Tag: Street art

3862. Chessel Street

I think that one of the spin-off benefits of the Upfest 2021 75×75 event has been that I have spent a whole lot more time in Bedminster this summer than I normally would, and in doing so have come across a few gems, like this one by Andy Council, that I might not have ordinarily seen.

Andy Council, Chessel Street, Bristol, July 2021
Andy Council, Chessel Street, Bristol, July 2021

This piece, which I assume is a commission, features a robin red-breast made up of multiple components stitched together with pink cord. This stitching theme is one that Andy Council has been working on a lot over the past couple of years and seems to have superseded his architectural blocks for which he is most famous. The sketch of this piece on his Instagram feed has a slightly better proportioned neck on the Robin, but I am perhaps being a bit picky. A wonderful little piece.

3861. Upfest 2021 75×75 (36)

The Upfest 2021 75 walls in 75 days event has been notable for the number of fabulous abstract murals on the front and sides of both commercial and residential buildings. Several of these murals have majored on natural themes and this one from Squirl is another beauty.

Squirl, The Nursery, Bristol, JUly 2021, Upfest 21
Squirl, The Nursery, Bristol, JUly 2021, Upfest 21

Squirl has smashed this wall with a bright and vibrant piece featuring mountains, trees and clouds. He is no stranger to Upfest, but I don’t think he has done one of these big walls before. I am always tinged with a little jealousy of the occupants of these houses with murals. I would love a mural on my house, but the stone surfaces are all wrong, and what would the neighbours say? 😁. Unfortunately, this house will probably always have a car parked outside it, so this is the best Photograph I could manage.

3860. M32 roundabout J3 (338)

There is something really compelling and engaging about this fabulous cartoon piece by Morf. It would appear that this is one of several pieces he painted during a visit to Bristol recently, but it is the only one that I have found. I don’t know much about the artist, but from his Instagram feed it is clear that he is a massively talented artist and his style ticks a lot of my boxes.

Morf, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2021
Morf, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2021

The letters spelling Morf are being blasted with a ray-gun held by dismembered green hands. The colours are vibrant and there are wonderful contrasts between the different elements of the piece. His lines are clean and sharp, his shading is outstanding and the whole thing is simply brilliant. I love it.

3859. St Werburghs tunnel (252)

This was what was left behind on the day Goldie came to town. For those of you who haven’t heard of Goldie, I can summarise as follows: he is a musician, music producer, DJ, artist and actor. When in the tunnel though, he is just another graffiti artist… no room for celebrity here. The occasion was a large paint jam, Funday Sunday, from a few weeks back and this is a loose collaboration from Goldie and Bristol’s 3Dom.

Goldie, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2021
Goldie, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2021

I haven’t seen any of Goldie’s work before so I don’t have much to compare it with. His style is quite traditional, with a deep 3D shadow and central vanishing point, and the letters spell out Goldie. He has certainly gone for a full-on colour splash and his work is surely accomplished. A very nice piece.

3Dom, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2021
3Dom, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2021

To the right of Goldie’s letters is an unusual piece from 3Dom, the story of which I just can’t seem to pin down. There is a serpent with a hand instead of a head, holding the Earth gently in its long fingers. The tail of the serpent wraps all the way over to the left of Goldie’s piece, hence the partial collaboration. There is an orange arrow piercing the hand. The piece is packed out with symbolism, but I’ll be damned if I know what any of it means. It all looks very nice though. A fun collaboration.

3858. Upfest 2021 75×75 (35)

To paint this wall is probably nothing short of highly intimidating. Dan Kitchener and Andrew Burns Colwill Have both painted outstanding murals here, both of which have been much admired. Emily Donald has risen to the challenge and produced this glorious piece that is more than worthy of its predecessors.

Emily Donald, West Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
Emily Donald, West Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21

Emily Donald, an artist based in Cornwall, is no stranger to Upfest and has previously painted much smaller pieces on 1m boards. This time she has gone large with this stunning aquatic piece and she has done it brilliantly.

