7130. Purdown (94)

Scrapyardspec, Purdown, Bristol, July 2025
Scrapyardspec, Purdown, Bristol, July 2025

I would think that even though he only visits Bristol about once a week, Scrapyardspec must be one of the most prolific artists in town. This is a welcome pair of goofy characters on the pathway that leads to the Purdown anti-aircraft battery, painted on a container that seems a little out of place.

Scrapyardspec, Purdown, Bristol, July 2025
Scrapyardspec, Purdown, Bristol, July 2025

The two characters are very much of the archetypal variety, although he includes shoulders here, building on the central face of the characters. Another change is that he is starting to shorten his signature to Scrapy rather than the full Scrapyardspec. I have easily enough pieces to start a gallery, but he might just have to wait his turn.

7099. Purdown (93)

Sam Brentnall, Purdown, Bristol, July 2005
Sam Brentnall, Purdown, Bristol, July 2005

I have only ever found a handful of pieces by Sam Brentnall, but it doesn’t take many to make a really strong impression. There is something very endearing about this simple naïve style, so clean and crisp. I think it must have been quite recently finished when I found it, because there are no mud splashes, goat damage or tagging to be seen.

Sam Brentnall, Purdown, Bristol, July 2005
Sam Brentnall, Purdown, Bristol, July 2005

The beautiful illustration is of a man with a hat playing a guitar, and to use up the space of the concrete slab, Sam Brentnall has playfully bent the neck of the guitar back on itself, in a way that only cartoon illustrations can. Refreshing and fun.

7092. Purdown (92)

Slakarts, Purdown, Bristol, July 2025
Slakarts, Purdown, Bristol, July 2025

It is a genuine joy to find Slakarts’ work, and this one up at Purdown is a real beauty. There was a time when Slakarts was painting very regularly, but I am guessing that the real world has caught up with him, and he tends to paint only a handful of times a year.

Slakarts, Purdown, Bristol, July 2025
Slakarts, Purdown, Bristol, July 2025

This is a wonderful hybrid piece, taking his stylised cartoon character and turning it into an abstract cornucopia of colour, shapes and fill designs. The piece perfectly fits the concrete slab and somehow captures the mood of an English summer’s day. More please.

7002. Purdown (91)

Jest Soubriquet, Purdown, Bristol, June 2025
Jest Soubriquet, Purdown, Bristol, June 2025

The concrete slabs at Purdown can be quite challenging to say the least, the stand-alone edifices limit the scope and dimensions of the piece, and don’t lend themselves to writers. There is also the matter of a small herd of goats that tend to enjoy ‘scrambling’ around all the concrete structures. Jest Soubriquet (@likes_wan_tu) has absolutely made the most of this slab, showcasing his superb work.

Jest Soubriquet, Purdown, Bristol, June 2025
Jest Soubriquet, Purdown, Bristol, June 2025

Jest Soubriquet has absolutely smashed it with this colourful portrait piece, which really stands out as something special. It is great that dog-walkers, runners, families and so on, who enjoy Purdown, get to see great art like this for free, in an interesting context of WWII history, nature and street art. A supreme piece from the master of colour.

6999. Purdown (90)

Dobz, Purdown, Bristol, May 2025
Dobz, Purdown, Bristol, May 2025

When I see painted toadstools, I immediately think of Lis (Le Imposter Designs), but something held me back from posting this one under her name, because it wasn’t signed, which she usually does, and there was something that just didn’t quite fit her style. A little bit of research led me to Dobz, who also, it seems, has a bit of a thing for fungi.

Dobz, Purdown, Bristol, May 2025
Dobz, Purdown, Bristol, May 2025

I don’t know much about Dobz other than a few mushroom pieces that have appeared in the last month or so about the place. I can’t say whether they are a resident of Bristol or just passing through and dropping a few ‘shrooms en route. These day glow toadstools are beautifully presented, with great multi-tone shading and thick vibrant borders. Really eye-catching stuff up at Purdown.

