We’re going back a long way with this piece, photographed at the top end of Stapleton Road in May 2018. I don’t know who the artist is, and I expect that is why I never posted it at the time.
Unknown artist, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2018
It looks like it might have been by Dabuten Tronko, but I think the tag is from the piece to the left. The familiar theme of a skeleton using spray cans is often associated with Laic217, but this is certainly not one of his. I guess it will remain a mystery who the artist is, but it was too good to leave in my archive once I have revisited it recently.
It seems fitting that I should post a catch-up batch of Kid Krishna pieces only two days after I met the artist for the first time, while he was painting a roller piece at the entrance to St Werburghs tunnel. Although our chat only lasted a few minutes, I was able to find out so much about the artist, his work and his aspirations. Overall, turns out he is not a woman (see previous speculation) and is in fact a really nice guy.
Kid Krishna, Stapleton Road, Bristol, July 2022
There is me thinking that Kid Krishna was a new kid on the block (demonstrating how little I know) but has been around for a long time, painting with the likes of Sick Boy back in the day. He has been in his native Yorkshire for some years, but recently arrived in Bristol, and has been busy painting the streets since.
Kid Krishna, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2022
Kid Krishna is a versatile artist, equally comfortable with graffiti writing as he is with painting characters, either using spray cans or rollers. He told me that he is looking at doing something quite different, and if it happens, we will all be in for a very welcome treat. Meanwhile, enjoy his incredibly unique and intricate writing in these three pieces.
Silent Hobo paints some of the very best large murals in Bristol and this one on the railway bridge in Stapleton Road is so large that I have split it into component posts to keep it manageable. This bit of the remarkable mural is on the side of the of the bridge and runs perpendicular to the M32 motorway. I was lucky enough to have a quick chat with Silent Hobo as he was just starting on this elevation.
Silent Hobo, Stapleton Road, Bristol, April 2021
I say this every time I write about Silent Hobo, and I am certainly not going to break with tradition now, that he has an incredible knack for capturing a mood and reflecting it back to us. The youth of Bristol and a contrast of urban clutter offset by nature and hope are themes he explores in so much of his work.
Silent Hobo, Stapleton Road, Bristol, April 2021
On this section of wall some Easton youths are interaction with nature and their environment, and key to this embrace is rail and bus services which are greener methods of transport than cars. I love the artwork and I love the themes.
I noticed a few days ago that the bottom of this wall had been tagged with white paint, but when I went there yesterday, the offending tags had been painted out. I love it that people care about this community mural. The rest of the mural will be in a new post soon.
This is another of the columns under the railway bridge that crosses over Stapleton Road that has recently had a makeover and is by local artist Rob Wheeler. I don’t know too much about the artist other than that he is part of Graft Workshop, an outfit of street artists who take commissions in Bristol, and whose work I have featured on Natural Adventures some time ago.
Rob Wheeler, Stapleton Road, Bristol, April 2021
This beautifully designed and executed piece has the symmetry and look of an elaborate wallpaper design and adds a touch of class to this column that previously had been a magnet for tags. I hope that this stunning artwork is respected because it is already much loved by the local community.
This is the second of four railway column pieces in Stapleton Road to be featured on Natural Adventures. Local artists were commissioned by Network Rail and Severnside Rail Partnership to smarten up the railway supports which had become rather untidy with a plethora of tags and posters. I am a little torn sometimes when this kind of commission comes along, because these spots can host some fine pieces of graffiti, but faced with the option of anti-graffiti painted columns or these gorgeous commissioned murals, I’d always opt for the latter.
Zoe Power and David Bain, Stapleton Road, Bristol, March 2021
This column is a joint effort from Zoe Power and David Bain and is a perfect place to showcase their work. Interestingly their other collaboration to have appeared on Natural Adventures is also a railway piece on Redland Station.
Zoe Power and David Bain, Stapleton Road, Bristol, March 2021
The trademark of these two artists is a highly stylised design and bright bold colours. I would label this piece as a true collaboration because they have stitched their work so closely together that it is difficult for me to be one hundred percent certain who painted what. The cheerful and skilfully painted mural is, along with its sisters, is sure to become a well known local landmark.
