6889. Greenbank (155)

Sepr and Pekoe, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2025
Sepr and Pekoe, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2025

I’m not sure why, but I am always surprised (and thrilled) when I see collaborations between Pekoe and Sepr. Somehow in my head I don’t see them as natural collaborators, but how wrong I am. This delightfully witty piece on the long hoarding at Greenbank took me several attempts to get decent pictures. The fine weather we have been experiencing has a downside which is that full sun causes shadows to be cast everywhere. Eventually I took advantage of an overcast day and made my way to the spot.

Sepr, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2025
Sepr, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2025

The combination tells a story of a headless chicken, and in the left hand side, Sepr has created one of his superb cartoon characters, in this case a ‘one chicken band’. Obviously the festive bird wasn’t to everyone’s taste and the decapitated body marches on as the head complete with party hat watches on.

Pekoe, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2025
Pekoe, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2025

The perpetrator of the violent crime is a rather charming young woman wielding an axe, which makes one feel a little uncomfortable. Pekoe has done a great job here and unusually has painted more of a full character than her more usual head portrait. I have noticed that recently she has also been painting traffic cones in her pieces, like a little signature. The collaboration is witty, gruesome and really well painted. It would be great to see more of these story pieces from these great artists.

6642. Sussex Street

Sepr and Andy Council, Sussex Street, Bristol, December 2024
Sepr and Andy Council, Sussex Street, Bristol, December 2024

This is a wonderful political commentary collaboration from Sepr and Andy Council, who are unhappy with the Government’s attitude towards the situation in Gaza. On the left Sepr has painted a passive protest piece featuring a dove sitting on an olive branch. It is both witty and poignant and is beautifully painted.

Sepr, Sussex Street, Bristol, December 2024
Sepr, Sussex Street, Bristol, December 2024

To the right, Andy Council presents on of his ‘stitched together’ composition creature pieces, which this time is a snail, perhaps representing the slow speed of any progress on ending the Israeli occupation and systematic demolition of Gaza. The snail is painted in the colours of the Palestinian flag. Brilliant stuff from the duo.

Andy Council, Sussex Street, Bristol, December 2024
Andy Council, Sussex Street, Bristol, December 2024

6553. Gloucester Road

Sepr, Gloucester Road, Bristol, November 2024
Sepr, Gloucester Road, Bristol, November 2024

As the crow flies, this is probably one of thee nearest pieces of street art to where I live, and I probably pass it a few times a week. I hadn’t noticed until recently that it had changed. Sepr painted a piece here back in February 2020, and you can just see a little bit of that black and white piece on the left of this banner on the Filthy XIII bar.

Sepr, Gloucester Road, Bristol, November 2024
Sepr, Gloucester Road, Bristol, November 2024

This new piece (although I don’t know how new) Features a man and a couple of birds chilling with some rather gaudy cocktails. Sepr has filled the thin horizontal strip perfectly, and his unique cartoon style is full of humour and warmth. Fabulous work.

Sepr, Gloucester Road, Bristol, February 2020
Sepr, Gloucester Road, Bristol, February 2020

6493. Chatterton Square (10)

Sepr, Chatterton Square, Bristol, October 2024
Sepr, Chatterton Square, Bristol, October 2024

Opposite the entrance road into Temple Meads station there is a little road that leads to Chatterton Square, which isn’t really a square at all, but a road running behind the Holiday Inn Express. There are some walls and a long hoarding that surrounds a plot of land where a disused petrol station languishes, providing a central spot for street art and graffiti.

Sepr, Chatterton Square, Bristol, October 2024
Sepr, Chatterton Square, Bristol, October 2024

This section of hoarding is adjacent to one of the buildings of the petrol station and together with RichT, Sepr did a great job of decorating it. This piece is a series of little sketches and I think it might be a ‘sampler’ for his tattoo work, because each of these little designs would make a wonderful tattoo. I particularly like the penguin charming the snake and the clockwork mouse. This is an unusual and striking piece from Sepr.

