A couple of really quick posts today, I forgot that I was going in to the office today and haven’t left myself much time. This is a wonderful mural from Silent Hobo on the newly opened Last Chance Saloon, which was revealed about two weeks ago.
Silent Hobo is wonderfully adept at painting these large murals and capturing so much that represents the young people of the city with stories and emotions throughout the piece. Two large walls beautifully painted.
Silent Hobo, Stokes Croft, Bristol, October 2025
Silent Hobo has painted city scenes and dropped clues that it is Bristol, such as the hot air balloons, but also the architecture of the buildings. The beautiful scene above the front entrance of the saloon is relevant and heart-breaking, stirring up all kinds of emotions. Brilliant work from Silent Hobo.
Silent Hobo and Logoe, Wine Street, Bristol, May 2024
I took these pictures back in May this year, but even then, I think this enormous mural by Silent Hobo and Logoe had been around for quite a while. I say it is by these two artists, but I only recognise Silent Hobo’s work, but perhaps Logoe was helping out. The piece is painted on a wall which is opposite a street food market and would account for the foodie theme.
Silent Hobo and Logoe, Wine Street, Bristol, May 2024
I have had to split the piece into two parts to showcase the vibrant scene. Silent Hobo’s is a real specialist in reflecting the mood and characters of youth culture in Bristol and has an obvious fondness for the city and its people. I find his pieces very touching.
Silent Hobo and Logoe, Wine Street, Bristol, May 2024
The contemporary piece offers a wonderful insight into the youth of the city, into fast/street food culture, and makes some references to place, for example, the Clifton Suspension Bridge in the top left. This is a busy, bustling blockbuster by Silent Hobo’s and Logoe, pity about the tagging on the lower sections.
Logoe and Silent Hobo, Stapleton Road, Bristol, October 2024
Logoe and Silent Hobo are good friends and on his most recent visit to Bristol, it looks like Logoe found time to hook up with his mate and collaborate on this wonder wall. The combination of writing and story telling is original and eye-catching, and goes straight into one of my favourite collaborations of 2024. Logoe has pulled out all the stops with his distinctive script writing and produces a very tight and tidy piece with transitional coloured stripes filling the letters.
Silent Hobo, Stapleton Road, Bristol, October 2024
Sitting on top of the writing, Silent Hobo is telling us a story of what looks like heart break, but without the context is difficult to be sure. Rather ominously, the first panel has a woman saying ‘We’ve been through this already…’
Silent Hobo, Stapleton Road, Bristol, October 2024
In the next frame, a woman, is it the same woman, is saying ‘love is not enough’, a phrase that would wilt the heart of anyone on the receiving end of the comment
Silent Hobo, Stapleton Road, Bristol, October 2024
The final part has a man, looking a little worse for wear, saying ‘OK’, which probably means not OK. The three panels could be stand-alone pieces, or part of a continuous conversation, and I guess that it is for the viewer to decide which. A magnificent collaboration from this pair.
Silent Hobo, Little Bishop Street, Bristol, July 2024
One of the earliest pieces I posted on Natural Adventures was the previous incarnation on this wall also painted by Silent Hobo. It was a piece that lovingly depicted Bristol youth, something that Silent Hobo is renowned for.
Silent Hobo, Little Bishop Street, Bristol, July 2024
On renewing this piece, Silent Hobo has once again presented us with a positive and optimistic vision of Bristol, with music and DJ’ing being front and centre. I rather like the girl in the background hugging an enormous frog… who’d have guessed? Welcome to St Pauls!
Silent Hobo, Little Bishop Street, Bristol, November 2015
Wow, wow, wow! This is something rather different and special from Silent Hobo. Not only has he changed his style, but these pieces come as a set of three on three sequential columns under the M32 at the M32 Spot.
Silent Hobo, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2024
The three pieces appear to be snippets from a conversation, and I rather hope for Silent Hobo’s sake that they are not autobiographical. The first column has a portrait of a man declaring “Baby I’m doing my best”.
Silent Hobo, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2024
The second column is a reply from a woman saying those words that nobody wants to hear “Yes but…” Sounds like he might be in trouble. The portrait is remarkable, and really so different from the rest of his work. It is less cartoony and more realistic and has the appearance of oil on canvass.
Silent Hobo, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2024
The third column is the killer blow… “You told me you were good”. Whatever the context of the conversation, I hope all works out well,. I am full of admiration at how skilful Silent Hobo has been to get viewers to invest so much in the characters in such a limited space. I suppose we can all construct our own stories about the three columns, but the artwork, which is remarkable, speaks for itself.
Silent Hobo and Mr Riks, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2024
Flying out of Grenoble today, so no time to write much about this magnificent collaboration from Silent Hobo and Mr Riks. The former has been rather quiet on the streets of late, but the former a little more busy than usual. A classy collaborative effort, with some contemporary commentary thrown in for good measure.
