I was lucky enough to walk past this piece while Daz Cat was painting it. What I can tell you from our conversation was that he was using up paint (dregs) which might explain the use of lots of colour.
Daz Cat, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2026
This is a wall-end that Daz Cat has occupied several times in the past, although I note this one hasn’t lasted as long as some of his previous pieces here. The cat character is holding the moon (?) in his hands and is standing over a fantasy urban landscape. I am sure there is a story here, but I am not too sure what. On his Instagram feed, he called this piece ‘Dawn Treading’, so there could be a clue there.
Ellen Forbes Art, Lucy Lane, Bristol, October 2026
The quality and diversity of pieces painted at this year’s Lucky Lane paint jam have been fantastic, and I hope that after two years, this event becomes an annual celebration of street art in Bristol. This is a beautifully presented piece from Ellen Forbes Art, with the philosophical banner ‘ The day you plant the seed is not the day you eat the fruit’.
Ellen Forbes Art, Lucy Lane, Bristol, October 2026
The scene is a fantastical one, featuring two characters with painted faces and wearing ‘wooly bear’ hoodies with large horns, signifying what I don’t know. One is digging and looking fed up, the other enjoying a large basket of oranges. Along the bottom are a series of seeds, seedlings, saplings and a tree, indicating the passage of time. I think the character is the same person, having patience to reap their rewards. This is a fabulous storytelling piece – one of my favourites in Lucky Lane this year.
Amy McHugh and Amy Starbirdart, Lucky Lane, Bristol, October 2026
I think that this might be the third Lucky Cat (Maneki-neko) to have been painted in Lucky Lane over the past two years, and to be honest, I absolutely love this one and indeed all of them. This one is painted by Amy Starbirdart, and just to the left of it is a lovely modest piece by Amy McHugh.
Amy Starbirdart, Lucky Lane, Bristol, October 2026
There is something rather special about lucky cats and they do work especially well as murals, perhaps because they are everyday objects seen all around us, but on a wall they can be made to look like whatever you want it to look like. Amy Starbirdart has done a great job making her mark with this one, and that it is holding a little soy sauce fish gives it an extra twist.
Amy Mc Hugh, Lucky Lane, Bristol, October 2026
Amy Mc Hugh has appeared on Natural Adventure a couple of times before, and she painted a very poignant piece at last year’s Lucky Lane paint jam, much larger than this one.
The bird and dog in this piece remind me very much of the native North American style of art. wonderfully stylised animals.
Two different pieces, nicely presented, as part of the Lucky Lane Bristol Mural Collective paint jam.
Doors 374 – Doors of Madeira (part V) – September 2025
I am feeling pretty lousy this morning, so will probably keep this short. These doors are the last set of painted doors from Funchal, the capital of Madeira. There are some beauties in this selection. I can’t believe that before we went, I hadn’t clocked these doors, given my interest in both doors and street art. This meant that discovering them was a lovely surprise. If I had read the guidebook properly, I’d have had advance warning, but somehow, it all felt rather more authentic stumbling upon them, especially with my family, who often think I contrive these opportunities.
These doors are mostly from a couple of streets that run parallel with the sea front. I hope you enjoy them:
Door with a wistful beach scene, Rua de SantaMaria, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, September 2025Door depicting Santa Maria, Rua de SantaMaria, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, September 2025Colourful Pegasus door, Rua de SantaMaria, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, September 2025A story being told on this door, Rua de SantaMaria, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, September 2025The stuff of dreams and nightmares on this door, Rua de SantaMaria, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, September 2025Open door with a portrait, Rua de SantaMaria, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, September 2025Door with many faces and painted bars, Rua de SantaMaria, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, September 2025Duck, ducklings and rubber ducks door, Rua de SantaMaria, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, September 2025Door with embracing couple, Rua do Barreiros, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, September 2025Door with a painting od a view from a cave, Rua do Barreiros, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, September 2025
So that’s it for this week. Wishing you a fabulous weekend when it comes.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s weekly Thursday Doors post and his Sunday recap.
What a wonderfully striking piece this is, painted by Juno Frenzel, an artist I am not familiar with, but who has joined in with the Bristol Mural Collective Lucky Lane paint jam.
Juno Frenzel, Lucky Lane, Bristol, October 2026
The two magpies, beautifully presented, are looking pretty curiously at what looks like a little glitter ball. Juno Frenzel has managed to capture the character of the magpies perfectly, and the piece is skilfully painted, given the different surfaces and textures of the spot. Don’t be surprised to see this piece appear in Thursday Doors sometime in the future. Lovely work.
Sian Storey, Upfest 2026, Lime Road, Bristol, May 2026
I continue with another batch of outstanding pieces from this year’s Upfest, which was held in Bristol during May. Next up is this huge mural by Upfest regular Sian Storey, whose delicate portrayal of birds is second to none.
Sian Storey, Upfest 2026, Lime Road, Bristol, May 2026
This piece extends across most of the side of an estate agent premises on Lime Road, at different levels, but Sian Story has accommodated for that and somehow made her piece flow across the whole wall. The piece features two magnificent peacocks and their splendid feathers.
