Naive – Natural adventures

7582. M32 roundabout J3 (761)

Billy, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2026

One of the great pleasures of doing what I do is enjoying the vast spectrum of different styles and approaches to street/graffiti art that it is possible to see in Bristol. Billy is the creator of wonderful bright child-like illustrations that are so welcoming and upbeat.

In this political commentary piece, a dog is holding a peace symbol in its paws and a flower in its mouth, while a war scene unfolds in the background. A very sad reflection of the state of the world at the moment. The words ‘old dog, new tricks’ suggests to me that you can’t teach an old dog (Trump/USA/Israel/Iran) new tricks (peace, negotiation, compromise).

7568. M32 roundabout J3 (757)

Merny, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2026

I really like Merny’s art and his naïve style combined with themes that span politics, humour, rants and tenderness. This witty piece illustrates a well known phrase ‘he’s lost his marbles’ with a bit of a twist.

I still have all my childhood marbles, but none of them are as attractive as these. Some beautiful colour combinations in these marbles, and he has captured the glass twists in the middle of some of them really well. The words ‘There they are’ tells us that he has found his marbles. Quite charming.

I am reminded of a chilling recollection. As a child, I would often see how many marbles I could fit in my mouth – what was I thinking? But then again children often don’t think.

7205. Lucky Lane (10)

Amy McHugh, Lucky Lane, Bristol, September 2025

Amy McHugh first came onto my radar at the last Bristol Mural Collective paint jam on the Greenbank hoardings with a peace for Palestine mural. This time she has gone bigger with a nature theme and some comforting words for ‘Rob’.

The words are written in a lovely illustrative font, and I guess were painted with a brush. They say: ‘I’m sorry it’s so tough – it’s ok not to feel ok – one thing for sure is change – I’m sending love today – for Rob and all who struggle’. Kind words accompanied by kind birds and animals. The naive style is enchanting and would work well as illustrations in a picture book.

J. Dior

A gallery of naïve art pieces from a while ago that decorated Bristol streets by J. Dior (Diore).

All photographs by Scooj

J. Dior, The Bearpit, Bristol, July 2017

6471. Lower Approach Road (13)

Merny, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, October 2024

This wonderful piece by Merny has been outside Bristol Temple Meads station for ages, but I only recently managed to photograph it. The problem with the station area is that I tend to save the pieces there for when I am going to be travelling by rail, but of course I never leave enough time to photograph them.

Painted in 2022, the tender piece depicts a man leaning over another who is in a sleeping bag, saying the words “I’ll wake you up when it is over John”. I am not sure what the piece is about but I amguessung that it is a commentary on the state of rough sleeping in our country. The naive style that Merny uses some makes the message even more poignant. A thought-provoking piece.

6312. Muriel Alleyway (10)

Billy, Muriel Alleyway, Bristol, August 2024

Bristol’s smallest street art festival in Muriel Alleyway was a joyous occasion where some twenty or so artists gathered together to decorate a row of garage doors and garden back doors, bathed in glorious sunshine. This was Billy’s contribution to the event, and completely in keeping with the positive energy generated during the day.

I think that Billy had to paint some of this over an extended period, because she and Merny were swapping parenting duties while attempting to complete their respective works. This is pure Billy, with here naïve style front and centre in the form of a portrait of a girl. Painted in bright and happy colours, this is a great example of her uplifting work.

6237. Purdown (73)

Ha ha! ‘It’s all gone woke’, so says this marvellous character by Merny. The phrase is one used by anybody who doesn’t like or disagrees with those elements of policy/regulation/rules/behaviour that they take issue with on account of it not complying with their own values. The peak example of the phrase was probably the quote from former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who used the term ‘Guardian-reading, tofu-eating wokerati’ to describe Just Stop Oil protesters in 2022. I wonder how she would describe the pigs who are currently protesting against immigrants in the UK. Spot the tumbleweed.

This is a lovely Merny piece, so ‘of its time’, simple and powerful, like so much of his work. The piece was painted around the time of his excellent exhibition, which I understand from speaking to him since, went better than expected, and he managed to sell quite a few original pieces, which is great to hear. I would have loved to have bought one or two of his originals, but alas they were marginally outside my price range. See some of them below:

Merny Exhibition, 17 Midland Road, Bristol, July 2024

6023. Leonard Lane (45)

Alex Arnell, Leonard Lane, Bristol, May 2024

The work of Alex Arnell, in my mind, verges on the grotesque… not his artwork, I hasten to add, but his subject material. Although he operates out of Brick Lane in London, he appears to have visited Bristol on a couple of occasions, and has left behind a gallery of characters in Leonard Lane.

Alex Arnell’s style is utterly unique and could be interpreted as scribbles that ‘anyone could do’. That may or may not be true, but the point here is that he does it, and he does it really well. I like deliberately naive artwork because there is an authenticity about it, and although a cultivated look, it is also honest and unpretentious – although there might be those that consider it grossly pretentious. The skeleton is rather scary, not because it is a skeleton, but because there is threat and alarm in his expression. Crazy stuff, but most welcome.

4935. Picton Lane (15)

Conrico, Picton Lane, Bristol, December 2022

I love a good mural every now and again, and I was pleasantly surprised by this lovely piece by Conrico hidden away in Picton Lane. I haven’t visited the lane in quite a while, so am not sure when this was painted, but I hadn’t been aware of it on social media at all.

Taking up the whole side wall of a building, the tranquil; piece depicts a railway passing through a small settlement and disappearing into the purple mountains in the distance. The artwork has a naïve style with a little bit of flexibility on perspectives and so on.

Overall, the mural is a ray of sunshine, breathing life into a wall that would otherwise be rather dull. Conrico has been busy with commissions this year, which can only be a good thing for him and for us.

4739. Spot (145)

Creamylines, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2022

By the time you read this I will be wetting a line on the south coast of Cornwall not far from Fowey, and this post is short because I need to get up, have breakfast and prepare my fishing gear that hasn’t seen any action for a long while.

Creamylines hit this spot hard about three weeks ago, and this is the second of his pieces from that session. Painted in the naive style, this piece is another landscape piece filled with hills and people and topped off with a classic sun and sun-rays painted the way we used to paint them in School. You might also spot a couple of concealed faces too. Great work and so different to what we are used to seeing.

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