Silent Hobo and Mr Riks, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2024
Silent Hobo and Mr Riks, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2024
Silent Hobo and Inkie, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, September 2023
The huge wall on the side of the Tobacco Factory, opposite Aldi, is arguably the premium wall in Bristol, curated by Upfest for some of the best artists to decorate. The last piece painted here was from Upfest 2022, and was probably reaching the end of its sell-by date. It is one of so many Upfest pieces I haven’t got round to sharing on Natural Adventures… yet.
Silent Hobo and Inkie, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, September 2023
Two of Bristol’s finest and most established artists have combined to paint this incredible tribute to the city and more specifically Bedminster, Silent Hobo and Inkie. The mural is in two distinct sections, the top half writing and frame by Inkie, and the busy scene by Silent Hobo.
Silent Hobo and Inkie, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, September 2023
Inkie painted a few pieces while he was in Bristol, which tends to happen, because he is a very busy artist, taking commissions all over the globe, and seemingly forever on the move. The words ‘Planet Local’ are beautifully painted in his characteristic style, and nicely decorated with stars, creating a perfect backdrop for Silent Hobo’s storytelling below.
Silent Hobo and Inkie, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, September 2023
There is always so much going on in Silent Hobo’s work and the way he presents the ordinary Bristol scenes is quite unique. There is an authenticity and warmth in this piece that captures relatable goings on; a boy playing with his toys, a sleeping cat, a young couple, a chef making a delivery and a young singer all occupy the left hand side of the piece.
Silent Hobo and Inkie, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, September 2023
To the right, there is more bustle and deliveries and a rather strange walking house. A hen and bee get in on the action too, and everything is overlaid on a background of classic Bristolian architecture. There is an honesty and lightness in this piece which is a perfect antidote to our everyday preoccupations and concerns, reminding us that life is beautiful and good.
On the wall opposite the tunnel under New Stadium Road was this lovely little Christmas collaboration from Silent Hobo, Mr Riks, Dopes and a very special mini Hobo. All three artists have been fairly active of late, but weirdly I have only ever posted one of Mr Riks’ pieces before, which would appear to be a terribly omission on my part.
Silent Hobo, Dopes and Mr Riks, New Stadium Street, Bristol, December 2021
The right hand side of the collaboration is by Mr Riks and Dopes and appears to say RIK JAY with some fabulous horizontal shading and fades with a load of drips hanging off the letters. Classy work indeed from the two artists.
Silent Hobo, New Stadium Street, Bristol, December 2021
The Mini Hobo is by Silent Hobo with help from his very little daughter who looked pretty useful with a spray can judging from the pictures on Hobo senior’s Instagram feed. All in all this is a very nice little Christmas piece and maybe the beginning of great things to come from Mini Hobo.
Logoe continues to hit Bristol walls hard, this time with his friend Silent Hobo, to create this lovely collaboration on the entrance to the tunnel in St Werburghs. Their content and styles are so very different, but there is a chemistry there that brings the whole thing together seamlessly.
Logoe and Silent Hobo, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2021
The writing by Logoe is distinctive with its thin script-like letters and gorgeous fills, decorated with spots and stars along the length. The youth, so brilliantly portrayed by Silent Hobo, is wearing a blue hoodie and sporting big hair and glasses. I am not at all certain what the axe is all about though. So good to see these two combining again.
Well now we are getting in to the final 10 pieces from Upfest’s 75 walls in 75 days event and I am getting a little edgy, because my ‘collector’ gene will be working overtime to ensure I get every single one, and that might be difficult.
Silent Hobo, Ruby Street, Bristol, September 2021, Upfest 21
I don’t normally associate Silent Hobo with Upfest events, so it was really nice to see that he has participated in this most unusual of years with this enormous mural in Ruby Street.
Silent Hobo, Ruby Street, Bristol, September 2021, Upfest 21
Of course, with so many murals in residential streets for this year’s event, parked cars have been a real problem. I think I might suggest to artists that next year they start their pieces four feet above the ground, or that they paint cars in the lower portion so we don’t actually miss anything (now there’s a creative concept).
Silent Hobo, Ruby Street, Bristol, September 2021, Upfest 21
As with all of Silent Hobo’s excellent observational work, he captures the mood of ordinary people, especially youngsters so well. One could do a celebration of Bristol, just by showcasing all of his pieces. It would seem that he is very proud of the city and its citizens and his murals are a wonderful record of the city in the 2000s.
Silent Hobo, Ruby Street, Bristol, September 2021, Upfest 21
Another thing that Silent Hobo portrays beautifully is pets and wild animals. Here he rewards the viewer with a fabulous cameo of a little boy and his dog in a red armchair, a delightful scene. Yet another outstanding wall from Silent Hobo and for Upfest.
Natural adventures 