6452. Redcliffe Way

Sepr, Redcliffe Way, Bristol, October 2024
Sepr, Redcliffe Way, Bristol, October 2024

These small pieces by Sepr have been lurking on the hoarding on Redcliffe Way for quite a while and have been on my ‘hit list’ for ever, I am glad at last to have photographed them before they have degraded too much or been tagged. I have a feeling that they might have been painted to promote the Bristol Tattoo Convention.

Sepr, Redcliffe Way, Bristol, October 2024
Sepr, Redcliffe Way, Bristol, October 2024

Both of these small pieces resemble samples or examples that tattooists offer their clients. King Cooper refers to an artist called James Cooper, who ran his business Dapper Signs, a sign writing company in Bristol, and who tragically died in 2023 aged 42. He was hugely respected by the urban art community.

Sepr, Redcliffe Way, Bristol, October 2024
Sepr, Redcliffe Way, Bristol, October 2024

Sepr’s second piece on this hoarding is a rather lovely character piece featuring a heart and an apple? With an arrow running through it. A conflation of William Tell and Cupid perhaps. Such simple yet expressive pieces, and both so obviously designed by a tattooist.

6132. Upfest 2024 (29)

Sepr, Upfest 24, The Nursery, Bristol, May 2024
Sepr, Upfest 24, The Nursery, Bristol, May 2024

I have mentioned before that Upfest has a blend of local, national and international artists every year, but what is noticeable this year is that many of the Bristol-based artists have been given large feature walls to paint, which is great to see, and to be able to showcase some of our own homegrown talent.

Sepr, Upfest 24, The Nursery, Bristol, May 2024
Sepr, Upfest 24, The Nursery, Bristol, May 2024

This is an outstanding mural from Sepr, who is no stranger to the pages of Natural Adventures – you can see more of his work in this gallery. The green colour palette is masterfully worked in this cartoon-style balloon ark. There is a wonderful story unfolding here of animals sharing a balloon trip (balloons, like street art, being one of Bristol’s USPs) under a warm sun. Sepr has designed the piece to work around the doors and windows of the house, which interestingly has no window above the door, allowing more mural space. In my view, this is a masterpiece of stylised cartoon street art that brings smiles to the faces of passers-by. Awesome.

6027. Turbo Island

Sepr and 3Dom, Turbo Island, Bristol, May 2024
Sepr and 3Dom, Turbo Island, Bristol, May 2024

Turbo takes an awful lot of punishment. This little corner of Stokes Croft represents the heart of Bristol rebellion. Occupied at various points by the homeless, addicts, drunks, revellers, artists, tourists, the curious even. It is a spot impacted by footfall, fires and tagging. For many years, a beautiful Sepr scarecrow mural loomed large on the end wall but over time it has degraded, so up steps the hero of the day, Sepr, ably accompanied by 3Dom to refresh the wall.

Sepr and 3Dom, Turbo Island, Bristol, May 2024
Sepr and 3Dom, Turbo Island, Bristol, May 2024

Sepr has stuck quite close to his original piece, sticking with the literal scare crow idea painted in a clever contrasting black and yellow two-tone colour scheme. A troupe of performing mice accompany the crow, who is drinking out of a ‘Bob’ mug.

Sepr and 3Dom, Turbo Island, Bristol, May 2024
Sepr and 3Dom, Turbo Island, Bristol, May 2024

3Dom has done all of us a great service in painting the utility box with one of his magnificent symmetrical radiating, organic pattern pieces. This utility box is usually festooned with hundreds of peeling fly-posters that add to the general untidiness of the spot. I’m sure it won’t be long before we can no longer see this beautiful splash of colour. Beautiful, witty, charming and just what the spot needs.

Sepr, Stokes Croft, Bristol, August 2015
Sepr, Stokes Croft, Bristol, August 2015

 

 

5926. M32 Cycle path (257)

Sepr, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2024
Sepr, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2024

I haven’t managed to catch up with Sepr for an eternity, so it was so good to be in the right place at the right time and find not only Sepr but also Inkie and Haka painting this spot together a week or two back. I was surprised to see them painting on this wall behind the Black Swan because, Haka aside, this is not a spot that you’d expect to find their work.

