Tag: Mural

52. Broad Street

During the ‘See no Evil’ event in Bristol in 2012, Conor Harrington dropped over from his native Ireland and painted this mural in his distinctive style. It is called ‘the Duel of Bristol’.

Conor Harrington, Broad Street, Bristol, October 2015
Conor Harrington, Broad Street, Bristol, October 2015

Harrington now lives in and has a studio in East London. Like so many before him, he started off as a graffiti artist, but is now a celebrated muralist gaining worldwide acclaim. There is more about him in this excellent Frankie Beane post.

Conor Harrington, Broad Street, Bristol, October 2015
Conor Harrington, Broad Street, Bristol, October 2015

This mural happens to be located in one of my favourite parts of Bristol, tucked away behind the church of St John the Baptist and through the old city gate – I love the way it is framed by an ancient/modern setting.

Conor Harrington, Broad Street, Bristol, October 2015
Conor Harrington, Broad Street, Bristol, October 2015

8/10

51. Frogmore Street (3)

Standing on the bridge at the bottom of Park Street looking North East, you are treated to the most wonderful stencil by Banksy.

Banksy, Frogmore Street, Bristol
Banksy, Frogmore Street, Bristol

‘Man hanging’ which probably goes by several different names was sprayed in 2006, and led to something of a watershed in a permissive stance from the Bristol City Council regarding what was then called graffiti. There is a lovely article written at the time from the BBC website. How things have come on in relatively few years.

Banksy, Frogmore Street, from Park Street, Bristol
Banksy, Frogmore Street, from Park Street, Bristol

I am fortunate enough to walk past this iconic Banksy twice a day at least, and I am never bored by it. In 2009 the work was attacked with blue paint, calling into question all sorts of difficult conversations about street art and graffiti and vandalism and ‘he had it coming to him for selling out’ etc etc. For me it is just a pity. It seems that with his art, if you are not there in the first day or two, it will get damaged or removed.

Banksy, man hanging
Banksy, man hanging

9.5/10

50. Culver Street

It is only right to mark my 50th street art post with my favourite stencil artist. JPS, an adopted son of Bristol is from nearby Weston-super-Mare, where several of his works adorn the holiday town streets.

JPS, Culver Street, Bristol, September 2015
JPS, Culver Street, Bristol, September 2015

This incredibly detailed stencil, ‘Spartacus’ is a tribute to the Welsh actor Andy Whitfield who played the star role in the Starz TV production of Spartacus. He died in 2011 aged 39 of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

JPS, Culver Street, Bristol, September 2015
JPS, Culver Street, Bristol, September 2015

I was lucky enough to photograph this work a day or two after it was completed on 13 April 2015. It is the detail of the clothing and belt that I think marks out JPS as an incredible talent.

JPS, Culver Street, Bristol, September 2015
JPS, Culver Street, Bristol, September 2015

The ‘Spartacus’, on the wall of the Queen Shilling night club, is only yards away from another JPS I posted on 8 July 2015.

9/10

48. Charlotte Street, above Vincenzo’s

This mural by Nick Walker probably gets more exposure than most in Bristol, simply by virtue of being visible from Park Street and it’s incredibly high retail foot-fall. However, I am not sure many people register it because, in my experience, most people don’t look up, especially when they are shopping.

Nick Walker, Charlotte Street, Bristol, April 2015
Nick Walker, Charlotte Street, Bristol, April 2015

This work is rather corny if you ask me, a bit of a schoolboy joke, but it does show Nick Walker’s range.

Nick Walker, Charlotte Street, Bristol, April 2015
Nick Walker, Charlotte Street, Bristol, April 2015

 

 

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