Tag: Ra

7145. Brunel Way (332)

RA, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2025
RA, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2025

RA, if that is indeed his/her name, came to Bristol and left behind four or five beautiful insect stencil pieces, which are right up my street combining my love of nature with my interest in street art.

RA, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2025
RA, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2025

I am not quite sure if this particular beast is a beetle (I can’t see any wing covers) or something like an ant. It certainly has the right components; six legs, a head, abdomen and thorax and what I imagine to be a compound eye, of an insect. The colours RA has used to decorate the insect are striking and help the piece to stand out on the grey-buffed column. Lovely work.

7101. Brunel Way (329)

RA, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2025
RA, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2025

This is a gorgeous column piece under Brunel Way, from visiting artist RA. Several wonderful pieces were deposited by the artist, all in the same area, and each of which really appeal to me. Anything to do with nature, and in particular insects, is going to grab my attention.

RA, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2025
RA, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2025

In this strip, RA has used a stencil of an insect and overlaid it three times on a tall rectangle of lime green, which works perfectly for the dimensions of a column. The detail within each of the insects has been hand painted, probably using a Posca pen for the finer detail. The pink and green colours draw attention to the piece on a grey background. Very effective and quite different.

7073. Brunel Way (324)

RA, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2025
RA, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2025

This piece is right up my street, a beautifully painted beetle in striking colours, by an artist I don’t know and whose name I have guessed at as RA. This was one of a few pieces painted in a single session, which makes me think the artist was a visitor, passing through.

RA, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2025
RA, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2025

I don’t know what technique was used to paint the piece, but at a guess I would say it was a stencil over a green background, which has been augmented with some Posca pen detail. The end result is unique and rather special. RA is an artist I’d really like to find more information on. Love this piece.

6088. M32 roundabout J3 (581)

Ra, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2024
Ra, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2024

Ra is an occasional and always very welcome visitor to Bristol, and his choice of wall to paint this beautiful piece is interesting. This wall used to be the home of a fabulous mural by Michele Curtis and the Paintsmiths celebrating Roy Hackett, a Jamaican, who arrived in Britain in 1952 and became co-founder of the Commonwealth Co-ordinated Committee (CCC) which was started 1962. Unfortunately the wall was re-rendered, painted and then subject to the tagging and bombing that walls like this are subject to. This piece by Ra is the best piece, in my opinion, to adorn the wall since.

Ra, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2024
Ra, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2024

The stylised and beautifully decorated blue hand is in a pose with the middle finger and thumb touching is, I believe a mudra that represents energy and health, and it provides us with a feeling of balance. Certainly this piece feels in balance, with a complementary background and some flashes of light surrounding the hand. A wonderful spiritual piece which is beautifully executed.

Michele Curtis and the Paintsmiths, Byron Street, Bristol, May 2019
Michele Curtis and the Paintsmiths, Byron Street, Bristol, May 2019

3945. M32 roundabout J3 (347)

What a pleasant surprise this little combination was a couple of weeks back on my routine scout around the M32 roundabout. Unannounced and unusual, this pairing of Ra and Vee is both welcome and refreshing. Neither artist has been on my radar before, but since seeing this, I note they have painted more pieces on Bristol and the West.

Ra, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2021
Ra, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2021

On the left hand utility box is a piece by Ra, whose name and artwork is obviously influenced by ancient Egyptian culture. The god Ra is normally depicted with the head of a falcon, and is male, so this piece is likely to be someone else. Stunning nonetheless.

Veee, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2021
Veee, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2021

The smaller utility box has been painted by Veee, and is a bright and cheerful face. The styles of the artists couldn’t be more different, and next to one another you’d never guess that this was a collaborative paint. It seems that these two routinely paint together. I wonder whether their styles ever meet.