Paintings of Bristol by Jenny Urquhart

My love affair with Bristol began about 25 years ago when I spent a weekend here visiting my older sister at Uni.. think it was the combination of exciting urban jungle with masses of green spaces, and amazing eclectic buildings….and the bridge!

Oh my goodness the bridge! When you drive around the fly-over and catch an eye of the gorge with the bridge!? Eye-watering.

I first picked up a paintbrush about 10 years ago, with no real clue what I was doing…and I still admit to learning something new every day. It probably explains why my styles can be so different (I experiment all the time and get bored easily) … but Bristol is such a visual feast, that just walking around with a camera is enough to spark inspiration.

When I start a painting, I often don’t really know exactly what its going to look like, but the aim of each painting is always the same – to create an uplifting image that might take the viewer momentarily to a different place ( maybe remind them of a glorious summers day, a quiet walk through a forest or holiday on the coast? )

For me, art doesn’t always have to have deep hidden meaning or make a big statement … it can quite simply just cheer people up when they look at it? .. and we all need a bit of that right now!

Here are some of my completely different styled paintings of Bristol… plus my current random lockdown painting of fish.

1. True hope is swift and flies with swallows wings

This view probably doesn’t actually exist in real life, but I painted this on a dark, wet winter day to cheer myself up… just imagine there’s a warm breeze, birds are singing and flowers are swaying.. aaand relaax.

2. Flags a flyin’

I did this whilst in a cuttin’ n’stickin’ mood. It’s almost entirely made out of bits of old magazine and gel pen… its a very therapeutic process

3. Leigh Woods

I am a country girl at heart and do miss it, but often take myself off to Leigh Woods and walk around the beautiful National Trust woodlands. This painting was done from a memory of walking through some of the deeper parts and largely involved splatting paint… it got a bit messy!

4. Bristol Belle

A few years ago I took part in a project where 5 artists were taken on a balloon ride, and then did a piece of art in response to the journey. Bristol Belle is inspired by Don Cameron’s first modern hot air balloon, and his amazing contribution to aeronautics…. the collage comes archived hot air balloon news stories.

5. A walk home in the snow

There is a lot of artistic licence in this painting, but I get very over-excited when it snows… and I do love foxes? Its that simple

6. Sunshine on the Promenade

There is a brief few weeks of the year when the leaves are turning, and the Promenade in Clifton looks this colourful.. its my favourite avenue in Bristol.

7. Ahead of the storm

Technically you wouldn’t probably risk ballooning if the sky looked like this, but I wanted to create a bit of drama using one of my favourite views of the bridge from Leigh Woods. The balloon pilot would be terrified if this was real!

8. Bristol Moon

I painted this to celebrate 50 years since the moon landings last year… I was trying to portray a completely still night, when the stars are out and there isn’t a breath of wind.

9. This is our Bristol

A city is its people, not just buildings and land marks.. I once asked Bristolians to send me pictures of themselves, their pets, their houses etc….and I made a picture of Bristol using their photos as collage. The original was raffled to raise money for a fantastic charity called CCS Adoption – they find forever homes for many children in need in the Bristol area. James May specified he wanted to be small and on the left ..can you spot him?

10. Feeding time

Ok this isn’t actually Bristol, but since being in lockdown I have been trying different subject matter whilst self isolating… I’m currently painting little mini ponds… just coz I felt like it? 

Jenny is currently running a painting competition for children aged 8 to 16, where two winners get a hot air balloon ride and a painting session with Jenny in her studio. Follow her Youtube guide and send her a photo.. deadline is end of school lockdown! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9icsvZTM-0

Jenny sells her work in galleries all over the southwest. For her latest originals, prints and gifts please visit her website, Facebook or Instagram.

She currently have a lockdown sale on all her prints. Use code LOCKDOWN30 to get 30% off.