46. Greville Road

Jodi, who painted this mural, lives in Brislington, Bristol. He is a direct contemporary of Banksy, and started as a graffiti artist in 1987 at the age of 15 at the Barton Hill Youth Club.

Jodi, Greville Road, Bristol, September 2015
Jodi, Greville Road, Bristol, September 2015

He left the graffiti behind him and studied design and is now an established designer and brand consultant. In 2008 he came out of ‘retirement’ and started working on street art commissions. This mural was completed for this year’s Upfest, and is a treat for those who like incredibly detailed and realistic work.

Jodi, Greville Road, Bristol, September 2015
Jodi, Greville Road, Bristol, September 2015

Jodi also took a commission in Millennium Square this year above the drinking water fountain, depicting the source of the water that the fountain is fed from. This commission was part of European Green Capital 2015.

 

44. Stokes Croft, corner wall (1)

Heading North on Cheltenham Road from the centre, you will see arguably the most striking and iconic mural that Bristol has to offer.

Stinkfish, Stokes Croft, Bristol, September 2015
Stinkfish, Stokes Croft, Bristol, September 2015

This beautiful portrait is by the Colombian artist Stinkfish, and is at the hub of so much other brilliant street art in the area. It is funny how we become accustomed to just seeing things but not noticing them. Today I stopped and took a really good look at this and it is absolutely outstanding.

Stinkfish, Stokes Croft, Bristol, September 2015
Stinkfish, Stokes Croft, Bristol, September 2015

There is a bit more background to this mural, which was painted in June 2012, here.

9/10

42. North Street, Aldi car park

During this year’s Upfest 2015, arguably the premium wall was handed to Argentinian artist Martin Ron. This enormous mural is a picture of his girlfriend, her torso emerging from what looks like a tablecloth. I am very fond of the fish, but am not sure what it symbolises.

Martin Ron, North Street, Bristol, September 2015
Martin Ron, North Street, Bristol, September 2015

This mural has been painted over an earlier Upfest (2011) mural by German artist duo Herakut. You can see what it looked like in this post from zaqwsxcderfvbgtyhn.

Martin Ron, North Street, Bristol, September 2015
Martin Ron, North Street, Bristol, September 2015

As always, these things are ephemeral, and I’m sure that this mural will itself be over-painted in due course.

Martin Ron, North Street, Bristol, September 2015
Martin Ron, North Street, Bristol, September 2015

 

40. Quay Street (1)

This central Bristol location was host to the ‘See no Evil’ event in 2011. One of the most striking murals of the event was the gentleman in a bowler hat dripping paint from  a tin, on the side of one of the many tired grey blocks in the area.

Nick Walker, Quay Street, Bristol, September 2015
Nick Walker, Quay Street, Bristol, September 2015

Due to the event, the area is now something of a gallery for some of Bristol’s and the world’s best street artists. Always ephemeral though, the area is changing rapidly with new blocks replacing the old ones…mostly for student accommodations.

Nick Walker, Quay Street, Bristol, September 2015
Nick Walker, Quay Street, Bristol, September 2015

This is a wonderful Bristol landmark, and a ‘go to’ site for anyone interested in street art.

Quay Street, Nick Walker
Quay Street, Nick Walker

This work is quite different to his Rapunzel in High Kingsdown.

7.5/10

38. Dean Lane (1)

I took a swift walk through Bedminster today and encountered this very recently sprayed simple stencil.

Diff, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2015
Diff, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2015

I don’t know the artist because it is unsigned. It is really charming and makes use of the wall’s features.

Update 1 August 2022 – I believe this delightful piece was by Diff

8/10

36. York Street

The side of this house and the wall next to it have recently been given a wonderful makeover by Zase and Dekor. This is typical of the large murals we expect from this magnificent pairing. See their work in Cottrell Road, featured previously.

Zase and Dekor, York Street, Bristol, September 2015
Zase and Dekor, York Street, Bristol, September 2015

Typical of their work are the scale, vibrant colours and dream-like scenes. I am not too sure what this is about, but flight appears to be the central theme.

