Tag: Monkey

5174. M32 Cycle path (211)

Bean, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2023
Bean, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2023

When I first found this falling monkey on the M32 Cycle path, I was left pondering whom it was painted by, and although it was signed, I didn’t have enough to go on to be able to post the piece at that time. It is by Bean, who has been making a bit of an impact this April, hitting the walls of Bristol pretty hard.

Bean, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2023
Bean, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2023

Bean has painted several different characters and certainly has a versatile approach and creative imagination. I am a big fan of monkeys in street art, and since Nightwayss left us, there has been a shortage of simian artwork, so it was good to find this piece. I am expecting great things from Bean this year, if April is anything to go by.

5035. Cumberland Basin

Nightwayss, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2023
Nightwayss, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2023

The monkeys are back – at least for a fleeting moment. This piece was painted by Nightwayss, who recently returned to Bristol for a visit and kindly left us this reminder of the talent that we lost last year. It is always good when artists return the their former home city and drop a piece.

Nightwayss, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2023
Nightwayss, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2023

Even the dog was pleased to see this graffiti writing piece. The departure of Nightwayss has left a hole in the street art scene and the PWA crew that he used to enjoy painting with. I hope that this will be the first of many return trips.

Nightwayss, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2023
Nightwayss, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2023

The piece spells out NIGHT in a nicely selected palette of blue pink and red colours, but it is the monkey that continues to steal the show for me. I do miss them.

4821. River Avon (34)

Tack Jucker, River Avon, Bristol November 2022
Tack Jucker, River Avon, Bristol November 2022

This magnificent pipe-smoking monkey by Tack Jucker, must be one of the most overlooked pieces in Bristol. It is on a warehouse door and is incredibly feint. I don’t know if it has always been this way or whether it has been bleached by the sun. I don’t even know how long it has been there, but am please to have spotted it.

Tack Jucker, River Avon, Bristol November 2022
Tack Jucker, River Avon, Bristol November 2022

Photographing street art is all the more gratifying for the surprises that you encounter, and this piece definitely fell into that category. Had it been painted on a buffed background, it would have been much more noticeable, but instead, it simply blends into the graffiti swirl and remains hidden. Tack Jucker is a great artist, and finding his work is always a genuine pleasure. Gallery coming soon…

4548. Brunel Way (161)

Tack Jucker has been painting in Bristol for a little under a year now, but in that time he has made a great impression with his animal and hand pieces, he especially seems to favour his monkeys and apes, and perhaps will fill the void left behind by Nightwayss in that respect.

Tack Jucker, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2022
Tack Jucker, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2022

This piece is on the same wall where I first met the artist in October last year, and like the piece he was painting then, features a monkey. The structure of the portrait is skilfully done, with loads of depth in the features of the face contrasting with the textures of the fur. Although the monkey appears to be a little fierce, it certainly grabs the attention and there is no question that passers-by would notice it. I am looking forward to more from Tack Jucker.

4526. The Full Moon

When Zake first appeared on my radar a few years ago, I managed to pretty much keep on top of his work, only rarely missing a piece in Bristol. These days, he is painting so much in so many spots, it is difficult to keep up. I have been meaning to photograph this one in the Full Moon in Stokes Croft for some time, and finally got round to it a week or two ago.

Zake, The Full Moon, Bristol, June 2022
Zake, The Full Moon, Bristol, June 2022

Zake has sprayed this fine monkey in a spacesuit (a theme I have seen before) with a happy moon behind on a gate at the back of the pub courtyard garden. As ever, the faces are beautifully painted and Zake has used his highlighting technique to great effect, with blue shadowing in the creases of the features on both faces. Very nice work from Zake.

4116. Catherine Mead Street (3)

This is the third piece I have posted from this favourite wall of mine in Bedminster. It is also another example of the great work from Tack Jucker, who has embedded himself quickly into the Bristol graffiti art scene with relative ease.

Tack Jucker, Catherine Mead Street, Bristol, November 2021
Tack Jucker, Catherine Mead Street, Bristol, November 2021

Tack Jucker is an artist who seems to enjoy painting wildlife, and in particular monkeys and apes, and in this respect he shares an interest with Nightwayss. Now I’d love to see a collaboration of monkeys from these two.

This piece from Tack looks a lot like a chimpanzee, with a rather aggressive expression, and sharper than normal teeth. The absence of pupils in the eyes, gives the character a bit of a distant and ghostly look. This is a lovely piece painted in pink and rose shades and is as good as anything else I have seen from the artist.

4019. Brunel Way (126)

There is a relatively new artist in town (at least he has been painting more frequently) who in a few short months has been making an impression with some lovely character/animal pieces. He is Tack Jucker (see what he did there with his name?) and made his debut on Natural Adventures with a monkey piece in Sparke Evans Park, a week or so back.

Tack Jucker, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2021
Tack Jucker, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2021

Here we have another monkey piece, and I managed to catch up with the artist and a friend while he was finishing this one off. He is friends with Nightwayss and that is rather apt as both appear to enjoy painting monkeys. This melting-face individual has smoke discharging from its eyes and seems to be more horror-based than natural history-based. It is a fine piece and one of several in the pipeline.

4005. Sparke Evans Park (14)

Although this piece would appear to have been painted at the same time as the paint jam organised for Nightwayss’ birthday, it had actually been painted a day or two before. The other artists liked it so much that they kept it and painted around it, which is high praise. The artist Tack Jucker told me this story himself, and I think that he was a bit chuffed.

Tack Jucker, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, October 2021
Tack Jucker, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, October 2021

There is something going on with Monkeys in Bristol at the moment, and I wonder if it is the influence of Nightwayss, the monkey master. This looks a little bit like a baboon with a rather threatening gesture and bared teeth. It looks like Soap, or one of the others have embellished the piece with some gems, but it has been done sensitively rather than mindless tags. Although this might be the first piece from Tack Jucker on Natural Adventures, I can guarantee it will not be the last.

3989. Greenbank (16)

Well, would you believe it? Yet another superb and crazy piece from Sled One. I have to say, I just don’t know where he gets his energetic creativity from, but it doesn’t really matter, just so long as he keeps turning out magnificent story pieces like this one.

Sled One, Greenbank, Bristol, September 2021
Sled One, Greenbank, Bristol, September 2021

Slapped up somewhere along the very long Greenbank hoarding is this monkey/orangutan/banana mash up that oozes class. There are several things that give this away as a Sled One piece, such as; the zigzag hatched eyebrows; elements of the piece that just hang, like the cigarette and the shading under the eyes; and the amazing use of colour and textures throughout the piece. This is outstanding work from an enormously talented artist.

3964. Sparke Evans Park (11)

Zake is smashing it out of the park at the moment, or should I say smashing it out of the Sparke Evans Park (oof, sorry). Not only is he painting a lot, but he is also really working on those features and details of his faces and with this piece creating a whole new kind of character.

Zake, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, September 2021
Zake, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, September 2021

What is it about monkeys? Actually, I am guessing that this monkey is a homage to Nightwayss (who loves monkeys) whose birthday paint jam this was painted for. The colours, shading and expression is all superbly executed and this is the first time I have seen Zake paint fur, and what a job he has done. A smashing piece on a smashing wall painted to honour a smashing artist’s birthday – what’s not to like?