtful, challenging and deliberate, and am cheered up every time I find a new piece.

4931. Elton Street (15)

Merny, Elton Street, Bristol, December 2022
Merny, Elton Street, Bristol, December 2022

I was a late adopter of these wonderful boards on the side of the Lost Horizon Arts Centre – somehow I just didn’t discover them until about a year ago. Now, Elton Street is definitely on my radar, and has become a refreshing outdoor gallery that tends not to get tagged, where the artworks remain intact until they are simultaneously repainted in a curated way.

Merny, Elton Street, Bristol, December 2022
Merny, Elton Street, Bristol, December 2022

This is a fine commentary piece by Merny, who tends to see the world through a socio-political lens. In this piece, the blue man is filming/photographing other people. I guess it is demonstrating that in this digital age, everything is recorded in one way or another, there is no privacy or freedom from the camera lens gaze. “We’re watching you” happens on a personal as well as institutional level. A lovely piece from Merny.

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.