Zase and Dekor, York Street, Bristol, September 2015
Zase and Dekor, York Street, Bristol, September 2015

These works all contain the main themed image with a wonderfully worked wildstyle signature incorporated.

Zase and Dekor, York Street, Bristol, September 2015
Zase and Dekor, York Street, Bristol, September 2015

Zase lives locally, and there are several more of his works nearby.

8/10

35. Albert Park Place

Tucked away in Montpelier, there are a few walls that appear to get a lot of attention.

Sepr, Albert Park Place, Bristol, August 2015
Sepr, Albert Park Place, Bristol, August 2015

This large mural is by one of Bristol’s most prolific street artists, Sepr. The work is called ‘The Picture of Grey Dorian’, and appears to have been sprayed sometime this year. It has also been tagged and largely obscured. I have not seen a clean original of this work.

Sepr, Albert Park Place, Bristol, August 2015
Sepr, Albert Park Place, Bristol, August 2015

I have featured other Sepr artwork at Dighton Street, Turbo Island, and Stokes Croft.

6.5/10

33. Stokes Croft, Palmer’s (1)

This mural is one of several tribute walls in Bristol dedicated to Matt Hibbert known locally as ‘Mibsy’.

Jon5, Silent Hobo, Sepr, Deamze and Dotcom, Stokes Croft, Bristol, September 2015
Jon5, Silent Hobo, Sepr, Deamze and Dotcom, Stokes Croft, Bristol, September 2015

Mibsy had opened a spray paint shop (King of Paint) that supplied many of the local street artists, and he was much loved within the graffiti community.

His untimely death in July 2014, he was only 39, sparked a large number of tribute works, in particular in the Stokes Croft area.

Jon5, Silent Hobo, Sepr, Deamze and Dotcom, Stokes Croft, Bristol, September 2015
Jon5, Silent Hobo, Sepr, Deamze and Dotcom, Stokes Croft, Bristol, September 2015

This work, I believe, was a collaboration between Jon5, Silent Hobo, Sepr (see 19 and 22), Deamze and Dotcom, all Bristol artists.

Mibzy, Stokes Croft, Bristol, September 2015
Mibzy, Stokes Croft, Bristol, September 2015

The site is an interesting one. The once magnificent building dating back to 1868 was an ironmongery and hardware store but has fallen on hard times and is now derelict.

Hate is foolish, Stokes Croft, Bristol, September 2015
Hate is foolish, Stokes Croft, Bristol, September 2015

There is also a further interesting feature that accompanies the mural. On the left hand side is a statement that has been over-painted, but can be seen in relief, which reads ‘hate is foolish’. Layer upon layer.

6.5/10

32. Hillgrove Street (2)

On a wall opposite the Phlegm mural, previously featured, is a beautiful stencil of a tabby cat.

Beastie, Hillgrove Street, Bristol, August 2015
Beastie, Hillgrove Street, Bristol, August 2015

The cat, by Beastie, an artist from Gloucester, has left its blue paw prints behind. This is a lovely and somewhat understated work.

Beastie has been nicknamed the Banksy of Gloucester by the local media, and he would appear to be both prolific and popular.

 

7/10

28. Baffins Lane car park, Chichester

My mother told me I really should go and check out a beautiful bird mural in the centre of Chichester when I was visiting a week or two ago, so I did.

ROA, Baffins Lane Car Park, Chichester, August 2015
ROA, Baffins Lane Car Park, Chichester, August 2015

The mural, which overlooks the Baffins Lane car park, is by ROA, and was created during the Chichester street art festival in 2013.

ROA, Baffins Lane Car Park, Chichester, August 2015
ROA, Baffins Lane Car Park, Chichester, August 2015

Although his work appears throughout Europe and beyond, little is known about the artist from Ghent, Belgium.

ROA, Baffins Lane Car Park, Chichester, August 2015
ROA, Baffins Lane Car Park, Chichester, August 2015

He specialises in pictures of animals, often gracefully contorted in death poses. These birds however, are very much alive. I will have to look out his work in Bristol.

ROA, Baffins Lane Car Park, Chichester, August 2015
ROA, Baffins Lane Car Park, Chichester, August 2015