Tag: Mural

4512. Porto (4)

Porto is a city spanning the north and south banks of the River Douro, across which there are six remarkable bridges, each with its own unique design and purpose. Perhaps the most impressive and iconic bridge is the Luis I Bridge, designed by Theophile Seyrig, a student of Gustave Eiffel, which has a lower and upper level. The upper level is now a metro and pedestrian route and offers some of the finest views of Porto from its span. Heading north on the bridge, this impressive mural by Frederico Draw looms large on the left-hand side of the bridge.

Frederico Draw, Porto, Portugal, June 2022
Frederico Draw, Porto, Portugal, June 2022

I know nothing of the artist, and a quick Google search took me to his Facebook page which contained little information. As my primary focus is on Bristol street art, I will leave it to the ‘resource investigators’ among you to find out more. The piece itself is a wonderfully blended portrait, making full use of the derelict wall as a backdrop, and is certainly eye-catching from quite some distance. I love the little shrine at the bottom left of the wall too. A cracking piece by a cracking bridge in a cracking city.

4491. BRI steps

There is no doubting that Farrah is fast becoming the darling of Bristol mural art, and deservedly so. Her work can be seen all over the city now and is predominantly commission work, although she has painted one or two other walls too. Her bright brush strokes and abstract artwork alongside environmental themes makes her work a ‘safe’ option for commissioners and the Council, who are currently waging war against illegal street art.

Farrah, Bristol Royal Infirmary steps, Bristol, May 2022
Farrah, Bristol Royal Infirmary steps, Bristol, May 2022

This piece alongside the Bristol Royal Infirmary is just so right for the space. These fairly utilitarian concrete steps with perfunctory planting in the flowerbeds has been completely transformed with Farrah’s beautiful and calming artwork.

Farrah, Bristol Royal Infirmary steps, Bristol, May 2022
Farrah, Bristol Royal Infirmary steps, Bristol, May 2022

Each of the stages along the steps has a long wall that Farrah has painted, but the work has spilled out onto other surfaces, including the pathway under your feet. The whole thing is an immersive experience and tiny little adventure to take your mind away from the urban jungle surrounding you.

Farrah, Bristol Royal Infirmary steps, Bristol, May 2022
Farrah, Bristol Royal Infirmary steps, Bristol, May 2022

An additional feature are the little details that Farrah has included at different points around the mural such as a damselfly, butterfly, hedgehog and frog. This is a superb piece that demonstrates so clearly how urban art can be uplifting and improve an area immeasurably. Bravo!

Farrah, Bristol Royal Infirmary steps, Bristol, May 2022
Farrah, Bristol Royal Infirmary steps, Bristol, May 2022

Billy

A gallery of fabulous murals from Bristol artist Billy Colours, BILLY, BIÜY

Instagram: @billycolours

all photographs by Scooj

Billy, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2026
Billy, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2026
Billy, Braggs Lane, Bristol, December 2024
Billy, Braggs Lane, Bristol, December 2024
Billy, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, August 2024
Billy, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, August 2024
Billy, Upfest 2024, Myrtle Street, Bristol, May 2024
Billy, Upfest 2024, Myrtle Street, Bristol, May 2024
Billy, Elton Street, Bristol, October 2023
Billy, Elton Street, Bristol, October 2023
Billy, Leonard Lane, Bristol, October 2022
Billy, Leonard Lane, Bristol, October 2022
Billy, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2022
Billy, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2022
Billy, The Paintworks, Bristol, August 2022
Billy, The Paintworks, Bristol, August 2022
Billy, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2022
Billy, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2022
Billy and Merny, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2022
Billy and Merny, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2022
Billy, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2022
Billy, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2022
Billy, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2022
Billy, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2022
Billy, Leonard Lane, Bristol, March 2022
Billy, Leonard Lane, Bristol, March 2022
Billy, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2022
Billy, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2022
Billy, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2021
Billy, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2021
Billy, Greenbank, Bristol, July 2021
Billy, Greenbank, Bristol, July 2021
Billy, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, May 2021
Billy, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, May 2021
Billy and Sepr, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2021
Billy and Sepr, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2021
Billy, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2021
Billy, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2021
Billy, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2021
Billy, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2021
Billy, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2020
Billy, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2020
Billy, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2020
Billy, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2020
Morny and Billy, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2020
Merny and Billy, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2020

4272. Thomas Street

This bright and breezy mural by Haka has been around for a long while and includes a tribute to DJ Derek, a Bristol celebrity and much loved character, who sadly passed away in 2015, although his remains weren’t found until March 2016. I have been meaning to post this piece forever, and finally dug it out last week.

