Bristol street art celebrates the great outdoors

Dave Bain and David J McMillan are both full-time illustrators and consulted widely in the community before the mural was created

A giant mural celebrating the joys of getting outside into the great outdoors has been hand-painted onto the side of a house in Bristol.

It took Dave Bain and David J McMillan five days to create the 30ft (9.1m) public artwork in Church Road.

Nature is at the heart of the design and the duo took inspiration from the daily life of nearby St George Park.

"Lots of people have been stopping to say what a transformation it has made to the area," said Mr Bain.

The mural in Church Road is inspired by nature and depicts everyday life in nearby St George Park

The mural was commissioned by the owners of the house and depicts dog walking, skateboarding and even the park's much-loved ducks.

"The homeowners are old friends of ours and we've had conversations about something like this with them for many years - ever since they bought the house really.

"They were very keen to have something on the outside of the house from us.

"One of the joys brought to our lives during lockdown was a group of ducklings that appeared in the park, so we wanted to include them as well," said Mr Bain.

The colourful design covers the entire side of the house and 11 litres of paint were used to complete it.

Mr Bain working on the mural which took five days to complete

The artists were supported by a bursary from a-n: The Artists Information Company and Arts Council England, and consulted community groups connected to the park before beginning the project.

"We were keen to make sure we involved the local community as it's such a prominent wall on one of the main roads into Bristol," said Mr Bain.

"Enriching an area and community is always at the heart of a large-scale project like this.

"There was about two to three months worth of planning and it's had a tremendously positive reaction."

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