I would walk 4.6 miles!

Just taking a break from Gromit posting - but on my Gromit hunt on Wednesday, I walked 4.6 miles! 

No wonder I feel like my ankle is broken - not a good idea to do this in flip flops! At least the weather stayed good though! 

More Gromits coming soon! 

I smell something fishy!

A short walk across the bridge to the other side of the harbour took me to my next Gromit - and this one was situated inside Bristol Aquarium - which is definitely somewhere I now want to go!

This is Fish Tales - Gromit Number 12 and is also sponsored by the place where it sits - Bristol Aquarium. It was designed by Jeremy Wade - a writer and TV presenter who specialises in rivers and fresh water fish. He is more recently famous for presenting River Monsters on the BBC and he wanted to metamorphosize Gromit into an underwater fish, but instead went for a special wet suit designed to blend in with the underwater world! 

Gromit Number:          12

Gromit Artist:              Jeremy Wade

Gromit Sponsor:         Bristol Aquarium

Gromit Location:         Bristol Aquarium

You ain't nothing but a Hound Dog!

I wondered about aimlessly a little for this one. When all I really needed to do was look at a sign and realise that this Gromit was hiding away in the Arnolfini too!

So this is Hound Dog - Gromit Number 66 and designed by Sir Peter Blake. Peter is an icon of British pop art who was knighted in 2002 after, among many career highs, designing album covers for bands like The Beatles, The Who and Oasis. This song gives me ear worm - it makes me sing the "You ain't nothing but a Hound Dog" song, over and over again! 

Gromit number:            66
Gromit Artist:               Sir Peter Blake
Gromit Sponsor:           O2 Academy, Bristol
Gromit Location:          Arnolfini

What's your star sign?

So after a sharp change of direction and a stop for an ice cream (Gromit Hunting requires sustenance!), I headed towards the harbourside and to the Arnolfini. Again, this was a location of a Gorilla in 2011, and it was fairly easy to find. 

So this is Zodiac - a purple and pink themed Gromit that sits on the harbourside and is Gromit Number 65. He is designed by Inkie - a London based painter and street artist who is likened to Banksy - Bristol's other famous graffiti artist! His inspiration behind this Gromit was his daughter - who was born deaf. He felt compelled to help raise money by designing this Gromit, to help other children like his daughter. 

Gromit Number:          65

Gromit Artist:              Inkie

Gromit Sponsor:         At-Bristol

Gromit Location:         Arnolfini

Woof Woof!

Further along thunderbolt square and into Queen Square sat the next Gromit - Bark at Ee. Now I didn't have a clue what this meant until Michael told me that a well known Bristolian expression is 'Ark at eee', so now it makes sense! He's been down here too long!

The designer, Leigh Flurry, a Bristolian himself, wanted to create Bristol's icons through his designs. This is Bark at Ee, Gromit Number 16. Leigh is an illustrator and designer who specialises in repeat pattern and vector design.

I quite like this Gromit - very bold pattern but he stands out in the crowd!

Gromit Number:        16
Gromit Artist:             Leigh Flurry
Gromit Sponsor:        Santander
Gromit Location:       Queen Sqaure

And the Winner is....

This has got to be my favourite Gromit, because the name reminds me of my favourite Ridgeback Oscar (and he looks a bit like him too!) This Gromit is towards the entrance to Queen Square.

I love his cute little tux and collar and his cheeky little look! This is Groscar and he is Gromit Number 17. He was designed by Chris Taylor who decided to create this Gromit as a homage to the awards that Aardman Animations have received. Looks like Gromit is going to the Oscars! Chris Taylor is an illustrator and graphic designee from Bristol who also was behind Blackbeardorilla - the Gorilla dressed like a pirate in 2011. 

Gromit Number:         17

Gromit Artist:              Chris Taylor

Gromit Sponsor:         Business West

Gromit Location:         Thunderbolt Square 

Is it a bird, is it a plane....

Across the road from the Cascade Steps and sitting in front of the Subway shop, sits the next Gromit. This one was drawing a lot of attention, especially from a group of about eight nursery children out on a Gromit finding walk. Their cries of Superman Gromit constantly were enough to make anyone smile!

This Gromit is called Hero and is number 15 on the trail. With the current Superman film showing in the cinema just now, this Gromit seems very current! He was designed by Tom Deams and is sponsored by Subway. Tom is a UK based Graffiti artist who also painted a Gorilla (Gertrude) in 2011. I find it strange that a Graffiti artist painted such a simple and colourful Gromit instead of Graffitti-ing it... Tom says that he was inspired by all super heroes but that Gromit is better than all of them and has the haircut to prove it! 