Haka, Thomas Street, Bristol, April 2016
Haka, Thomas Street, Bristol, April 2016

The whole mural is rather different from the stuff we usually see from Haka and may well have been painted to a brief. The soft colour selection allows the piece to be noticed without being brash or garish. There is so much detail through the piece and plenty of local references, such as the Banksy bear throwing a Molotov cocktail, the original of which is just around the corner.

Haka, Thomas Street, Bristol, April 2016
Haka, Thomas Street, Bristol, April 2016

I am guessing that the piece was a commission from the householder, and remarkably for the area remains largely untouched by taggers. A wonderful testament to Bristol culture and of course DJ Derek.

4171. Stokes Croft

This magnificent piece, by Stinkfish, is arguably the most iconic piece of street art in Bristol. This is the second appearance of this mural in Natural Adventures, but a totally legitimate one. The original was painted by Stinkfish some years ago, and at the back end of last year the artist was brought back to the city to refresh this and another of his fine works in Mina Road, St Werburghs.

Stinkfish, Stokes Croft, Bristol, December 2021
Stinkfish, Stokes Croft, Bristol, December 2021

The result of this refresh is absolutely stunning, bringing the old piece back to life and restoring a sense of pride in this extraordinary wall. Some may feel that restoring a piece goes a bit against the grain of the lifecycle of street art, but I am not amongst them. In this piece not only has Stinkfish refreshed the black and yellow elements, but he has embellished the piece with his trademark patterns that add so much more to the whole.

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

For comparison I include a picture of the piece from my original post, and even then the piece wasn’t particularly new. It is wonderful to see new life breathed into the old girl.

4141. Upper York Street (27)

Tom Miller has been very busy recently with a few commissions, and of course his lovely collaboration piece with Kin Dose on Nelson Street, that I published yesterday (Christmas Day). This new mural on the wall of the Basement Beer brewery tap room in Upper York Street is an absolute beauty and full of depth and symbolism.

Tom Miller, Upper York Street, Bristol, December 2021
Tom Miller, Upper York Street, Bristol, December 2021

I was lucky enough to catch up with Tom Miller (thank you, Paul, for the tip-off) while he was putting the finishing touches on the piece, and stopped for a wee chat. Tom Miller is one of the gentlest, kindest and most lovely artists I meet doing the rounds, and he is so generous with his time, always willing to talk and discuss his work. During our conversation, I asked him about the painting, and he gave me a few little insights.

Tom Miller, Upper York Street, Bristol, December 2021
Tom Miller, Upper York Street, Bristol, December 2021

The steps that appear on the piece are a direct reference to the steps in the doorway sign ‘basement beer’, which kind of makes sense, but might not be obvious when just glancing at the piece.

Tom Miller, Upper York Street, Bristol, December 2021
Tom Miller, Upper York Street, Bristol, December 2021

There is always so much going on in Tom Miller’s pieces, and he has really delved into the spirit of the venue with some clever mash-ups of people and drinks, creating some rather surreal and colourful characters.

Tom Miller, Upper York Street, Bristol, December 2021
Tom Miller, Upper York Street, Bristol, December 2021

This is an artwork that deserves to be seen and admired, and we are so lucky in Bristol that we get to see so much free art like this. Tom’s canvasses are something special too. Always bright, colourful and frenetic, they display a stream of consciousness captured on canvass or a wall and frozen in that moment. Fabulous work.

4050. St Werburgh’s Park

Life is full of surprises, and for me some of the best surprises are new murals in town that have not been on my radar, and this outstanding new piece in St Werburgh’s Park, by Gabriel Pitcher, is definitely one of those great surprises to lift the spirits. This piece is part of an initiative called ‘Vanguard x TOward 2030, What are you doing?’, and there is a very good webpage from Street Art News that explains the event and showcases several artworks and artists around Bristol – more for me to seek out!

Gabriel Pitcher, St Werburgh's Park, Bristol, November 2021
Gabriel Pitcher, St Werburgh’s Park, Bristol, November 2021

I have borrowed some text from the Street Art News website to help explain some of the background to this Gabriel Pitcher piece:

“Gabriel Pitcher has partnered with community ambassador, The Global Goals Centre to paint a mural in St Werburgh’s, Bristol celebrating Bristol 17 hero Katie Cross, founder of Pledgeball. 

Pledgeball harnesses the power of football and its fans to accelerate the pursuit of global sustainability. Through affiliated clubs, it prompts fans into small lifestyle ‘pledges’ in support of their favourite team and their only planet and empowers fans by demonstrating the huge impact even small changes can make for the benefit of themselves and their environment.”

