Tag: Face 1st

4663. Moon Street (96)

Face 1st, Moon Street, Bristol, August 2022
Face 1st, Moon Street, Bristol, August 2022

Face 1st seems to be going through a joyous renaissance these days and has painted several wonderful character pieces that simply ooze happiness – maybe it is a reflection of the artist’s disposition, I certainly hope so When I think about Bristol street art, front of mind is always this combination of Face 1st and Moon Street, two factors that kindled my interest back in 2015.

Face 1st, Moon Street, Bristol, August 2022
Face 1st, Moon Street, Bristol, August 2022

This magnificent dancing girl, having a great time in her yellow dress and red shoes, simply oozes fun and joy, suggesting a great night out. Although I love pretty much everything Face 1st does, the freedom and expression in these large character pieces definitely brings out the best in him. An instant favourite.

4611. Moon Street (95)

Many of you will know that Moon Street is one of my absolute favourite street art spots, although that accolade has possibly moved on a little in recent years due to the gentrification of the area. But even now, Face 1st continues to brighten the place up with his inimitable and irrepressible style, making me feel very much at home with this lovely piece.

Face 1st, Moon Street, Bristol, July 2022
Face 1st, Moon Street, Bristol, July 2022

Face 1st was one of the very first street artists I became familiar with, but it was a few years before I got to meet him in person. His work is at the heart of what I care about, and this piece is just so joyful and typical of the atmosphere he creates around his work. The girl with green hair in red dungarees is full of cheek and movement. My eye keeps getting drawn to the underside of her left shoe… it is completely absorbing. A nice piece to start the weekend with.

4547. M32 Cycle path (178)

The most consistently prolific artist over the last seven years is without doubt Face 1st. His tireless drive to keep producing wonderful pieces is enviable and really rather awesome. I don’t know where he gets the energy, or the cash for paint from. I guess I don’t need to know, but simply enjoy the benefits of his heroic efforts.

Face 1st, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2022
Face 1st, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2022

This is a rather nice FACE piece with a girl’s face in place of the ‘A’. The letters are large and bold, as if carved out of stone, and the grey of the letters contrasts wonderfully well with the Orange hair of the smiling girl. When the world grinds to a halt, Face 1st will still be out there painting letters and smiling girls on walls. It is just what he does.

4525. Dean Lane skate park (501)

I genuinely thought that this wall would become redundant when work began on redeveloping the building about a year ago, a suspicion exacerbated when they put some windows in the wall. My fears may have been unfounded, as the wall appears to be intact and has regular makeovers, many of them quite fantastic, like this PWA collaborative wall from a short while ago.

Face 1st, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022
Face 1st, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022

The three artists are Face 1st, Chill and Soap, and together they have created an upbeat and rather fun triptych. Face 1st on the left ha painted one of his traditional smiling face characters whose hair is made up of the letters FACE – full of joy.

Chill, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022
Chill, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022

In the middle, Chill has created one of his cartoon-style line drawings with quite a story going on. I don’t know what the story is, but it includes a bird, a rose and a scroll with the artist’s name on it. More mischief and fun.

Soap, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022
Soap, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022

To the right is Soap’s contribution in which he continues the colour selections, backfilling his letters spelling SOAP and featuring (a many of his posts do) the Ice King from Adventure Time – a cartoon series that sadly passed me by.  Nice work from this PWA trio.

4385. Dean Lane skate park (482)

It is probably about time for another piece from Face 1st, and this one, like so many of his other pieces, is so full of joy and happiness. I think that Face 1st should be employed as a ‘happiness tzar’ for Bristol, and be allowed to spray his happy faces to improve morale in a time when good news is hard to come by.

Face 1st, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2022
Face 1st, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2022

This particular piece in Dean Lane is in one of his preferred forms in which he has written FACE as the hair of a girl’s smiling face. For added effect, he has included a second face as the ‘A’ of FACE. It is always great to see anything by this artist, and the Bristol graffiti/street art scene simply wouldn’t be the same without him.

4372. Moon Street (91)

I think that I could quite easily fill up all my posts with work from about four or five artists in Bristol who seem to be unstoppable in their quest to brighten our streets and practice their art. One of those artists is Face 1st, who has been a constant drumbeat through the development and progress of Natural Adventures. Always there, always painting.

Face 1st, Moon Street, Bristol, April 2022
Face 1st, Moon Street, Bristol, April 2022

This piece is in my favourite street, for sentimental reasons really, in Bristol, Moon Street. Definitely a quick one from Fac 1st, as so many of his pieces are, but even though it probably only took an hour or so to paint, there is a lot to like about it. The change of pink to orange as you read left to right, and the blending of the colours, works really well. Of course, no Face 1st piece is complete without a girl’s face somewhere, and in this one, she is lurking in the letter C.

4307. Greenbank (29)

Just because I haven’t posted much from the PWA boys lately, doesn’t mean they haven’t been painting, it is more a reflection of just how much street art is being created in Bristol at the moment. This is a rather nice piece from Face 1st, alongside Soap.

Face 1st, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2022
Face 1st, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2022

Face 1st has been painting these blocky letters a lot recently and has managed to include one of his faces, although it is rather obscured by the letters A and C. Fun stuff from this prolific artist.

4240. M32 Cycle path (163)

If ever Altered Images wanted a new album cover for their outstanding LP Pinky Blue, this piece by Face 1st would definitely fit the bill. I know I have said it before, but I will never tire of Face 1st’s work, and although sometimes it is a little rough at the edges, it nearly always raises a smile.

Face 1st, M32 cycle path, Bristol, January 2021
Face 1st, M32 cycle path, Bristol, January 2021

This piece is perfect for the location and somehow just seems to have a great feel good factor about it. The colours set on the green background look fabulous and together with the 3D shading on the bottom of the letters lift the piece off the wall. More great stuff from Face 1st.

4197. M32 Spot (130)

Anamorphic art comes in many forms and some of the high-end stuff is utterly mind-bending, but even on a more basic scale it is still clever and intriguing. This fabulous column piece by Face 1st explores the technique.

Face 1st, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2022
Face 1st, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2022

I have seen many, many pieces by Face 1st, but never anything like this, and I must say I rather like it. The girl really does look like she is inside the column behind some kind of clear glass or plastic window. It is when you see pieces like this that you really get to see the versatility of an artist. Great stuff.

4193. M32 roundabout J3 (380)

Alas! This piece from Face 1st didn’t last very long, and certainly not as long as it deserved, but that is street art, and everyone knows it. Face 1st continues to be one of our most productive artists in Bristol, and I probably need to update his gallery, because it quickly gets out of date.

Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2022
Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2022

The piece tucked away to the left of the river side wall of the roundabout is a full blown writing and face combination. The striking colours attract the eye and the girl’s laughing demeanour is compelling. Face 1st has been using this form of block writing quite a lot recently, and I would say he is enjoying it. I love the clever touch of weaving the girl’s hair through the block letters. A wonderful piece from Face 1st.