I have mentioned a couple of times in posts recently that Minto has been pretty busy lately, and this is another in a string of graffiti writing pieces. The writing and overall piece is a little more coherent than some of the ‘deconstructed’ pieces of late.
Minto, Greenbank, Bristol, July 2024
There is lots of colour and movement in this piece, in which the letters MINTO are picked out in pinks and oranges. The piece is a good one for a nice sunny day, for sure. I particularly like the two traces of stars on the sides of the letter ‘M’. good stuff from Minto.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, July 2024
Andrew Burns Colwill is one of Bristol’s finest artists, whether painting on canvass or enormous walls like this one in Cheltenham Road. A man so full of character, who has lived life to the full, is kind and thoughtful, and in the limited opportunities I have had with him, is great company. His talent is immediately obvious, and he tops my list of artists in Bristol.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, July 2024
Andrew Burns Colwill paints quite a lot of commissions like this one, but because they aren’t in the usual graffiti/street art spots, they can often go unnoticed and without fanfare. This piece is very much themed around Bristol and Isambard Kingdom Brunel in particular, with a portrait of the great engineer himself, the SS Great Britain, the Clifton suspension bridge and The Great Western Railway. The piece is called ‘The pen is mightier than the sword’ and in the current context of rioting around the country, how resonant these words would seem to be.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, July 2024
The full piece is difficult to photograph, because it is painted on two sides of the building, and it is four stories high. ABC uses a clever device at the ground-floor level with the draughtsman’s hands included as part of the artwork, painting the archways, as if it were a work in progress.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, July 2024
Above that are scenes of the 19th century docks and railway. The top two floors are more contemporary in style and speak of the present day.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, July 2024
There is quite a lot of trompe l’oeil work on the upper levels, with four extra windows painted alongside the existing real ones. The arts are heavily represented with pens, brushes, pencils and written music adorning the walls. Two young people complete the scene alongside a dove of peace. This is a truly magnificent mural painted in Andrew Burns Colwill’s understated wash style. Awesome. Bravo!
This piece, by visiting artist Awor1, was one of at least three painted in Bristol, but is the only one I managed to photograph in time. The graffiti writing was painted during a small paint jam on the long wall of Cumberland Basin.
Awor1, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2024
I don’t know where Awor1 hails from, and I am not familiar with any previous work by the artist, so don’t have any benchmark to compare this piece with. Certainly, Awor1 is an accomplished writer, and the clever use of brown shades (not my favourite colours) running through the letters combined with fine white highlights creates an almost metallic feel to the fills. The whole thing is set on a black background and decorated with green plasma and purple spheres. Nice work from Awor1.
One of the great pleasures of my trip to Cheltenham two weekends ago for the Cheltenham Paint Festival was catching up with Conrico while he was painting a wide piece spanning a bridge. We chatted for quite a while, and I came away with the impression of a really decent man who so utterly enjoys his craft. We talked about all sorts of things like where his name comes from and what his connection with Japan is and so on. Fascinating stuff.
Conrico, Purdown, Bristol, July 2024
This is a gorgeous Japanese scene with a pathway leading up to a small building and a lantern lighting the way. There are ghostly figures sitting on the roof of the structure and nearby, giving the whole thing quite a spiritual feel. Maybe the figures are ancestors. As with much of his work, Conrico has constructed a story and illustrated it beautiful, bringing a tiny little bit of Japan to Bristol.
The world is under threat from so many different pressures, most of them man-made. Much of 3Dom’s work is dedicated to illustrating our fragile earth with a blend of catastrophe and hope, outlining the problem through the subject of his work and then painting something beautiful and inspirational. Clever stuff.
3Dom, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2024
3Dom has painted this wall numerous time, but not for a very long while. Indeed, I think that my very first introduction to the genius of 3Dom was a piece in this spot. I’ll have a little rummage and see if I can find some of his earlier pieces here. Hold on a mo… yes, here they are. Brilliant stuff. Interesting to see how the bin has disappeared and then returned, and a street sign introduced… the changing face of a single wall.
Trafficity is an artist who paints just often enough to keep him in mind. His winning formula of letters with variations in horizontal colour bands is consistent and unwavering. I wonder if he could produce a chrome version of his writing, and if so, would it work?
Trafficity, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2024
The colours selected for this one on the roundabout, are broadly speaking his favoured colours, he likes greens purples and light blues, only occasionally turning to the ‘warmer’ colours of the spectrum. The letters spell ZIOM, and I can still see the word MUMM in the top lime green section. Tick tock.
I took a slightly longer walk away from Brunel Way a few weeks back on a very warm summer’s afternoon. Ashton Avenue (I think that is what it is called) is part of the Metrobus route that joins north and south Bristol without getting clogged up on the main thoroughfares, and is a sleepy track, except for the occasional bus trundling past. The route is peppered with utility boxes, some of which have been decorated by the unstoppable duo, Mote and Mr Crawls. Here are some of them.
Mote, Ashton Avenue, Bristol, July 2024
I really need to update Mote’s gallery, and I still haven’t actually created one for Mr Crawls yet, which would seem to be something of an oversight. (Note to self – post a Mr Crawls gallery soon). Both artists have been using chrome backgrounds, which I think is a really effective way of framing their character pieces.
Mr Crawls, Ashton Avenue, Bristol, July 2024
These examples really highlight the differences between the artists’ styles, but also the similarities, where a certain amount of cross-influencing has been at work. Mr Crawls has produced several versions of this character wearing some kind of hat, and indeed, hats seem to be quite an important feature in his work.
Mr Crawls, Ashton Avenue, Bristol, July 2024
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get to a couple of these pieces before the taggers got to them, but the other two are nice and clean. Here again, Mr Crawls’ character is wearing a hat. His work, in particular, has transitioned quite a lot from when he broke onto the Bristol scene with his gulls, parrots and other birds.
Unknown artist, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2024
It is rare for me to post pieces by unknown artists, although it is something I should do more often, because there are many unattributed beauties in my archives that are waiting to be shared. I guess that sometimes artists are experimenting with painting walls and perhaps a little wary or lacking in confidence to leave a signature behind.
Unknown artist, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2024
I love this portrait piece and have felt compelled to post it. All the elements are there and the proportions pretty good. The lines for the neck and collar bones, look very studied to me and I would guess that the artist is probably studying or has studied art. The hair curl is reminiscent of Inkie’s work, which is a compliment of high order. I would love to see more from this anonymous artist and will be keeping an eye out.
Natural adventures 