Artist Pete the Street Unveils Vibrant Book of Bristol Cityscapes

Peter Brown, known as Pete the Street, is an artist who has spent over three decades painting city scenes and landscapes in places like Bath, London, and New York. Recently, he released a book called Bristol Paintings, which showcases his artwork from around Bristol. Peter hopes that his book will help people discover new areas of the city and see familiar places in a new way. He said, 'I just hope that I've captured some sort of feeling of what it's actually like to live or be in Bristol. '

Peter only started exploring Bristol in depth during the Covid pandemic. He believes that drawing and painting help him really look at and understand the places he visits. He enjoys when locals tell him that his paintings truly capture the spirit of their city. Peter began painting when he was about 15 years old, but he stopped for a while after studying art in school and college. It was only when he moved to Bath for a foundation course in 1993 that he started drawing again, inspired by the city’s beauty. He began selling his work on the streets and has since painted scenes at Glastonbury Festival, outside Buckingham Palace, and even the public’s reaction to a famous mural on a house in Kent.

Peter admits it took him a long time to bring his painting kit to Bristol, and he isn’t sure why. When he finally did, he felt like a kid in a sweet shop, excited by all the new sights. He found Bristol to be very different from Bath. While Bath is known for its leisure and beauty, Bristol is an industrial city with a diverse population and a unique landscape. Peter enjoys painting everything from busy traffic scenes to quiet residential streets. He says he has only scratched the surface and is still discovering new parts of Bristol. His book features paintings of places like the Clifton Suspension Bridge, Avon Gorge, and local businesses, showing the city’s vibrant life and character.