Sepr, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2024
Sepr, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2024

I asked Sepr if he works to a drawing or comes up with his designs in his head and freestyles them. He immediately pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and showed me his design for this piece – he said he keeps all his designs, which is amazing. I guess he may use some of them for tattoos. In this piece a fox or cat is juggling batons with his tongue while a from looks on from the safety of his trilby. A crazy scene perfectly presented with incredible sharpness and style. This piece is sheer class from my favourite character artist. Wonderful.

5813. Dean Lane skate park (687)

Sepr and Boaster, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2024
Sepr and Boaster, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2024

Aah! what joy finding this outstanding piece by Sepr and Boaster the day before going away for a week on holiday. Finding this piece, in part, helped me to overcome any withdrawal symptoms or FOMO while I was skiing in the French Alps. If I had missed the piece, I would have been a little regretful. but thankfully that didn’t happen.

Sepr, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2024
Sepr, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2024

It is possible to see when artists are having fun and obviously bouncing with shared ideas and inspiration. A pair of toucans drinking Carlsberg Special Brew… who’d have thought it? The toucan on the left was painted by Sepr with all his trademark stylised cartoon painting skills on show. I cannot explain how much I like this piece, and have missed his work, which seems to be occasional these days. The toucan is holding a plastic bag containing four beer cans and he is holding another in his other hand. The piece is accompanied with the words “Two can Jackie Chan the toucan with a bag o’cans!” pretty much describes the piece. Jackie Chan is offering a can to his friend to the right.

Boaster, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2024
Boaster, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2024

I recently posted a piece by Boaster which I photographed in Nottingham, so it is really satisfying to see another one so soon and this time in my home town of Bristol. Boaster’s toucan is drinking a bottle of Brahma beer (a brand I am not familiar with) and uttering the words “sim voce”, which I think means ‘yeah’ sort of thing in Portuguese. Am I to infer that the toucan is Brazilian? it would make sense. The two toucans are different in style, one very sharp, the other a little fluffier, but they work perfectly together. This is easily the best collaboration of the year so far, in my opinion.

5078. Coach and Horses

3Dom, Soker, Sepr and Epok, Coach and Horses, Bristol, February 2021
3Dom, Soker, Sepr and Epok, Coach and Horses, Bristol, February 2021

How, oh how, did I manage to overlook this piece for posting? I surprise myself when trawling through my archives and I find stuff like this, and it is also quite a pleasurable experience, because it gives me the perfect excuse to talk about some outstanding artwork. This long wall is a collaboration masterclass from 3Dom, Soker, Sepr and Epok which dates back to February 2021 (actually that is when I took the pictures, I think the artwork had been there for some time already).

3Dom, Coach and Horses, Bristol, February 2021
3Dom, Coach and Horses, Bristol, February 2021

First up is this amazing character piece from 3Dom, featuring an unicyclist juggling bombs, with his arms weighed down with lead wights, and avoiding landmines. I imagine that this is a metaphor for the tightrope we are navigating as individuals, as a nation and as humanity itself. At least this is how I read it. As we would expect, it is beautifully painted.

Soker, Coach and Horses, Bristol, February 2021
Soker, Coach and Horses, Bristol, February 2021

The second piece is some incredibly tight graffiti writing from Soker, one of the very best writers around. It is especially gratifying to dig this piece out from the archives, because he is going through a rather quiet period at the moment.

Sepr, Coach and Horses, Bristol, February 2021
Sepr, Coach and Horses, Bristol, February 2021

Next up is the magnificent Sepr with a whole story unfolding. Aliens in a spaceship are trying to drag a cow into the sky, but finding the going difficult. The aliens are contacting their base with the words, “Easton… we have a problem” – a local corruption of the famous quote. Brilliant and witty.

Epok, Coach and Horses, Bristol, February 2021
Epok, Coach and Horses, Bristol, February 2021

Finally, we have something of a rarity, an amazing piece of writing from Epok. I can’t think when I last saw a new piece from Epok, but this must have been one of his last in Bristol. I hope that the break in his productivity will at some point come to an end and that he will once again bless us with his unique geometric designs. What a collaboration, and what a wait.