The Mild Mild West is, of course, the Banksy on the side wall of the Canteen. Walk along the road from the city and it's easy to miss. Walk towards the city and it's impossible to miss! So what did I do? Yup, you guessed it! First I got distracted by the collection of bicycles under a tree at Turbo Island and then by a big stylised 'Forever' painted on the Peoples Republic of Stokes Croft (PRSC) Outdoor Gallery wall. The paintings on this wall change frequently so its always worth a look when passing. The artwork is always of a very high standard.

But above and to the left of the wall are my personal mural favorites. They are much smaller than others but very, very good. Click on the image to the left for a larger version were they are easier to see. Approximately fourteen small paintings, all designed to look like vintage 20th Century posters, decorate the outer wall of a building. My particular favourites are the Stamp, Abduls soup - a play on Campbells soup, Crofts - a play on Crufts, the Invisible Circus and the Bristol bike Project. It's such a shame that one day we will loose these; photography will record them but photography won't capture the emotional reaction to seeing them in-place and where they belong. The PRSC, an organisation that promotes street art in Bristol is located here and I urge readers to take a look at their website.

Just opposite the PRSC wall is another great mural, the Tsunami of Roses. Now, to be honest, I'm not sure what this is about! Yes, there is a large red and white wave but why the stilts and men with a telescope? What am I missing here?

Paintings are tucked away throughout Bristol not just in Stokes Croft, but at this point in the afternoon I wanted to get off the beaten track and explore some of the back-streets in Stokes Croft, places I hadn't ventured before and to hopefully find something new. I can't remember now where I went; I just meandered the streets knowing that sooner or later I'd find something I recognised and thus a way back. All this was during the light of day, had it been dark I would not have been so keen. It would most probably have been just fine, but safety first…

Just off one of the streets, in what was probably the grounds of a building long since demolished and behind a chain to stop vehicles using it as a parking area was a lovely painting of a girl (See the first image in Part 1 of this series). Now, I'm not sure if it was just coincidence or perhaps the artists intention, but just in front of her was a 45 Gallon oil drum painted with big eyes looking back at the girl. Clever as it added a 3rd dimension to the painting extending it out of the wall.

Exploring further I ventured down a small, run-down, road and was rewarded to find the painting of a lovely bird perched on a branch. I don't know my birds but it doesn't look native to the UK, perhaps from someplace a lot warmer and somewhere exotic. What do readers think? It was also nice to see that although the painting had some graffiti, the graffiti had mostly avoided the bird.

A little further along was a run-down garage whose side wall was covered in brightly coloured graffiti. It looked abandoned and I cannot imagine anyone using it to shelter a car. Leaning against the garage door was a piece of steel that looked like it was once a gate or grill. What made me smile was that someone had painted a smiley on a square and attached it to the steel. It seemed so incongruous. A happy, smiley face attached to old steelwork leaning against a decaying garage covered in graffiti. :-)

Yet further along the road were some very rundown, but sound looking buildings whose ground floor was covered in graffiti. But on the end-wall was a painted face wearing a green peak cap with a single star. I'm not sure of the symbolism and thus meaning but the design of the hat reminded me of the sort commonly worn by Fidel Castro so I wonder if the painting is a political statement about the suppression of the workers and fighting for freedoms.

This little street was proving to be quite a gem as just around the next corner were a couple more paintings again adorning the side of garage walls. One of these - to the right - is in colour as the character painted didn't render well in black and white. Like other paintings, the symbolism and message of this one is lost to me but, for that, I like it non the less. In fact, shortly after taking the photograph a car arrived and parked in the garage. The driver didn't look like the sort of person who would have created the painting tho.

Just next door was something I found easier to understand. The image of a guillotine with the blade being a Bank of England Visa card plus the message 'Meanwhile on debt row…' makes for a very striking message. It is a shame that some large graffiti has been placed over who/whatever was in the guillotine and who was holding its rope so some of its message is now lost. Higher on the wall a large bird with a similar beak and eye to that in the colour photograph is perched atop an alarm.

It would be interesting to better understand a lot of these paintings so their full meaning could be appreciated. Perhaps that hidden meaning is important tho - the message is only decernable to those with the knowledge…

What I've presented in this series is just a tiny, tiny fraction of the painting and graffiti in Bristol. The photographs are the result of an afternoon walk around some streets in Stokes Croft. There is so much more to explore and as paintings change often there is always something new too see. I fully expect to spend some more time in the city soon.

In Bristol, graffiti can be found in many places, the murals/paintings are less common and, in my simple uneducated opinion, of a high quality. Is Bristol different from any other city? I don't know. But what I do know is it's a great city, that Stokes Croft is an artistic area with independent, free thinking people who are making Bristol a colourful and better place.

Andy

Bristol - Home of Artists. Part 3

The Prince of Wales Bridge

Bristol - Home of Artists. Part 2