6931. Purdown (89)

Mr Penfold, Purdown, Bristol, May 2025
Mr Penfold, Purdown, Bristol, May 2025

Only a few days ago I posted a piece by Mr Penfold, a collaboration with Mul that was at least a year old, and now I present a contemporary piece by the artist containing the same endearing character, that has a passing resemblance to Disney’s Pluto.

Mr Penfold, Purdown, Bristol, May 2025
Mr Penfold, Purdown, Bristol, May 2025

I love it when artists who make a living from their commissions and studio designs and illustrations, take a little bit of time out and decorate our streets. It feels like they are doing it for love and joy rather than for money, and there is something about that that is a refreshing break from the avaricious world that we live in. Thank you Mr Penfold for brightening up my day.

6884. Purdown (88)

Daz Cat, Purdown, Bristol, April 2025
Daz Cat, Purdown, Bristol, April 2025

It would seem that Daz Cat is rather partial to the concrete blocks up at Purdown, and whyever not? The spot is a wonderful oasis away from the bustle of the streets and has some stunning views over the north and east of Bristol, the dog particularly likes it up there, perhaps it is the lure of the stinky goats.

Daz Cat, Purdown, Bristol, April 2025
Daz Cat, Purdown, Bristol, April 2025

Daz Cat has switched things up a bit by painting this cat portrait upside down, which would completely goof me up, but I am not an artist, and maybe it is concepts like this that separate out the ways artists and non-artists see the world. The purple cat has a fine gold nose ring and a vapour trail from eyes to ears, which must be symbolic of something, and is an idea Daz Cat has used before. This is a fun piece from the cat supremo.

6838. Purdown (87)

Object..., Purdown, Bristol, March 2025
Object…, Purdown, Bristol, March 2025

One of the first artists I met, quite a few years back, was Object… and I have been enjoying his sketch/collage pieces ever since. For a couple of years now, maybe more, Object… has been very quiet, but in the last month or so he has been pasting his creativity about the place.

Object..., Purdown, Bristol, March 2025
Object…, Purdown, Bristol, March 2025

This combination collage of wheatpastes and paint contains a lot of social and political commentary, as well as a creative outpouring. It is difficult to make out too much from the piece, without studying it up close. It is great to see Object… out and about, though.

6828. Purdown (86)

Lis, Purdown, Bristol, March 2025
Lis, Purdown, Bristol, March 2025

There is something very exciting happening at the moment with Liz (Le Imposter Designs). Having dabbled for a while with her line and paint drawings/illustrations in selected spots, she moved on to working with spray cans, and it seems to have lifted her into a new world of possibilities, and her excitement is obvious to see through the frequency of her new pieces and her creativity.

Lis, Purdown, Bristol, March 2025
Lis, Purdown, Bristol, March 2025

Obviously, the central theme to Lis’ artwork is the representation of mushrooms and toadstools, and this piece on a concrete slab in Purdown is a great example. It is a pity that some twit has felt the need to tag the piece, but fortunately it doesn’t detract too much from the mushroom and rather cure hedgehog. While the main body of her work is achieved using spray paint, I think that some of the detail is achieved using pens, which doesn’t devalue it one jot. I am loving the emergence of Lis and can see a very bright future ahead.

6748. Purdown (85)

DFC1848 and Skem, Purdown, Bristol, February 2025
DFC1848 and Skem, Purdown, Bristol, February 2025

It can be quite a challenge photographing pieces when I am walking the dog, because he doesn’t much like standing around, and will often pull on his lead, just as I am taking a picture (annoying). This is particularly challenging at the Purdown spot on account of the small herd of goats which live within the enclosure, which send the dog into a frenzy of sniffing, pulling and general desperation to find the beasties.

DFC1848 and Skem, Purdown, Bristol, February 2025
DFC1848 and Skem, Purdown, Bristol, February 2025

On my last trip to Purdown, I saw this rather nice collaboration from DFC1848 and Skem. I am very familiar with DFC1848 and his work, but I don’t think I have posted any pieces by Skem before. These two monsters straddle the writing in the middle spelling out SKEM. I particularly like the way Skem’s monster interacts with his letters as DFC1848’s monster cheekily watches on. A nice collaboration from a pair of ‘out-of-towners’.