Gromit Number:       15

Gromit Artist:            Tom Deams

Gromit Sponsor:       Subway Bristol and West

Gromit Location:       Subway Harbourside

City Centre finds

So onto the city centre now and I decided to let the Gromit Unleashed app guide me to the Gromits. I knew I wouldn't be able to do them all in the one go, so I decided to let technology lead me! So the first Gromit I found was right at the top of the harbour, where the fountains are and again, where two years ago a Gorilla stood!

 This is Salty Sea Dog - Gromit Number 14, ready for a life on the ocean waves. With his eye patch, sword and skip cap he looks like he could be sailing on the Jolly Roger out into the Caribbean! This Gromit was designed by Peter Lord CBE - who is co-founder of Aardmaan Animations. He is a British film producer famous for The Pirates! In an Adventure with scientists! He was given the Freedom of Bristol in 2006. He thought creating a Pirate Gromit was too irresistible an idea!

Gromit Number:       14
Gromit Artist:           Peter Lord CBE
Gromit Sponsor:      Veale Wasbrough Vizards
Gromit Location:      Cascade Steps

Where's Wallace?

Sometimes, where the Gromit's are situated is quite intimidating going in to. This one, was also the place of a Gorilla two years ago, and even then I hated walking in to this hotel wearing my flip flops and casual clothes!

This one is a cutie though! This is Where's Wallace? and he is situated in the Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel - in the lobby area. He is designed by Martin Handford, the illustrator and author who created the famous Wheres Wally? series of books. I guess he wanted Gromit to look like his famous Wally character and with his red striped top, beanie hat and specs, he is a very good resemblance. I like him!

Gromit Number:        8
Gromit Artist:            Martin Handford
Gromit Sponsor:       Bristol Royal Marriott Hotel
Gromit Location:       Bristol Royal Marriott Hotel

That's SIR Gromit to you...

Further down the road now and to St George's Bristol, close to the Cabot Tower. This Gromit was hidden away down a side street, somewhere I hadn't been before, but in a pretty little spot next to a small park.

This is Sir Gromit of Bristol - Number 6 on the trail. He is dressed in his armour, ready to proudly defend his castle! He is designed by Ian Marlow - a professional sculptor based in Somerset who also has a flair for writing children's short stories - one such about Gromit as  Knight who saves Queen Guinivere from an evil tyrant!

Brave Gromit! All hail thee!

Gromit Number:           6

Gromit Artist:               Ian Marlow

Gromit Sponsor;          CAMB Machine Knives International

Gromit Location:          St George's Bristol

The Original Gromit!

Inside the Bristol City Museum sits the very first Gromit - Gromit Number 1 on the trail, and he is called Newshound.

He sits in the entrance way to the museum and is designed by Wallace and Gromit creator Nick Park CBE. Nick is the four times Oscar winning director of Aardman Animations - the main drivers behind this charity campaign of Gromits. He is also a Patron and Trustee of the charity at the centre of Gromit Unleashed - The Grand Appeal.

This Gromit (and Wallace) shows the classic Wallace and Gromit and Nick Park wanted to portray this in his statue. Gromit is covered in Newspaper headlines, all which show a clever pun to keep us smiling.

Gromit Number:         1
Gromit Artist:             Nick Park CBE
Gromit Sponsor:         LDC
Gromit Location:        Bristol City Museum

Two in one

Next a wee walk down the road to the Bristol City Museum where I was lucky to pick up two Gromits in one go!

This little beauty fits in with the Ancient Egyptian exhibition currently on at the Bristol City Museum. This is Tutan Gromit and he is Gromit Number 2 on the trail. He is designed by Dale Evans who is a Cardiff based artist. She was inspired by the Egyptian pieces in the museum and thought that had Gromit lived in Egypt 3000  years ago, he would have been a god!

Gromit Number:        2
Gromit Artist:            Dale Evans
Gromit Sponsor:       Brewin Dolphin
Gromit Location:       Bristol City Museum

Gromit Hunting Day...

Next on my hit list was Elton Road, just off the Clifton Triangle and up from Barclays bank. This one, although off the main drag, was framed in it's own little area and really stood out! I had to wait a while to actually take a photo of it because it was so popular! 

This is another of my favourite Gromits, mainly because he looks a little sad! But there is also a little bit of comedy about him. This is Vincent Van Gromit! He is number 4 on the trail and designed, once again by Laura Cramer (who also designed Five a Day Dog). He is designed with artist Vincent Van Gogh - hence the bandaged ear, but Laura painted this Gromit thinking about how Vincent Van Gogh would have painted Bristol. 

Gromit Number:         4

Gromit Artist:             Laura Cramer

Gromit Sponsor:        County Contracters

Gromit Location:        Elton Road 

Gromit Hunting Day...

