Picton Lane – Natural adventures

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.

4452. Picton Lane (14)

Kosc appears to have made himself very much at home in Picton Lane and the surrounding area in Montpelier. If you visit Bristol and want to see some sensational street art, then you could do a lot worse than head down to Picton Lane for a quick gander. This piece is from a little while ago, but I photographed it along with two others on a recent visit.

The whole thing reminds me of a Canadian Mountie, which may or may not be the intention. Knowing Kosc, there is probably a whole story behind this piece, but I don’t know what that might be. Kosc is experimenting with distortion, a common theme for street artists, and carries it off with some style.

The portrait is the O in the letters K SC to make KOSC. The whole thing is painted on a garage door (one for a future Thursday doors methinks) which is not the easiest of surfaces, but the artist has done well to make it work. There was a van parked in front of the piece when I visited, but fortunately the driver was sitting in it and very kindly moved out of the way for me to take pictures, we then struck up a conversation about the artwork – it is nice how things like that happen.

4405. Picton Lane (12)

Although this masterpiece has been around for a little while, I have only recently photographed it. What an absolute stunner, it is amazing what Kosc is doing these days and I really feel that he has raised his game massively into the top half of the top division, and all this has happened over just a few years.

His pieces pretty much always stand out and completely command attention. How can you not look at something like this and not say ‘wow’ (or some other more contemporary exclamation). The crispness of the writing, repetition of background patterning, bright orange ribbon and sharp portrait are all elements that brought together have a huge impact.

I think that this ranks as my favourite piece by Kosc so far. There is something quite cheeky and up-front about it. Confident and assured, this is an absolute jewel that deserves accolades from all who take an interest in street art. Bravo Kosc!

3993. Picton Lane (11)

Kosc really is an extraordinary talent, especially as, under a different name, he is a graffiti writer with an utterly different style. Pieces like this are serious business for Kosc who is fine-tuning his skills for these photorealistic portraits and writing.

Picton Lane is a wonderful Bristol backstreet in Montpelier that plays host to some classic pieces, of which this is one. I remember seeing it as a work in progress a long time ago, but didn’t get back until quite recently to enjoy it as a finished piece. I am full of admiration for the piece. It is so good, and I am not sure that I would be doing it justice by waffling on like I usually do, and I am doing right now.

Kosc has reached a new level this year, and it is difficult to know how much higher he can take it. I wonder whether he should do a street art festival circuit to get better known outside Bristol, but that takes a lot of commitment. This black and white face is just awesome.

The tiniest tinge of colour is provided by the magpie’s tail, but it is enough to lift the whole piece just that little bit more. It is Kosc’s attention to detail that makes this piece sing. An absolute beauty.

635. Picton Lane (9)

Well I said two posts ago that I would start to feature more of Shab’s work, and here I am, true to my promise. This is a really nice piece down a back street with a very low footfall. I doubt many people have had a chance to see this piece, and indeed I am not sure if it is still there.

Once again the signature eye features prominently, together with another of Shab’s motifs, a crow. I like his work, and particularly like the patterns in black and white he makes to in-fill the piece. More soon.

564. Picton Lane (8)

This is a little spot in a very narrow lane where Aspire likes to paint his birds. I recently posted a work from here of a couple of house sparrows. This, according to Aspire’s website is a coconut lorikeet. So very beautiful and nicely painted, as one would expect from Aspire.

The lane itself is so narrow, that taking decent pictures is really difficult. One note I would make though is that the pictures look ever so slightly out of focus. This is not in fact the case – Aspire manages to create a hint of soft focus on some of his pieces, and you can see this on both the lorikeet and the sparrows.

Aspire, Picton Lane, Bristol, November 2016

I will never tire of finding and reporting on Aspire’s work. I tried to find some in London’s Leake Street recently, but failed.

557. Picton Lane (7)

Tucked away in this little lane in Montpelier is this nice work by Jee See. Here he combines his ‘seismic’ writing with his stencil favourite of a military style girl, both of which can be found separately in Bristol.

Jee See, Picton Lane, Bristol, September 2016

The colours of this piece are what really make it stand out from the other graffiti in the area. Jee See is an artist with a different and interesting style and is starting to make his mark in this incredible city.

290. Picton Lane (5)

One of the things I love about Bristol is the tight street art community that exists here, it feels like something really significant and special. I guess all cities with well developed graffiti scenes feel the same. It is really nice though when visitors come and spray the streets and bring something different with them.

This is an established piece in Picton Lane by RUN with some additions by Rowdy (who kind of owns this lane).RUN, you might remember is responsible for this wonderful piece in London, and I believe he has been busy in Camden just recently. Here we have a colourful celebration of love and friendship, expressed on the slightly unlikely front and doors of a small local garage.

Men kissing might be the subject of scorn or defacing, but not here. Bristol is a tolerant and progressive city and this subject matter barely turns heads, which (apart from the masterful artwork) is how it should be.

I love the sharp lines and colours of RUN’s work. You might spot a Rowdy crocodile sitting on what looks like a London cab on one of the panels too. A fun piece from RUN – you’re welcome to return anytime.

70. Picton Lane (4)

More from the wonderful Rowdy in this Montpelier hotspot for street art. This mural is called ‘Lilo’. I am not too sure what it depicts, but it may have a ‘fat cat’ reference there. Who knows? I’d better find Rowdy and ask him.

Rowdy, lilo, Picton Lane, Bristol, November 2015

8/10

69. Picton Lane (3)

Rowdy is best known for his pictures of crocodiles with large triangular teeth (see the trousers?). He is a Bristol artist whose work is very well known locally, but he has painted throughout the country and internationally. He has been spraying for a long time and is well established on the Bristol scene. He has a playful mischief in his work.

Rowdy, Picton Lane, Bristol, November 2015

This mural is called ‘Boxing Fox’ and is sprayed on a garage door, only a few yards away from his collaboration with Mau Mau, and another of his pictures called ‘Lilo’ which I will post soon. A Rowdy hot-spot.

As with a great many of the Bristol artists, there is a respectful nod to Mibsy and to Robbo (King Robbo, a street artist and ‘competitor’ of Banksy’s, who died in August 2014 aged 45).

7.5/10

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