Tag: Barbie

5501. Greenbank (96)

Bbygwya (Flux), Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023
Bbygwya (Flux), Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023

More from the RBF Barbie extravaganza, this time from Barbie Bbygwya or Barbie Flux, both of which would make brilliant Barbies in my opinion. I can’t help thinking that Bbygwya probably had to work really hard with this piece, because it really isn’t representative of her style. What it does show, however, is that Bbygwya is very talented and versatile.

Bbygwya (Flux), Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023
Bbygwya (Flux), Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023

The letters are big, bold, and have a 3D drop shadow, and the writing really pops out from the wall. I love the words “this Barbie hates cops”, because it makes me laugh. The little egg is an artefact from an RBF Easter paint jam, which has been pimped with a pink flower and pink handbag, all in the Barbie spirit. I really rate this unusual piece from a lovely artist.

5489. Greenbank (95)

Bnie, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023
Bnie, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023

The Barbie RBF paint jam is the gift that keeps on giving, and this is Barbie Bnie’s interpretation of the theme. Bnie has definitely stepped out of her normal style, as in fairness, have all the other artists, to create this stylised writing to match that of the Mattel doll brand. Lots of pink, a heart, soft curves and a yellow border.

Bnie, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023
Bnie, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023

I think that the paint jam theme was an inspired and contemporary choice, and gave us a glimpse at how an all-female crew (and Jody) would interpret and fashion their Own Barbie style. For me, the heart with a ‘Hi’ in it perfectly captures the mood. I have a feeling, although I can’t be certain that Bnie had more than a hand in creating the RBF (Resting Barbie Face) piece that accompanied the paint jam pieces, but was unsigned, although the more I look at it the less sure I am. Great work from Bnie.

Bnie?, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023
Bnie?, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023

5462. Greenbank (93)

Jody, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023
Jody, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023

Occasionally, the Resting Bitch Face crew (RBF), an all-female group of painters is joined by a male, which is what happened here when Jody joined in with the Barbie paint jam at Greenbank a few weeks ago. His inclusion definitely fitted in well with all the other pieces, and he embraced the theme with gusto.

Jody, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023
Jody, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023

This is a beautifully crafted and mischievous take on Barbie, providing a little bit of body art and a nose ring to give this graffiti Barbie a bit of an edge over her more conventional selves. Jody has painted a photorealistic portrait of the doll, and managed to convey the plastic toy qualities of her skin and makeup, large eyes and fake hair.

Jody, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023
Jody, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023

I absolutely love this portrait piece, but in loving it, it is important not to overlook the technical skill and versatility of an artist at the top of his game.

5454. Greenbank (92)

Evey, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023
Evey, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023

What fun it has been to follow Evey’s progress as a graffiti writer over the last few years. She has come a long way, and this recent RBF paint jam Barbie piece, I suspect, may have stretched her somewhat, and she has carried it off brilliantly.

Evey, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023
Evey, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023

The font is Barbieish, without conceding too much to the Mattel brand, but also works very well as an Evey piece. Some nice clean lines and solid fills, although some colours are a little bit thin in places. I only recently discovered (a tip from I bee W) that spray cans often have a little graphic on the can describing how thick or thin the paint is – good to know and explains why sometimes you can use twice as much of one colour than another. This is a fine piece from Evey on what looked like it was a super-fun day.

5447. Greenbank (91)

Peggy, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023
Peggy, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023

Peggy is a tattoo artist and street artist who paints wonderful floral murals about the place. She is an active crew member of RBF (Resting Bitch Face crew), and joined in with their recent Barbie paint jam up at Greenbank. What I particularly like about this piece is that Peggy, who I imagine is fairly principled, has not created a piece that is overtly ‘Barbieised’.

Peggy, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023
Peggy, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023

This floral design might have conceded a little bit more pink than Peggy might ordinarily use, but she has kept to her overall style, which I admire. This is one of her larger pieces and is a great example of her beautiful flower designs. Fabulously presented, the piece also has some little feature stars that create focal points that draw the eye, but also provide a bit of sparkle. A wonderful non-Barbie, Barbie piece.

5441. Greenbank (90)

Unity, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023
Unity, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023

Popular culture has had a bit of a renaissance recently with the release of the Barbie move, which I must confess left me a little cold. For all the hype, clever role-reversals, and funny one-liners, I can’t help feeling that Mattel will be laughing all the way to the bank and that their self-deprecating and rather too knowing involvement has paid off. I guess there is a failure on my part to connect with Barbie as a concept, as her world and mine never collided until now.

On the upside though, Barbie has been an inspiration in the street art world, and this piece by Unity, is one of many from an RBF- Barbie paint jam on the long hoarding at Greenbank (more from this paint jam to follow).

Unity, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023
Unity, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023

Unity is an artist in the RBF crew who lives in Wales and occasionally comes to Bristol to paint with her friends. I managed to have a short chat with her at the Cheltenham Paint Festival recently, and she is a lovely lady. Her working of her name in the Barbie font and colours is brilliant and very tidy indeed. She totally captures the spirit of Barbie in her own way and carries it off very well. Plenty more to come from this fun paint jam.