Across the road from the Victoria Rooms and in the Royal West of England Academy, was my next Gromit. In my opinion, this Gromit wasn't in a particularly good location - squashed into the corner of the entrance way to the Academy. Not easy to see and not really in a prominent position for lots of people to be looking at. 

This is Bushed - Gromit Number 3 on the trail and, as I said previously, is situated in the Royal West of England Academy. This Gromit looks like he's been roaming in the bushes looking for Wallace as he is a little green! His creator David Inshaw, is an artist specialising in painting - he is most famous for painting The Badminton Game in 1973. He wanted to paint Gromit to look like a topiary bush - I think he achieved this! 

Gromit Number:       3

Gromit Artist:           David Inshaw

Gromit Sponsor:      Airbus

Gromit Location:      Royal West of England Academy

Gromit Hunting Day

So on Wednesday, I decided to put on some comfortable flip flops and start the trail of some of the city centre Gromits. It was a beautifully sunny day and there were a lot of Gromit hunters out there! I kept passing people either looking at the Trail Map or with their nose in their phone, looking at the app! 

So my first port of call was to get the Gromits that were close to Whiteladies Road and around the Clifton Triangle. So I began with a stroll down Pembroke Road, with the Victoria Rooms in my sight. 

I think this has got to be one of my favourite Gromits - probably because it is a bit bling! This is Golden Gromit, number 5 on the Gromit trail and he sits just in front of the fountain at the Victoria Rooms. His creator, Julie Vernon, used gold mosaic tiles to cover Gromit's body and he really sparkles. Julie is a mosaic artist based in Nottingham and her inspiration for this Gromit was golden Buddhas in Thailand. She said she was also inspired by the Olympic legacy and how gold medals created a sense of pride in Britain. 

Gromit Number:        5

Gromit Artist:            Julie Vernon

Gromit Sponsor:       Dancourt Group

Gromit Location:      Victoria Rooms

Sneaky Gromit

So Michael and I were going swimming on Tuesday but had to stop off at Aldi on the way for some dinner things. It just so happened that we traveled down North Street, because without planning we bumped into another Gromit!

This is Paisley and he is Gromit Number 57. He is situated on \north Street and is designed by Nia Samuel-Johnson. Nia is a student at the University of West of England where she studies fashion communication. She painted Priscilla the Gorilla in 2011 and similarly used bright bold colours.

I think this Gromit has a real 70's psychedelic look about him. I love the prints and pattern on his body and the bright turquoise colour used to make him stand out.

Gromit Number:     57
Gromit Artist:         Nia Samuel Johnson
Gromit Sponsor:    University of West of England
Gromit Location:    North Street

Gromit Gauge

So there is 80 Gromits and after one day of searching - I am on to 15! Woohoo!

Tomorrow i'll be doing one of the trails around the city. I don't want to do them all at once because I want to make it last. SO look out for more Gromits coming soon! 

J xx

Wrong Direction

The Gromit Unleashed App told us that this Gromit was on the railway line but we searched and couldn't find it. So we decided to drive along a little bit towards the Lawrence Hill roundabout - where we found it on the corner of a main road. This was the last one of the evening as it was starting to get dark and Michael and I were both getting hungry for some Paella!

This is Lodekka - Number 60 on the trail and she reminds me of a steam train - I'm not sure why, maybe it's her colours. She was designed by Ignition DG Limited - a design organisation based in Bristol and the USA. This design was inspired by the Lodekka Bus - a famous set of busses from 1940 - 1980 in Bristol. One can still be seen at the M-Shed. The buses were famous for their green and cream colours - hence the colours of this Gromit. So when I said she looked like a train, I obviously meant bus!!

Gromit Number:     60
Gromit Artist:         Ignition DG Limited
Gromit Sponsor:    First in West of England
Gromit Location:   Just off Lawrence Hill roundabout

Top to Bottom Rainbow

Another visit to a part of Bristol we have never been - Easton and we had to sit in the car and wait until this Gromit was clear of young boys who were sitting all over it. I had to explain to Michael that although the Gromit says Do Not Climb on it, teenagers are clearly not going to follow the instructions of a sign. being a teacher, I have to put up with teenagers not following instructions every day!

 

This is Roger (my favourite name of a Gromit!) and he is Number 69 along the trail. He is a colourful installation in a small shopping centre, off set from the main road. He is designed by Richard Williams - a Canadian-British animator most famous as an animation director on Who Framed Roger Rabbit (hence the name). He claims his design is inspired by the rainbow - all the colours appear on this Gromit. I like stripes, so this appeals to me! 

Gromit Number:      69

Gromit Artist:          Richard Williams

Gromit Sponsor:     Top to Bottom Furnishing Specialist

Gromit Location:     Top to Bottom Furnishing Specialist

That's Wallace's face!!

