I'm nosing around a grubby backstreet in Bristol, in southwest England, when I finally come upon the faded object of my desire: Applied to the side of a pub, near a pair of pungent garbage bags, it's a small stencilled image of two kids skipping across a road - each carrying an automatic weapon.
This twisted take on childhood should be enough to identify its creator. But in case there's any doubt, a blockish signature, or tag, has also been applied. Even if you know little about graffiti, you've probably heard that Banksy - a born-and-bred Bristolian with a penchant for combining whimsy, satire and anti-authoritarianism - is the world's most famous street artist.
Banksy has generated as much controversy as kudos in recent years. He painted "We're bored of fish" in giant letters inside the London Zoo's penguin enclosure. He's stencilled ladders and windows on Israel's West Bank barrier, And just this week he managed to paint a three-storey mural with the words "One Nation Under CCTV" on the side of a London post office - right under the nose of one of those ubiquitous closed-circuit security cameras.
But for all the hype, Banksy's identity remains a closely guarded secret. Rumour has it that he's in his 30s and his real name is Robert Banks. The only thing known for sure is that he hails from Bristol. While the historic dockyard city hasn't officially embraced him as a tourist attraction - not everyone is happy celebrating illegal activity - the town is like his own open-air art gallery.
With little idea of where to look first, however, I meet with Steve Wright, an arts editor and the author of Banksy's Bristol: Home Sweet Home, a guidebook to the artist and his work. He happily fills me in on the local lad who made good - all the while ducking questions about Banksy's identity and how well he might know him.
Wright says that "Banksy's done more than anyone to push graffiti into being seen as an art form," citing his international success and regular coverage in mainstream media. But he has never forgotten his roots.
"Although Banksy's famous now and hangs out more in London," he says, "he's still sharp and thought-provoking - and he still creates new works around Bristol."
Suggesting I should think like a graffiti artist and head down the side streets, Wright recommends exploring Stokes Croft and Easton, working-class neighbourhoods not far from the city centre.
After locating the kids-with-guns work on the side of the Full Moon pub, I easily spot one of Banksy's iconic works on Stokes Croft Road. Mild Mild West recalls a 1980 street riot in the area that was triggered by a bungled police raid. It depicts a teddy bear throwing a Molotov cocktail at a phalanx of shielded policemen, and Wright's book describes it as an alternative "Welcome to Bristol" sign.
Continuing on the same thoroughfare until it becomes Cheltenham Road, I nip down a side street called Bath Buildings and find the Old England pub. Completely covering a parking lot wall is Take the Money and Run, one of Banksy's earliest surviving works. A collaboration with other artists, it's a kaleidoscopic abstract of swirling colours, stylized lettering and mysterious running figures.
Next up, Park Street offers an easy-to-find and somewhat whimsical Banksy. Quickly applied behind a temporary construction hoarding, the large untitled piece depicts a naked man hanging by his fingertips while his chagrined lover and her quizzical husband stand in the window above.A few minutes later, I come across the artist's most recent Bristol work. Overlooking a hospital on Perry Road, it shows a police marksman pointing his gun at the street - while a child stands behind him, ready to burst a paper bag.
From there, it's on to the heart of Banksyville in Easton. This is the rather drab neighbourhood where Banksy once hung out. And he allegedly still has a base here. I stumble upon a tiny image of three policemen posed like the monkeys who see, speak and hear no evil.
Pleased with that find, I continue on to Sugar Loaf pub on St. Mark's Road, which Wright tells me is the kind of place where Banksy might hang out. I head straight to the bar and chat up a local. Slowly sipping a pint of Easton Ale, he rubs his chin when I ask if he has ever met Banksy.
"How do you know he's not me?" he replies with a twinkle in his eye. "Or maybe he's that bloke over there," he adds, nodding to a bearded pensioner hugging a beer in the corner.
He has a point. Searching for Banksy in Bristol is a non-starter. Seeking out his work is a much more rewarding day out. Now where's the next one likely to be ...
Banksy's Bristol
Many works by the elusive and controversial graffiti artist -- the majority of them untitled -- can be found while strolling the central districts of his hometown:
1. Early work depicting children with guns on the side of the Full Moon pub.
2. The iconic Mild Mild West on a Bristol approach road.
3. Collaborative work entitled Take the Money and Run.
4. Grim reaper stencilled on the side of a boat.
5. Large picture of naked man hanging from his lover's window.
5. Depiction of police marksmen with subversive child.
6. Tiny illustration of three policemen.
Pack your bags
Getting there
Bristol is a 90-minute train ride from London's Paddington Station.
More information
For general information on the city, visit .
For an introduction to Banksy and his work, visit his official website at .
Other graffiti events
If you can't make it to Bristol this year, try one of these graffiti experiences:
Streetscape Part of Toronto's annual Luminato arts festival, urban spaces throughout the city will be transformed by local and international graffiti gurus; June 6-15; .
Street Art London's Tate Modern offers a blockbuster exhibition of renowned graffiti artists, with works presented on the outside of the building; May 23 to Aug. 25; .
Recognize! Washington, D.C.'s National Portrait Gallery exhibits hip-hop and edgy contemporary art, including the work of celebrated local graffiti artists Tim Conlon and Dave Hupp; until Oct. 26; .
International Meeting of Styles A series of weekend-long graffiti painting events staged in cities around the world, including Belfast, St. Petersburg, Los Angeles and Rio de Janeiro; May through November; .
Write 4 Gold A travelling graffiti contest staged in cities across the globe, including Riga, Vienna and Sao Paulo; the world final will be held in Leipzig, Germany, on July 12; www.write4gold.info.