Gabriel Pitcher, St Werburgh's Park, Bristol, November 2021
Gabriel Pitcher, St Werburgh’s Park, Bristol, November 2021

The piece itself is so natural. Subtle colours, tons of movement and a modesty that is a rare thing in large murals these days. It is so good to see this kind of people-engagement with the environment through art, something we could see a lot more of in the coming years, I hope. This is a fabulous and worthy (in the good sense) piece.

3991. Upfest 2021 75×75 (69)

Although access to this wall can be a little limited, it is possible to photograph it reasonably well – I haven’t yet been to the spot when the gate was open into the yard, so my pictures are offset, taken over/through the fence. It is a new wall for Upfest, and they really must be congratulated on sourcing so many new walls for this year’s extended event.

Farrah, Greville Road, Bristol, September 2021, Upfest 21
Farrah, Greville Road, Bristol, September 2021, Upfest 21

The mural, entitled, ‘World on Fire’ is by Farrah and my first impressions are very much that the work resembles the style and colours that Vincent van Gogh might have used, although this is purely an abstract piece. It is beautiful, and the eye is pulled around the piece, drawn into the battling and swirling patterns and colours.

Farrah, Greville Road, Bristol, September 2021, Upfest 21
Farrah, Greville Road, Bristol, September 2021, Upfest 21

This is the largest piece I have seen by Farrah, and the first to have made it on to Natural Adventures, but definitely not the last. I don’t know too much about the artist, but her informative Facebook page is worth a quick look, and her Instagram profile offers this insight:

Paintings inspired by the natural world and delicate ecosystems of our beautiful planet, from fragile coral reefs 💦 to the lush green rainforests 🍃.

Watch this space for more

3962. Upfest 2021 75×75 (66)

Well now we are getting in to the final 10 pieces from Upfest’s 75 walls in 75 days event and I am getting a little edgy, because my ‘collector’ gene will be working overtime to ensure I get every single one, and that might be difficult.

Silent Hobo, Ruby Street, Bristol, September 2021, Upfest 21
Silent Hobo, Ruby Street, Bristol, September 2021, Upfest 21

I don’t normally associate Silent Hobo with Upfest events, so it was really nice to see that he has participated in this most unusual of years with this enormous mural in Ruby Street.

Silent Hobo, Ruby Street, Bristol, September 2021, Upfest 21
Silent Hobo, Ruby Street, Bristol, September 2021, Upfest 21

Of course, with so many murals in residential streets for this year’s event, parked cars have been a real problem. I think I might suggest to artists that next year they start their pieces four feet above the ground, or that they paint cars in the lower portion so we don’t actually miss anything (now there’s a creative concept).

Silent Hobo, Ruby Street, Bristol, September 2021, Upfest 21
Silent Hobo, Ruby Street, Bristol, September 2021, Upfest 21

As with all of Silent Hobo’s excellent observational work, he captures the mood of ordinary people, especially youngsters so well. One could do a celebration of Bristol, just by showcasing all of his pieces. It would seem that he is very proud of the city and its citizens and his murals are a wonderful record of the city in the 2000s.

Silent Hobo, Ruby Street, Bristol, September 2021, Upfest 21
Silent Hobo, Ruby Street, Bristol, September 2021, Upfest 21

Another thing that Silent Hobo portrays beautifully is pets and wild animals. Here he rewards the viewer with a fabulous cameo of a little boy and his dog in a red armchair, a delightful scene. Yet another outstanding wall from Silent Hobo and for Upfest.

3932. Upfest 2021 75×75 (59)

I’m not sure that Ments has painted for Upfest before, but it is wonderful to see him rewarded for his consistently excellent graffiti writing with this unusual bordered wall in Dean Street for the 75 walls in 75 days event. Looking at it, this spot has been crying out for street art work, and thanks to Upfest there are now two stunning new pieces opposite one another.

Ments, Dean Street, Bristol, September 2021, Upfest 21
Ments, Dean Street, Bristol, September 2021, Upfest 21

Ments has been experimenting for about a year or so with his fluid/molten metal pieces, and it has been fun watching him develop his technique. This abstract piece is the culmination of a lot of work and is perfect for the wall – colours and tones Ments has used complement the red brick wall superbly well.

Ments, Dean Street, Bristol, September 2021, Upfest 21
Ments, Dean Street, Bristol, September 2021, Upfest 21

Because the piece is set quite high up the wall, the closer you get to it, the more you are looking up and as a result there is more reflected light interfering with the piece. It is so good to see Ments moving into this abstract art arena, but I hope he keeps up his graffiti art work, which is so enjoyable for us to see.