This little Gromit involved a drive out to a part of Bristol that we hadn't been to before - so it was a bit of an adventure! We found him on Woodlands Lane in Bradley Stoke - just past Filton.

He is a cute little puppy - coming in at Number 73 on the trail. His name is Two Eds are Better than One! He has a collar like a regular puppy but is covered in images of Wallace's head! I think he looks a little like a dalmation puppy ready to chase after you and slobber all over us!

This Gromit was designed by Peter Brookes - who is an award winning cartoonist. His design was painted by Vivi Cuevas who also designed a Gromit (A Mandrill's Best Friend - outside Bristol Zoo). There's no information about what inspired him to create this design, but I like it. Simple, but effective!

Gromit Number:    73
Gromit Artist:        Peter Brookes
Gromit Sponsor:    Dunkley's
Gromit Location:   Woodlands Lane, Bradley Stoke

Pooch-a-delic!

In 2011, the local football clubs - Bristol Rovers and Bristol City, sponsored Gorillas and set them inside their grounds. This time however, it's a different sort of sport. A sport for Gentleman who like to wear white. This Gromit sits and watches as Gloucestershire Cricket Club play their matches. 

This Gromit is Poochadelic - number 63 along the trail. He is a colourful character - a bit of the 70's vibe about him! I like his sparkly nose and purple tipped ear! He was designed by Lisa Hassell - who is an illustrator and director of Inkygoodness. She says of her sculpture design..."it's contrasting colour palette captures a sense of fun, submerged in an imaginary wonderland waiting to be explored" (Lisa Hassell from Gromit Unleashed App) 

Gromit Number:     63

Gromit Artist:         Lisa Hassell

Gromit Sponsor:    Linden Homes Western

Gromit Location:   Gloucestershire Cricket Club 

Light as a Feather

This colourful little guy involved an emergency stop on Gloucester Road and a chat with two nice ladies who obviously thought I was crazy (everyone does so no change there!). One thing you should know about me, if you don't know already, is that I like a project to keep me busy! I'm a bit like Monica from Friends that way - think ring biders, colour coding, dividers etc, and that's me! So while i'm on my six week holiday, I need something to keep me busy - and these Gromits fit the bill! Otherwise I'd be sitting twiddling my thumbs! 

    

This is Feathers - Gromit Number 62. He sits outside a church on Gloucester Road and looks as if he has just had paint pots chucked at him - but I love it! He's a beauty! Feathers was designed by Dave Bain who is an illustrator who has painted live on the BBC. In 2011 he designed the I Spy Gorilla and has been commissioned again to paint a Gromit! His inspiration for this design was to take parts of his favourite birds and encompass them into a geometrical and bright pattern that covered Gromit. Very pretty!

Gromit Number:       62

Gromit Artist:           Dave Bain

Gromit Sponsor:       Nailsea Electrical

Gromit Location:      Gloucester Road 

Healthy Dog

I had passed this guy on the bus earlier but hadn't had the chance to hop off and see him (mainly because there was a drunk guy sitting next to me on the bus and I was trying to avoid speaking to him!). So Michael and I made him our next stop. By this time, I could tell Michael was getting more into this malarky, even though he was hiding it well!!

     

This is Gromit Number 68 - named Five a Day Dog and he is sponsored by Estate Agent CJ Hole - hence the second picture! He is after my own heart as a PE teacher teaching about Healthy Eating as he is covered in healthy fruit and vegetables! He was designed by Laura Cramer - a painter who lives in Bristol who was commissioned to paint TWO Gromits! She chose this design to try and inspire children to eat more fruit and veg and used renaissance artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo as her own inspiration.

Gromit Number:       68
Gromit Artist:           Laura Cramer
Gromit Sponsor:      CJ Hole
Gromit Location:      Henleaze Road

It's Kraken, Gromit!

This unusual little chap was hidden away on a grassy bit of the Downs again and was attracting a fair bit of attention! He's a little different looking than the other Gromits as he seems to have sprouted some extra arms! I know that four paws is bad enough when you've got food (Ridgebacks, four paws, food = disaster!) but this one has EIGHT paws! Scary!

This is Gromit Number 67 - called It's Kracken, Gromit and this Octopus type character was designed  by Filthy Luker. Filthy is a painter and street artist renowned for his unusual displays that look as if they are attacking the audience! He specialises in inflatable hand crafted sculptures and is based in Bristol!

I like this Gromit - unusual and creative, and even drew Michael's attention. It was the only one of the lot that he got his camera out for!

Gromit Number:       67
Gromit Artist:           Filthy Luker
Gromit Sponsor:      Torwood House School and Nursery
Gromit Location:     The Downs