Zoe Power and Dave Bain, Redland Station, Bristol, November 2019
This railway pillar and three others, along with a large wall could have gone one of two ways. As Network Rail assets they might have been buffed with anti-graffiti paint, and become yet another sterile, functional piece of Bristol infrastructure. Fortunately, in a project supported by Network Rail and Severnside Rail Partnership, several local artists were commissioned to decorate the pillars, and the results have been utterly outstanding. I truly hope they receive the respect they deserve.
Anna Higgie, Stapleton Road, Bristol, March 2021
This pillar is by Anna Higgie and presents us with a host of urban icons from Bristol such as the balloon, electric scooter, busses, flowers and nature. There is something very connected and uplifting about the piece, celebrating an urban setting.
Anna Higgie, Stapleton Road, Bristol, March 2021
It is so good to see that these pillars have been handed over to local artists who in turn have handed them back to the community who will enjoy them for many years to come. An inspirational project which will create a sense of local pride.
What a delightful surprise and late Christmas present from Epok and Sepr at the very top end of Stapleton Road. It is especially nice to see Epok back in Bristol, as he seems to do most of his writing in the Stroud area in abandoned buildings that I haven’t yet discovered.
Epok, M32 Spot, Bristol, December 2020
I think the last piece I saw from Epok was back in July in the ASK collaboration in New Gatton Street, so this is a long-overdue treat. Epok’s writing really is out of the top drawer and his heavily designed shapes and colour schemes never cease to amaze. The letters here spell EPOK, but it might take a little while to ‘get your eye in’.
Sepr, M32 Spot, Bristol, December 2020
To the right of the glorious Epok writing is a witty reflection of 2020 by Sepr. Last year will be remembered as the one when irrational panic buying of toilet roll became almost as widespread as the Covid-19 virus. Here Sepr has painted a loo roll (avec crown) seeing in the New Year with a bottle of wine.
Epok and Sepr, M32 Spot, Bristol, December 2020
Finding this collaboration pretty much made my day and was a perfect way to wave goodbye to 2020.
Yet another outstanding piece from Inkie in this purple patch we are lucky enough to be witnessing in Bristol at the moment. I am guessing that Inkie has a bit of time on his hands at the moment… maybe it is a pandemic thing and if it is then it is an upside as far as I am concerned.
Inkie, M32 Spot, Bristol, September 2020
Alongside some of his friends (posts to follow soon) this appeared about a week or so ago at the top end of Stapleton Road. It is an absolute classic and painted in colours that he has used before, from memory he painted a van in similar shades. Those of you who follow Thursday Doors, might well see this piece again sometime in the future (door hidden under the I and E). I will never tire of his work and am really enjoying this current spate.
You don’t get to see too many pieces on the street from Rowdy these days, so finding one is a bit of a treat. Rowdy is responsible for one of the most iconic characters in Bristol street art, the toothy crocodile. Anyone living in the Stokes Croft area will remember fondly the crocodile on the top of the Carriage Works that looked over North Bristol, sadly knocked down last year.
Rowdy, Stapleton Road, Bristol, May 2020
This somewhat smaller beast is modestly tucked away at the foot of a column under the new railway bridge on Stapleton Road, and I only found it because a Face 1st piece opposite it caught my eye as I was driving past the other day. Who doesn’t love a Rowdy crocodile?
Rowdy and Sweet Toof, The Carriageworks, Bristol, December 2016
I took a little tour of Bristol hot spots yesterday and there is a lot of new work to write about and post but I fear I will not get to share it all immdeiately. This piece was from a few days ago and is tucked under a railway bridge on Stapleton Road. It is of course by Face 1st.
Face 1st, Stapleton Road, Bristol, May 2020
This is a nice ‘traditional’ Face 1st piece with a pretty face and the word FACE spelled out in the hair. The colours are bright and the piece cheerful. You have to be quick though at the moment as turnover is very high. Another recent piece by the artist at the M32 roundabout lasted only moments… I missed it.
Natural adventures 