6789. Dean Lane skate park (811)

Bean, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2025
Bean, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2025

If, like me, you are interested in numbers, today’s post contains a rising sequence of numbers – 6789. In our base ten counting system, this is the last time this true sequence will be possible, because 78910 doesn’t work, and also even if it did I’d have to be writing posts for the next 100 years or more. Actually, I am wrong, so ignore that. The next number that will work is 12345, which I might reach if I carry on for 10 more years. Enough with the numbers already.

I am always delighted when Bean returns to Bristol and lets us know that he is alive and well. I hope that when he is finished for the summer with his studies, he will get busy on our streets.

Bean, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2025
Bean, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2025

I believe Bean to be one of the great talents emerging from the Bristol scene. His character pieces are growing in sophistication and here he has combined a joyful youth with the letters BEAN, which are reversed out on his T-shirt. There is a message ‘positivity and all that jazz’ which is either speaking to the viewer or to himself or, perhaps, both. I take energy and hope from this piece.

6569. Wine Street

Silent Hobo and Logoe, Wine Street, Bristol, May 2024
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
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
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.

6390. Little Bishop Street

 

Silent Hobo, Little Bishop Street, Bristol, July 2024
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
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
Silent Hobo, Little Bishop Street, Bristol, November 2015

 

 

4129. St Werburghs tunnel (269)

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
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.

3178. Temple Way (2)

There are few places further removed from the relaxing evening beach scene in this Silent Hobo piece than Temple Way – a busy dual carriageway running through the centre of Bristol. It is this juxtaposition that adds to the overall brilliance of this piece.

Silent Hobo, Temple Way, Bristol, September 2020
Silent Hobo, Temple Way, Bristol, September 2020

Silent Hobo has been unstoppable this year, and on top of that, I seem to be finding loads of his older pieces too, which means he is featuring a lot on Natural Adventures at the moment.

Silent Hobo, Temple Way, Bristol, September 2020
Silent Hobo, Temple Way, Bristol, September 2020

Four youths are getting away from it all chilling on a beach in the sunset, soaking in that connection with nature and our beautiful planet Earth. The piece captures a mood so perfectly and I can imagine myself as one of those youths (I have to think back a long way mind). I find the story in this work a bit depressing because I can’t help feeling that our planet and the ecosystem services it provides are being choked to death by negligent governments and societies worldwide. And on that happy note…

2235. M32 Spot (41)

Silent Hobo manages consistently to paint these amazing character pieces on the tall thin upright concrete pillars under the M32 motorway. This latest arrival of a Bristol youth gathering is wearing a yellow t-shirt overa shirt with collar (is that a thing?). Best of all is his fetching Jacques Cousteau red woolly hat – I want one of those… really.

Silent Hobo, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2019
Silent Hobo, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2019

You can just about make out another Silent Hobo character on the adjacent side of this pillar that I posted a little while back. I know I’ve said it pretty much every time I write about Silent Hobo, but he is brilliant at capturing a youth mood, without glamourising it. These are not ‘snowflakes’ but ordinary urban people caring about ordinary urban things, like in this case music (base head) and probably drum and bass at that. Always great to see a New Silent Hobo piece. I believe he has done some cricket world cup pieces in milennium square… I’ll have to take a look.

2197. North Street

This is one of a few new pieces organised by Upfest who are curating some hoardings around a tower block on North Street. It is of course by the magnificent Silent Hobo who expertly, through his observations, chronicles contemporary youth culture in Bristol.

Silent Hobo, North Street, Bristol, May 2019
Silent Hobo, North Street, Bristol, May 2019

Silent Hobo has created an urban scene that looks a lot like the DIY skate park under the M32, although it is fairly generic and could portray any urban flyover. He has captured mood and movement in this piece and is beating the drum for this great city. It was a difficult piece to photograph because it is behind a fence, and I was on my toes, arms at full extension, which would explain why the edges are a little cut-off. Such a fine piece.

Activist

 

Worth skipping school for

my daughter joins climate march

‘that’s my girl’ I say.

 

by Scooj

1893. M32 Spot (35)

Back home to Bristol and yet another rather charming column piece by Silent Hobo at the M32 Spot. As I have said before, Silent Hobo has a knack for capturing the mood of youth culture, and gives his characters a soulful poise.

Silent Hobo, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2018
Silent Hobo, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2018

The girl with the microphone and ‘BOOM’ written on her bottom is wonderfully crafted by one of Bristol’s most established character artists. It is always a pleasure to see his work.

You might also have noticed a rather nice Deamze piece lurking in the background.

1865. M32 Spot (33)

Silent Hobo has absolutely mastered these columns under the M32. His characters lend themselves really well to the tall thin format of the concrete pillars and there is now rather a gathering of these gentle giants seeking refuge from the roaring motorway above.

Silent Hobo, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2018
Silent Hobo, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2018

I have said before that Silent Hobo portrays these youths with such empathy, really getting under the skin of what it is like to be a young person in a modern world. I feel at times that his characters come across as rather sombre or sad, and I think that has something to do with the closed eyes. There is a kind of visual tautology going on here of a piece of street art portraying a street/graff artist. A common and enjoyable theme.