Apparan, Chalk Farm Road, Camden Town, London, April 2025
One of the most noticeable things about photographing street art in London is that there seem to be a great deal more paste ups and wheatpaste artists than in Bristol. Perhaps this is a function of a huge amount more wall space to choose from, as well as a cultural thing.
Apparan, Chalk Farm Road, Camden Town, London, April 2025
This wonderful wheatpaste piece, by Apparan (no stranger to Natural Adventures), features a beautiful portrait of a woman and a snail. The piece is called ‘way home’ and was pasted up in December 2023 during a bit of a wheatpaste jam as far as I can make out. It has worn very well indeed.
Roo, Cheltenham Paint Festival 2024, North Place car park, Cheltenham, July 2024
So this is the second of the first three posts from the Cheltenham Paint Festival 2024. I have had to pull together three pieces in each post, simply so that I can fit them in with my regular posts of Bristol street art. Things have never been so busy, and at the end of each month I still have dozens of unposted pieces, because there is so much great art being produced out there. I can’t get close to posting it all.
Roo, Cheltenham Paint Festival 2024, North Place car park, Cheltenham, July 2024
It was a pleasure to watch as Roo finished off this wonderful piece, and catch up with her in the Two Pigs where she was selling her merch. This is a great piece that tells a fun story of a frog and a ‘no swimming’ sign. I think it might just be one of my favourite Roo piece ever.
Apparan, Cheltenham Paint Festival 2024, East car park, Cheltenham, July 2024
In the car park is this outstanding portrait piece by Apparan, who is not a stranger to Natural Adventures, having posted an Upfest piece and one from Stratford in London in the past.
The portrait is beautifully accompanied with a flower and a beguiling background, which certainly brightens up an otherwise ordinary concrete car park wall.
Codo, Cheltenham Paint Festival 2024, North Place car park, Cheltenham, July 2024
Rounding off this small selection of three pieces from the CPF is this excellent piece by Codo, who I met at last year’s festival and who was very kind to me, giving me some caps and paint. His intricate doodle work is superb, and brings out the best in the central character which is a large version of the smaller background symbols and characters. Some very nice pieces from Cheltenham. Three more to come tomorrow.
Apparan, Lighthouse Community Garden, London, April 2023
I have only once before seen work by Apparan and that was on a collaborative gate piece at Upfest last year with Jelly. Finding this piece on a work trip to London was therefore a real treat. The portrait is really beautifully done, although the hair looks a little more abstract than the rest of the portrait.
Apparan, Lighthouse Community Garden, London, April 2023
There is a lot of depth in the piece, and the shadows around the lady’s neck are very nicely painted. I also really like the leaf print dress, and the folds in the material. There is something very summery about the piece, augmented by the verdant mini-meadow in front of it. Wonderful work from Apparan.
I have a feeling that this might be the third piece painted by Jelly in Bristol, and this time she has brought a friend, apparan, with her. The double portrait, sited just off North Street, is a welcome burst of colour on what is an otherwise rather dull stretch of street.
Jelly and apparan, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
The two portraits, although quite similar in style, have their own distinctive elements, such as the long eyelashes that Jelly likes to paint. It is really interesting to see the skin tones contrasting and the hair colours too. Portraits of women by women – this is great to see. A fine contribution to Upfest 2022, and we would welcome these two back anytime.
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