Strictly speaking this is street art, because it is a painting on a street, however it is likely to be a precursor to the rather more edgy stuff we are used to these days.
Tony Giles, St Agnes
This small mural was painted by an artist, Tony Giles who lived in St Agnes from 1961 until his death in 1994. Originally from Taunton in Somerset he was known for his landscapes.
Tony Giles, St Agnes
I wonder if he lived in the house behind the wall where this mural is.
The figure always reminds me of the cartoon ‘Pearly Kings’ in Mary Poppins.
I first saw this beautiful work before I really began to look out for street art when visiting Chichester a couple of years ago.
Stik, North Pallant, Chichester, August 2015
It is unmistakably a Stik mural and was painted during the Chichester Street Art Festival 2013.
Stik, North Pallant, Chichester, August 2015
Stik is based in London, but has created pieces all over the world. There is a large Stik in Bristol which I will post about when I get a decent picture of it.
I don’t yet understand the ground rules or protocols that exist between street artists, but it would seem there is some minor conflict in a small passageway by the Arches on Cheltenham Road, Bristol.
JPS, Gloucester Road, Bristol, August 2015
Zase and Dekor, Gloucester Road, Bristol, August 2015
An original mural by Zase adorned the side wall of Wong’s Acupuncture Clinic. This appeared before or during 2011. I only became conscious of the piece last year when I saw a wonderful JPS stencil entitled ‘Insert Punchline’ which covered the lower left hand side of the Zase work. Even at the time I saw it, part of the JPS had been sprayed over. Sometime later somebody added a rat and Banksy signature, but I doubt very much that it is an original.
JPS, Gloucester Road, Bristol, August 2015
I took a look at the wall last week, and it would seem that Zase has returned and restored the wall to its former status. It is a pity in a way, but at least I managed to get a picture of the JPS before it disappeared.
Zase and Dekor, Gloucester Road, Bristol, August 2015
Detail, Zase and Dekor, Gloucester Road, Bristol, August 2015
My wife told me yesterday about this very recent stencil work on the wall of the Highbury Vaults pub in Cotham. It is in good company, being just a few yards away from ‘Vandalism’ by Nick Walker (will post this soon).
Unify, High Kingsdown, Bristol, June 2016
The bubblegum boy is by Unify, an artist who appears to work in London mostly, but has done works around the world. I’ve not seen any others in Bristol, but that doesn’t mean they are not there.
Unify, High Kingsdown, Bristol, June 2016
It is difficult to find out much about Unify, although there is a website.
Unify, High Kingsdown, Bristol, June 2016
UPDATE – Somehow I lost all the original pictures of this piece, but have since photographed it again, and it is still in pristine condition. The original post was written in August 2015 and the photographs taken in June 2016.
Nestled on the intersection between Stokes Croft and Jamaica Street there is a small green space called Turbo Island. Anyone who has lived in Bristol a while will know it as a place where alcoholics and drug addicts used to congregate.
Sepr, Stokes Croft, Bristol, August 2015
However, things are changing and the ‘People’s Republic of Stokes Croft’ are trying to persuade Bristol City Council to return the space back to the community. One of the aims is to remove the advertising hoarding (not shown – to the left of this picture). It is certainly a better space than it was a few years ago.
During the Stokes Croft Festival of arts 2014, Sepr painted this ‘scarecrow and crows sitting down together’. A great sentiment. The mural is dedicated to Bob, but I don’t know the backstory.
The artist of ‘Girl with the Pierced Eardrum’ needs no introduction from me. Banksy’s beautiful work appeared last year. I went to see it two days after it was completed, and already it had been spoiled by someone who had sprayed paint over the bottom left side of the work.
Banksy, Honover Place, Bristol, August 2015
It appears that some restoration has happened since then, but the work was ‘clean’ for such a short while, which is a pity. Some would say it is all vandalism…you live by the sword, you die by the sword. I’m not sure I subscribe to that.
Banksy, Honover Place, Bristol, August 2015
It was great to see it again today, it is beautiful.
Sepr is considered to be one of a number of ‘third generation’ street artists hailing from Bristol.
He has a really distinctive style that has similarities to 1950s design and I sense some cubist influences. His last couple of works appear to incorporate a lot of grey and use of shadows, as well as featuring musicians.
Sepr, Dighton Street, Bristol August 2015
This pair of works are very new (August 2015) and I think, post-date his mural on North Street from this year’s Upfest.
A fabulous walk into work today through the People’s Republic of Stokes Croft took me past one of the most eye-catching murals in Bristol.
This artwork is actually a combination of several artists overwriting each other’s work.
The original bare wall on the side of the house was painted in 2008 by Phlegm, an artist from Sheffield, renowned for his works all over the world. There was also a panda under the street name.
Panda, Hillgrove Street
This first work was painted over by the MM13 crew who created the magnificent wave. They spared the panda.
Phlegm returned in June 2009 to add the characteristic figures on the left.
Phlegm, Hillgrove Street
The whole thing is stunning; one of the best walls in Bristol.
Natural adventures 