Tag: Face

3269. St Werburghs Tunnel (201)

Not a month goes by without a cheerful (and sometimes not so cheerful) piece from Face 1st. Today, I am going to treat you to two pieces by this prolific artist of which this is the first. Deep in St Werberghs tunnel, where there is limited natural daylight is this classic Face 1st Face.

Face 1st, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2020
Face 1st, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2020

The laughing girl whose hair is made up of the letters FACE, is a fine chrome piece that works quite well in the twighlight of the tunnel. It looks to me like Daz Cat has added in a little speech bubble with DAZ C in it. I think that is a bit of tagging fun which is allowed betwen artists. A standard Face 1st piece for all to enjoy.

3264. Dean Lane skate park (357)

It is truly great to see that Dibz and Shade One seem to be collaborating rather a lot at the moment, and they have absolutely knocked it out of the (skate) park with this recent piece in Dean Lane.

Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2020
Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2020

The face is by Shade One and to me represents a great example of a crossover of old school/new school, and what I mean by that is that there are some lines, for example the eyebrows that are quite angular and remind me of old New York style graffiti characters, but the blue frame, bubbles and decoration are much more contemporary in style.

Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2020
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2020

As ever the graffiti writing from Dibz is outstanding, and the sharp clean lines with a complex colour scheme so expertly done demonstrate clearly why Dibz is simply one of the best graffiti writers around. The red object to the right of the piece I believe is a butt plug (although I might be mistaken) and was not part of the original collaboration, unfortunately it doesn’t add much to the piece in my opinion, and is ever so slightly annoying.

3263. M32 Spot (86)

Woah there, steady… A column piece under the M32, who can it possibly be by? Zake of course, but unlike any Zake piece I have seen before. This piece feels like the artist has stepped up a level, having a depth and texture unlike any of his previous pieces, although there have been signs of continuous improvement.

Zake, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2020
Zake, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2020

The face (of course a face) is quite scary with bright teeth and a disturbing expression and the whole column certainly stands out. What I like most is that the piece is full of texture and folds, with light and dark and I think that Zake has really nailed it. I am totally annoyed though by the sticker over one of the eyes… I guess these things happen. Looking forward to more from Zake.

3246. Brunel Way bridge (62)

This is the second piece I have posted by Mudra, but it was the first that I photographed, and as with any first discovery I am rather fond of this modest piece. Bold and yet subtle colours have been used to create this funny looking portrait of a moustached man.

Mudra, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2020
Mudra, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2020

There is something aboout the simplicity of the piece that makes it all rather interesting. In particular, I can’t keep my eyes off the dark pink nose. Like the last piece I posted, this one also has a little @ with a hat, which I am assuming is Mudra’s tag. Lovely stuff from the Bristol newcomer.

3238. Brunel Way bridge (61)

It is always a pleasure meeting an artist for the first time and I was lucky enough to catch Mudra, just as he had finished this unusual and striking piece. This young artist has recently moved to Bristol from Bournemouth (I think that is what he said) and lives locally, hence choosing this spot. This is one of two recent pieces by Mudra and I will be posting the other one soon.

Mudra, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2020
Mudra, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2020

Most interestingly it seems that Mudra and Slakarts have been in contact with each other, and if they get together we could be in for some mouthwatering collaborations… I’m keeping my fingers crossed. This style of portrait falls into the Slakarts/Lobe arena which is really rather exciting.

I like the bold colours and solid fills, and I haven’t seen so much pink in a piece since Stupid Stupid Meathole was active a year or two ago. Particularly interest.ing is the little icon, a bit like an @ with a hat. I am guessing that this is like a signature for the artist. It is always great to report on artists breaking through into the Bristol scene. Look out for more from Mudra.

3208. William Street (1)

It always, always pays to switch things up a little bit and alter the routes taken to reach regular spots. I decided to drive down the City Road a week or two back, something I rarely do, but was most excited to catch sight of this bright red vision to my left. I parked up and went to investigate.

Face 1st and Soap, William Street, Bristol, September 2020
Face 1st and Soap, William Street, Bristol, September 2020

Deep joy. The red flash was this magnificent collaboration from Face 1st and Soap and by the look of it was rather recent – certainly I hadn’t had any tip offs on social media. Sometimes you just get lucky.

Face 1st, William Street, Bristol, September 2020
Face 1st, William Street, Bristol, September 2020

The left hand side is by Face 1st and depicts two happy girls mucking about with spray paints and their combined big hair spelling out FACE. This is a joyful and fun piece, which this artist is so good at creating, spreading a little happiness.

Soap, William Street, Bristol, September 2020
Soap, William Street, Bristol, September 2020

To the righ is the Soap half of the collaboration where he uses the same righ red colours to spell out SOAP with the most elaborate fills and highlights, so full of detail. Of course there is his trademark mouth, although it looks a little different in style to his usual one. A lovely collaboration surprise.

3201. Turbo Island

With so much amazing work being produced in Cheltenham and around Bristol at the moment, it can be easy to overlook the constant churn of what I would call typical Bristol pieces being added to our walls day in, day out. One of the most prolific of these Bristol artists is Face 1st and this is a superb piece from him down at Turbo Island.

Face 1st, Turbo Island, Bristol, September 2020
Face 1st, Turbo Island, Bristol, September 2020

This piece has been on the ‘Island’ for quite a while now and is a cheery delight for anyone driving along the Cheltenham Road into the centre of Bristol. Unfortunately my photography skills are not quite so cheery and this shot is a bit blurred. I am having a few problems with my camera at the moment which I really need to sort out. Anyhow, don’t let the poor quality of photograph detract from the uplifting piece from Face 1st.

3198. St Werburghs tunnel (191)

This is a rather nice collaboration from Kool Hand and Slakarts. I don’t think I have seen anything from the latter for a very long time, but I am truly glad to see something new from him. Kool Hand as you know has been pretty busy of late.

Kool Hand, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2020
Kool Hand, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2020

On the left is a familiar sight to regular readers of Natural Adventures, it is of course a capped orangutan, although this time the fills have developed from solid orange to a blended mix of colours, giving a rather nice textured effect.

Slakarts, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2020
Slakarts, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2020

To the right is a very nice and long-overdue piece from Slakarts. His faces usually have a symmetry about them and this one certainly conforms to that. Great colours and lovely clean lines separating out the solid fills. This is a very nice piece indeed from Slakarts.

3153. M32 Cycle path (75)

One of the constants of the Bristol street/graffiti art scene, the beating heart, has to be the ever-present work of Face 1st. He appears to be tireless, and there is rarely a week goes by without a new piece from this happy-go-lucky artist.

Face 1st, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, August 2020
Face 1st, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, August 2020

This cheery piece on the M32 cycle path is not dissimilar in style and colour regime to the one he recently painted on a caravan nearby. Of all the artists in Bristol, if Face 1st were to stop painting, I think I might miss home the most.

Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2020
Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2020

3145. M32 roundabout J3 (251)

If you can’t find a wall to paint, then you just have to get creative and find something else. In Bristol there are many people who live in vans and caravans and park up in quiet side streets. For some this is a lifestyle choice, for others it is borne out of necessity. Many occupants are open to having their homes decorated, and these guys got a fabulous makeover from Face 1st.

Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2020
Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2020

I understand that Face 1st has fun painting this and got on well with the occupants of the caravan. The piece itself is colourful and happy and in the style of a girl’s face with hair spelling out FACE, which is one of his regular compositions. I like this for so many reasons.