Tag: Mural

3886. Upfest 2021 75×75 (44)

What an absolute delight to find this beautiful mural by Bex Glover which has been painted as part of Upfest’s 75 walls in 75 days initiative. Set on the side of a North Street shop, Bex Glover brings her unique design style and colour combinations that spreads the wonder of British nature to our streets.

Bex Glover, North Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
Bex Glover, North Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21

This mural celebrates the hedgehog, a native mammal that has been in steep decline for some years now, just another casualty of our human carelessness and disregard for our environment. These three little characters are beautifully painted and appear to be following a yellow trail – perhaps it is their yellow brick road at the end of the rainbow.

Bex Glover, North Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21
Bex Glover, North Street, Bristol, August 2021, Upfest 21

I am a huge admirer of Bex Glover’s work which always stands out from the crowd and her connection with nature certainly chimes with me. Lovely stuff.

3861. Upfest 2021 75×75 (36)

The Upfest 2021 75 walls in 75 days event has been notable for the number of fabulous abstract murals on the front and sides of both commercial and residential buildings. Several of these murals have majored on natural themes and this one from Squirl is another beauty.

Squirl, The Nursery, Bristol, JUly 2021, Upfest 21
Squirl, The Nursery, Bristol, JUly 2021, Upfest 21

Squirl has smashed this wall with a bright and vibrant piece featuring mountains, trees and clouds. He is no stranger to Upfest, but I don’t think he has done one of these big walls before. I am always tinged with a little jealousy of the occupants of these houses with murals. I would love a mural on my house, but the stone surfaces are all wrong, and what would the neighbours say? 😁. Unfortunately, this house will probably always have a car parked outside it, so this is the best Photograph I could manage.

3858. Upfest 2021 75×75 (35)

To paint this wall is probably nothing short of highly intimidating. Dan Kitchener and Andrew Burns Colwill Have both painted outstanding murals here, both of which have been much admired. Emily Donald has risen to the challenge and produced this glorious piece that is more than worthy of its predecessors.

Emily Donald, West Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
Emily Donald, West Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21

Emily Donald, an artist based in Cornwall, is no stranger to Upfest and has previously painted much smaller pieces on 1m boards. This time she has gone large with this stunning aquatic piece and she has done it brilliantly.

Emily Donald, West Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
Emily Donald, West Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21

Her work is usually wildlife-themed and has a wonderful brush-stroke feel to it. Emily Donald manages to capture and craft light and movement in her work so very well and this aquatic scene is bursting with both. When I took these pictures, there were several other people standing nearby admiring the new mural. Another jewel in Upfest’s crown and another beauty from Emily Donald.

Emily Donald, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Emily Donald, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Emily Donald, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Emily Donald, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

3855. Upfest 2021 75×75 (34)

Compared to some of the flamboyant pieces painted at this year’s Upfest 75 walls in 75 days event, this one from Caryn Koh is delicately understated, and the wall set back from the main drag of North Street. The low-key nature of the mural should not, however, detract from its quality and the story it tells.

Caryn Koh, Exeter Road, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
Caryn Koh, Exeter Road, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21

Dr Caryn Koh, to give her full title, has painted this mural of two of her cousins and the story of the artwork in her own words is as follows:

The mural situated at Exeter Road, Bristol, is about the relationship between siblings; how we unknowingly grow apart and have our separate paths on life’s journey but there is that unbreakable bond that binds us together.

The piece is an absolute beauty and comes across more as a fine art piece than a street mural. Really impressive.

Caryn Koh, Exeter Road, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
Caryn Koh, Exeter Road, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21

Caryn Koh is from Malaysia, although I don’t know whether she came over to Bristol specially for Upfest or whether she is in the UK in any case. Either way, it is fabulous to see her work on this scale in our city. Another outstanding piece from Upfest 2021.

3848. Upfest 2021 75×75 (31)

Beaver Electrical Ltd is a lucky business. Not only do they have their shop in Bedminster, but they also happen to have an end-of-row wall that has had an enormous SPZero76 mural on it for the last couple of years, and now, thanks to Upfest 75×75 they have a brand new mural from the same artist.

SPZero76, Greville Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
SPZero76, Greville Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

This new piece is an absolute beast and contains so many of the components that we would expect to see from an SPzero76 piece. Set in a stunning rural landscape, two lady bikers have stopped for a chat while in the background a robot advances. There is an element of a dystopian future about the piece, albeit not as horrific as some portrayals.

SPZero76, Greville Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
SPZero76, Greville Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

The attention to detail in this cartoonesque scene is astonishing, from the blades of grass through to the intricate engine parts of the motorcycles, let alone the two stunning figures. There are some nice touches too with his name displayed on the fuel tanks.

