Bristol is a great place in the UK to enjoy many different types of art. From street art – graffiti, jewellery and craft, art galleries home to 200 street and graffiti artists – the most internationally famous street artist who is from Bristol who has decked his home city with his art is Banksy,
Born in Bristol in 1974, Banksy was involved in the wave of street art that took Bristol by storm in the 1980s. Throughout the following decades, his work has cropped up in London, LA and New York, and of course, in his hometown of Bristol.
There is The Royal Academy of Art in Clifton – so Bristol is a great place to come: live and study if being an artist is your thing.
Banksy’s famous art in Bristol are:
The Well-Hung Lover, on Frogmore Street
The Police Sniper, on Park Row, towards the Bristol Royal Infirmary
The Girl with the Pierced Eardrum, on Albion Dockyard, Hanover Place
The Grim Reaper, at the M Shed
The Mild Mild West, in Stokes Croft next to Hamilton House
The Masked Gorilla, and the Cat and Dog, in Easton
Valentines Day Mural, on Marsh Lane, Barton Hill
Paint-Pot Angel, in the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery
Take the Money and run, in the car park of Montpelier Health Centre
For artists work, you will find places and a good event at and in: Nelson Street, Stokes croft, Easton, Upfest festival.
I could go on and on about the places where you can experience the joy of art in Bristol, but I won’t because there are so many, we’re surrounded by it by living in Bristol – I recommend living here if you love to discover art in most parts of the city that is your home (this makes me sound like I work for Bristol council tourism team, but I promise you I don’t, it just takes my breath away how the city has art most places you turn to and fall upon. For great details about where to visit if you want to discover art in the city as part of your life’s journey, go to www.tootbus.com this site even gives you transport options to get to most of them.
Bristol continues to burst with creativity, since it started in the 1980s with a wave of street art, it really is the city that is the place to visit or live in, if you want to be inspired enough to make art your thing.
While I’ve been on my art journey in Bristol, I’ve discovered a wonderful artist who I’ve met - her personality and the fact that she has lived in Bristol for most of her life gives it away that she is an up and coming artist to keep your eye on. If you want paintings that have fun, uplifting vibes about them, Kate Elkington’s art is the way to go. She has been selected to paint a unicorn at next year’s Unicornfest! Her instagram is: @kateelkington_art where you check out her art and possibly buy her not unaffordable art for yourself or a friend for Christmas. If you want something with an uplifting multi colourful feel with fun young vibes to it, check Kate’s instagram page out at: @kateelkington_art.
If you go for some of her art you’ll be getting a piece of Bristol’s young funky vibes scene artist’s creations - she is fast becoming famous, so you could buy some of her art and it should make yours or someone you buy it for as a Christmas present have happy vibes, then as she becomes famous for her art and being an important part of Bristol’s ever growing art scene journey. You’ve got an important piece of Bristol’s art history that will probably be worth a few quid with her upcoming fame a showing.