Emily Donald, West Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
Emily Donald, West Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21

Her work is usually wildlife-themed and has a wonderful brush-stroke feel to it. Emily Donald manages to capture and craft light and movement in her work so very well and this aquatic scene is bursting with both. When I took these pictures, there were several other people standing nearby admiring the new mural. Another jewel in Upfest’s crown and another beauty from Emily Donald.

Emily Donald, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Emily Donald, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Emily Donald, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Emily Donald, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

3857. M32 Spot (118)

I like it when artists switch things up from time to time, and just every once in a while Daz Cat treats us to another animal, and so here we have a dog for a change and the piece is signed Daz Dog. In the piece, the dog is in 3/4 profile which is not the usual aspect that Daz Cat paints, so this piece is different in lots of ways.

Daz Cat, M32 Spot, Bristol, July 2021
Daz Cat, M32 Spot, Bristol, July 2021

I like these photographs because they show how graffiti art emerges in some of the trickiest of spots and that the environment is often rather untidy and shabby. How horrible and drab some of these places would look without the street art to brighten them up.

3856. Purdown HAA Battery (31)

There is always something joyous about the work of Antikki, good karma perhaps, and this piece definitely has the feel-good factor about it. The poise of the two figures and the relationship between them is full of kindness and hope. Another feature of her work is the connection with nature, which comes across with the plants weaving in and out of the figures.

Antikki, Purdown Battery, Bristol, July 2021
Antikki, Purdown Battery, Bristol, July 2021

Antikki appears to like painting these concrete slabs up at Purdown, but the risk up there is that it is easy pickings for taggers who also seem to like this spot, at least the tags on this one haven’t affected it too much. I always get fired up by the optimism and goodness in Antikki’s work. Hoping for more before too long.

3855. Upfest 2021 75×75 (34)

Compared to some of the flamboyant pieces painted at this year’s Upfest 75 walls in 75 days event, this one from Caryn Koh is delicately understated, and the wall set back from the main drag of North Street. The low-key nature of the mural should not, however, detract from its quality and the story it tells.

Caryn Koh, Exeter Road, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
Caryn Koh, Exeter Road, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21

Dr Caryn Koh, to give her full title, has painted this mural of two of her cousins and the story of the artwork in her own words is as follows:

The mural situated at Exeter Road, Bristol, is about the relationship between siblings; how we unknowingly grow apart and have our separate paths on life’s journey but there is that unbreakable bond that binds us together.

The piece is an absolute beauty and comes across more as a fine art piece than a street mural. Really impressive.

Caryn Koh, Exeter Road, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
Caryn Koh, Exeter Road, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21

Caryn Koh is from Malaysia, although I don’t know whether she came over to Bristol specially for Upfest or whether she is in the UK in any case. Either way, it is fabulous to see her work on this scale in our city. Another outstanding piece from Upfest 2021.

3854. Dean Lane skate park (422)

Bandito is another artist who is ridiculously underrepresented in Natural Adventures. I have quite a few unpublished pictures of his work going back years, but he just hasn’t made it into the blog as often as he should, or as I thought. I hope to put this right over coming months, if ever the relentless production of new pieces ever slows.

Bandito, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2021
Bandito, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2021

This piece on the left hand side of the curved wall at Dean Lane is fairly typical of his writing style. Nothing too flashy, but the name Bandito always stands out from the background. His work is often quite long and slim compared to other writers, probably because of the number of letters he has. Nice to see.

3853. St Werburghs tunnel (251)

There are goods and there are greats, and Rowdy is a Bristol great. His style might look a little bit ragged and untidy at times, but his ideas and contribution to Bristol modern culture has been incalculable, largely due to his unique crocodiles.

Rowdy, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2021
Rowdy, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2021

This wonderful example was painted during the Funday Sunday event a few weeks back alongside many other Bristol greats. The trademark crocodile patrols the murky waters while a bad flits by in the moonlight. It doesn’t happen often, so finding a Rowdy piece is always exciting.