People / My Bristol Favourites
My Bristol favourites: Jenny Urquhart
Bristol artist Jenny Urquhart has just self-published her first colouring book, the aptly named Jenny Urquhart’s Bristol Colouring Book, featuring 23 of her most popular full colour pictures with blank templates to colour. Jenny started painting in 2010 after a 10-year career teaching science. On World Book Day on Thursday, March 3, she will be signing copies of her book at Room 212 on Gloucester Road.
Here are Jenny’s top-five Bristol favourites:
The Avon Gorge Hotel beer garden
“The view of the bridge is stunning, and on a summer’s evening you can’t beat sitting near the wall and looking down to the river in the sunshine. The only downside is the wasps if you are eating ice creams.”
The room of stuffed animals in Bristol Museum
“I’m a bit of a natural history geek and spent a lot of time as a student studying stuffed animals and drawers of insects – I even have a few at home that I use as models for paintings. I recently met a taxidermist in the middle of deepest, darkest Devon who had stuffed a lot of Bristol Museum animals, including one of my favourites- the hedgehog!”
Bristol’s free public art events
“I just love the way Bristolians embrace and support free public art events, And there have been some absolute corkers! I was lucky enough to be involved in the Shaun in The City arts trail last year (Jenny’s sculpture, above, was in Clifton Village), but I totally loved Banksy versus Bristol Museum – it made me belly-laugh! I also loved the Park Street water slide by artist Luke Jerram, and was gutted not to get a go in the lottery! Another fave was the Bristol Whales in Millennium Square. That was awesome.”
Bristol’s hot-air balloons
“I am now slightly obsessed after being lucky enough to take part in an art project called Fiesta Fringe a couple of years ago, where five artists were picked to go on a balloon ride over the city and then produce a piece of art in response to the journey. I’ve since been on a few more rides, but you also can’t beat suddenly spotting them, silently floating over your head in the Bristol sky – epic!”
The Downs
“I spend hours every week standing on the Downs watching my kids play football. But I just love the open space, and the way people make use of it throughout the year: joggers, walkers, footballers, picnickers, the circus, charity runs, even ultimate Frisbee. We have a tiny garden behind our house and I find I constantly crave outdoor space. The Downs nearby makes it totally bearable, especially when you reach the Sea Walls and see the view of the Suspension Bridge. It always makes me so proud to be living in Bristol.”