Tag: Raccoon

7065. Knowle West (1)

Pekoe and SPZero76, Knowle West, Bristol, July 2025
Pekoe and SPZero76, Knowle West, Bristol, July 2025

I knew that there has been a paint jam somewhere in South Bristol recently, but I had no idea where. Then along came John Bennett who occasionally reads this blog and sent me the location. Even then, it took me a while to find this treasure trove, but it was well worth persevering to locate the quiet little side street.

Pekoe and SPZero76, Knowle West, Bristol, July 2025
Pekoe and SPZero76, Knowle West, Bristol, July 2025

This collaboration from Pekoe and SPZero76 is the first of several posts from this little backwater. Pekoe’s portrait is notable for the cat perched on the woman’s head and the inclusion of shoulders and upper torso, which is so often missing in Pekoe’s work. SPZero76 has painted one of his crazy raccoons, which includes a little cat sitting on a cloud of spray paint. I love the contrast in their comments too. Pekoe’s earnest ‘fund art not war’ contrasting with SPZero76’s rather hilarious ‘read more comics’. Such is the diversity of the street art community.

5885. Dean Lane skate park (696)

SPZero76, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2024
SPZero76, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2024

It has been a while since I saw an EAT Crew collaborative wall, the crew being Kid Crayon and SPZero76, so what an absolute pleasure it was to come across this piece (one half of the collaboration) a couple of weeks back. SPZero76 used to paint a lot more in Bristol than he does these days, but his energy and style have not diminished in any way at all.

SPZero76, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2024
SPZero76, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2024

In this animated piece, an alien tentacled monster is grabbing hold of a couple of raccoons that have clearly been decorating walls with their spray cans. It looks to me like the alien represents authority in some form or other and is pretty angry, which contrasts delightfully with the carefree expressions on the raccoons’ faces. There is so much detail to enjoy in this magnificent piece from SPZero76.

3397. Cumberland Basin

The third piece from an outstanding recent paint jam on the long wall at Cumberland Basin that I have posted on Natural Adventures is by Sled One, and features a Raccoon (something that SPZero76 is a specialist in painting) off on its travels.

Sled One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2020
Sled One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2020

I saw a little video clip on Sled One’s Instagram feed which had a little raccoon dropping a piece of ice into some water and getting utterly confused when the ice just disappeared like magic… so beyond the poor mammal’s comprehension. I think this piece is a retelling of that little snippet of film through the imaginative lens of Sled One. This surreal piece is rooted in experience and naturally has been painted with supreme expertise. Classic Sled One.

1071. Upfest 2017 (77)

This is what you get when two mischievous artists collaborate, each with their own inimitable style. When Chinagirl Tile and Angus got together at Upfest this year, they produced this rather special piece which arguably was the most controversial of the festival, causing offence to some.

Chinagirl Tile and Angus, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Chinagirl Tile and Angus, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

The raccoons are by Chinagirl Tile and the mosaic hand gesture is by Angus. Unfortunately the piece in its original state didn’t last too long at all before it was ‘redacted’ with some black tape.

Chinagirl Tile and Angus, Upfest, Bristol, August 2017
Chinagirl Tile and Angus, Upfest, Bristol, August 2017

Not long after that, the hand was completely replaced by yellow tiles, and the piece has really lost something. I will leave you to judge which version of this you prefer. For my part, this work challenges the ‘sanitised’ art you tend to get at festivals by being provocative and edgy, which is where most street art and graffiti art has its roots. Some really interesting perspectives being played out here.

Chinagirl Tile and Angus, Upfest, Bristol, August 2017
Chinagirl Tile and Angus, Upfest, Bristol, August 2017

I like the original, but I would wouldn’t I.

660. Millpond Street (1)

It seems strange that this is the first time I have posted about a piece on this landmark building…although it is possible I have written something before, but named it under M32. This is a fine collaboration – and not the first on this wall – by SPZero76 and Kid Crayon.

SPZero76 and Kid Crayon, Millpond Street, Bristol, February 2017
SPZero76 and Kid Crayon, Millpond Street, Bristol, February 2017

The building is owned by Domestic Drain Services and runs parallel to the M32. I understand, from speaking to the owners a week or two back that they invite SPZero76 and others to spray the building and in return they will pay for the spray paint.

SPZero76 and Kid Crayon, Millpond Street, Bristol, February 2017
SPZero76 and Kid Crayon, Millpond Street, Bristol, February 2017

The character on the right in the mask is by Kid Crayon and really showcases his development as a spray artist, having been something of a paste up specialist. I’m not sure what the ‘EAT’ reference is all about.

SPZero76 and Kid Crayon, Millpond Street, Bristol, February 2017
SPZero76 and Kid Crayon, Millpond Street, Bristol, February 2017

On the left hand side are a couple of great characters by SPZero76, whose work often features a raccoon and a ‘Pacific Island’ style mask. I would love to know where his influences came from to repeatedly use these motifs. This is a wonderful collaboration, and these two seem to work quite a lot together.