SPZero76, Greville Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
SPZero76, Greville Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

Of course, no piece on this wall is complete without some frolicking beavers and SPZero76 has duly delivered down in the bottom right hand corner. The whole mural is a thing of incredible beauty and shows off the artist’s considerable talent. Brilliant. The picture below is his previous outstanding mural on this wall.

SPZero76, Greville Street, Bristol, December 2018
SPZero76, Greville Street, Bristol, December 2018

3847. Easton Business Centre (2)

This gorgeous new mural from Alex Lucas wasn’t the easiest to find, but with a little perseverance I got there in the end, and my search was well rewarded. Tucked away to the side of the building, by the bike racks, this piece, which is a little difficult to photograph, presents a little scene in which a couple of dogs are out on a delivery bicycle laden with cups of coffee.

Alex Lucas, Easton Business Cnetre, Bristol, July 2021
Alex Lucas, Easton Business Centre, Bristol, July 2021

The concept is imaginative, and as always the execution by Alex Lucas is perfect. There is so much character in the dogs and the scene is a whole lot of fun with its ‘Ulti-mutt coffee’ label. The piece joins another by Alex Lucas on another wall of the Easton Business Centre.

Alex Lucas, Easton Business Cnetre, Bristol, July 2021
Alex Lucas, Easton Business Centre, Bristol, July 2021

what I love about Alex Lucas’ work is that when you take a close up look Lou can see all the detail in the piece, and here, hidden in amongst all the coffee cups is a third little dog enjoying the ride. A lovely new mural to add to the growing portfolio.

3846. Upfest 2021 75×75 (30)

Upfest is the gift that just keeps on giving, and I cannot remember a time when so many high-quality pieces have been painted over such a sustained period. Given all the problems that the pandemic has thrown at us, I think the Upfest team have done an astonishingly brilliant job this year.

Snub 23, North Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
Snub 23, North Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21

This superb piece by Snub 23 looks as if it has been lifted straight out of a comic book, it is quite remarkable. The artist has used the dimensions of the wall perfectly and has created a really interesting perspective with the curvature of the tunnel behind the main character.

Snub 23, North Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
Snub 23, North Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21

The bright colours used for the hero of the piece contrast nicely with the grey scene and there is a sense of purpose about his stride. The whole thing reminds me of Dan Dare from the Eagle Annuals I used to read as a kid (they weren’t mine, they had belonged to my uncles when they were young). Amazing piece.

3818. Upfest 2021 75×75 (19)

This enormous mural was one of the first to be completed for the Upfest 75×75 event and is by Emotional Waterfall Art. The piece is a colourful abstract explosion of shapes on a white background – a confetti mural, which is an absolute bugger to photograph and can’t have been all that easy to paint.

Emotional Waterfall Art, Smyth Road, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Emotional Waterfall Art, Smyth Road, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

Emotional Waterfall Art is a Bristol-based outfit run an artist who plays hard to get on her website and doesn’t disclose her name, simply that she is the creator of Emotional Waterfall Art. I’m not sure how many murals she has painted before, and I am not familiar with her work, but this is a very impressive introduction.

3814. Muriel Alleyway (5)

Hurrah! For Yoliws ( Yoli Ward-Streeter) a Bristol artist and member of the fabulous Bristol Womxn Mural Collective, hurrah! I say again for this delightful mural in one of Bristol’s less visited street art spots. This mural is bright and full of joy.

Yoliws, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, July 2021
Yoliws, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, July 2021

I managed to take these pictures on a bright day and without the trees casting a shadow, which is something of a feat in this particular spot. The character has been painted with Yoliws’ characteristic wobbly lines and the orange body filled with beautiful stars and squiggles. The piece has loads of movement to it and an underlying happiness, which is so great to see. A truly uplifting mural.

3804. Gloucester Road

The wet fish shop on Gloucester Road is a bit of a landmark, and certainly you always know when you are walking past it. At weekends and in the evenings you might get lucky and see the shop when the shutters are down and enjoy this fishy mural from Nina Raines.

Nina Raines, Gloucester Road, Bristol, June 2021
Nina Raines, Gloucester Road, Bristol, June 2021

Although the piece has been here for some time, I only recently walked past it at the right time with a camera handy. As a marine biologist (by training and in my heart) I love seeing marine themed street art and these lobsters, crab and mackerel are just the ticket. Something of a contrast with Nina’s wonderful collaboration piece on the dental practice in Bedminster, showing off her versatility.