Sian Storey, Upfest 2026, Lime Road, Bristol, May 2026
Thrown into the mix, to add colour and form, and to decorate the ‘white space’, Sian Storey has painted some beautiful flowers in pinks and oranges that complement the peafowl perfectly. A truly stunning piece and triumph for Upfest.
Doors 371 – Doors of Madeira (part II) – September 2025
For the second week running I am trying to get ahead of the game with Thursday Doors (I wrote this last week in a small pocket of time early one morning), because I am so busy at work before heading off for some September sun for a few days. I have to say that the need for sun is somewhat diminished, having had such a sunny and hot late spring and summer here in the UK this year, but the need for a break has never been so welcome. In fact, by the time you read this I will already be relaxing by a pool overlooking the Aegean Sea.
I have also had to interview for my own job (writing this in the past, although it hasn’t happened yet). I have been pooled with 16 colleagues for 10 posts. Most are good friends and we can’t all make the cut. This is unbelievably stressful, but I know too that it happens, and know I will have given it my best. It feels pretty awful that 37 years of continuous employment and loyalty will have boiled down to how I performed in a 1 hour interview last Monday. This is due to a restructure (cuts) in our Directorate, the culmination of decisions made some 8 years ago by the then Secretary of State, Liz Truss… remember her? Her legacy of destruction is long and deep. I mention this sorry tale simply because it is contributing to the stresses I am under at the moment, making it difficult to find time to do all the things I want, or like to do.
That’s quite enough of that I’m sure. On to happier things. This is the second post from our family holiday in Madeira last September and contains painted doors from a celebrated street in ther heart of Funchal, the capital of Madeira. I hope you enjoy this selection which left me like a dog with two tails while walking along this street.
Door with portrait and instrument, Travessa das Torres, Funchal, Madeira, September 2025Door with portrait, Travessa das Torres, Funchal, Madeira, September 2025Panelled door with fish eyes painted in each panel, Travessa das Torres, Funchal, Madeira, September 2025Door with a bar scene, Rua de Santa Maria, Funchal, Madeira, September 2025Door with a stunning bakery scene, Rua de Santa Maria, Funchal, Madeira, September 2025Colourful painted door, Rua de Santa Maria, Funchal, Madeira, September 2025Door with a painted character (le petit Prince?), Rua de Santa Maria, Funchal, Madeira, September 2025Door with a painted cliff scene, Rua de Santa Maria, Funchal, Madeira, September 2025
So that’s it for another week. I am not sure I will be posting while I am on holiday, it just depends on how organised I am before going away. There weill be more from Madeira, that’s for sure. Have a lovely weekend.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s weekly Thursday Doors post and his Sunday recap.
Bethan Richards, St Mark’s Avenue, Bristol, July 2026
Typically, when I think of an avenue I have in my mind’s eye a semi-rural tree-lined straight road leading to or from a special town or estate. St Mark’s Avenue brings that idyll instantly back down to earth. It is a narrow back alley, full of bins and until recently rather grubby and neglected, but thanks to a small local community group, it has been transformed with planters for pollinators and some rather fetching street art from local artists along the way.
Bethan Richards, St Mark’s Avenue, Bristol, July 2026
This piece, by Bethan Richards, an artist I haven’t come across before, fits the allocated space so very well. The illustrative design style reminds me a little of Zoe Power, a Bristol artist who is well known on the mural scene. There are lots of nature connection themes in an urban landscape, which really captures the essence of the improvements being bade by community groups in this area. Lovely work.
Around a month or so before Upfest, the organisers of the festiival curated a wall in the heart of the shopping district of Bristol, which played host to a number of well-known artists and provided a bit of a teaser for the main festival, as well as brightening up this little corner of an otherwise dull and grey space.
Hazard, Quakers Art Lane, Bristol, June 2026
The timing of this mini-event roughly coincided with the 100th birthday of Sir David Attenborough, and this portrait piece of our national treasure by Hazard, while not particularly flattering captures the age and intensity of the great man. I cannot think of anyone living who has done more to raise the wonder of nature and bring it into our homes, but also quietly and diplomatically raise some of the more challenging issues of our time such as biodiversity loss, climate change and most contraversially spiralling global population.
Hazard, Quakers Art Lane, Bristol, June 2026
Hazard, who has close associations with Bristol having lived here for a number of years, is much loved in the city. This piece showcases her ability to capture images, Sir David and the owl in this case, and bring them to life with a lively colour palette, and breaking up that which we know and are accustomed to with geometric shapes and interventions. This is a brilliant piece by Hazard, depicting a personal hero. Bravo!
These corner buildings on the end of East Street have been Upfest spots for a few years now and are perfectly situated to be viewed from a distance from the mini roundabout in front of the Steam Crane pub. This time the wall has been painted by Trav (@travmsk), an American artist who has painted in Australia and America, but his appearance at Upfest this year is his first trip to Europe.
Trav, East Street, Upfest 2026, Bristol, May 2026
The mural appears to depict street lamps which, together with the background elements of the piece have strong geometric qualities. There is something simple and pleasing about the piece, and not too much to explore in terms of story. Looking at Trav’s Instagram account, he is a highly accomplished graffiti writer with a strong, blocky, 3D style that brings out his strong design qualities. Something a little different for Upfest.
