Tag: Face

2832. Lower Ashley Road (21)

There is a whole shed-load of development going on at this eastern end of Lower Ashley Road, and in fact there are some protestors camping in the three remaining maple trees just behind this hoarding who are fighting to stop the developers from felling them – you can read more about this on the Bristol Tree Forum. For street art photographers, hoardings are usually good news, albeit temporary, but the developments rarely are.

Face 1st, Lower Ashley Road, Bristol, March 2020
Face 1st, Lower Ashley Road, Bristol, March 2020

This hoarding wasn’t up for long before the great and the good got to action and Face 1st was always going to make his mark on this inviting opportunity. This is a classsic Face 1st piece with the hair of the smiling girl spelling out FACE. I would think that he can probably paint these with his eyes closed. Always such a pleasure to see his work.

2823. St Werburghs tunnel (159)

There are an increasing number of topical pieces appearing on the streets at the moment, and if nothing else, street artists are fantastic chroniclers of the social, political and economic landscape. There is plenty of material out there to inspire their work at the moment, although it is unclear whether they will be able to physically paint. I suspect that some will continue.

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

This piece by Face 1st in the tunnel perhaps epitomises and encapsulates our fears in graphic form of the terrible Coronavirus. Britain is in shock this morning when all that we hold sacred, our ability and desire to socialise, has been taken away. We are not yet commanded to remain in out homes, but it is only a matter of time. The death rate in the UK is disturbingly high and the next three months or so are goinng to be very testing.

Throughout, this blog will continue come what may…I have so much archive material that I can at last share with you all.

2820. M32 Spot (62)

This little area of columns at the M32 Spot is very much favoured by Zake and there are a few of his pieces that have remained here for about a year untouched by taggers or other artists – quite unusual really and perhaps a gesture to his unusual face pieces.

Zake, M32 Spot, Bristol, March 2020
Zake, M32 Spot, Bristol, March 2020

The inclusion of a portion of neck lends itself well to spraying character portraits on these narrow columns and Zake has perfected the art. The absence of pupils gives Zake’s pieces a ghostly appearance that is a little unsettling, which combined with humorous expressions leaves the viewer on edge slightly. I like his work and am pleased that he has started painting again after a quiet winter period.

2798. Armada Place (19)

Lobe is probably one of the most distinctive artists in Bristol, with her portrait pieces composed of strong black outlines, solid fills with shading against the black lines, all contained within a white outline strip. How amazing it is to see how her work has developed over the last year or so. (Note to self, time for a Lobe gallery?)

Lobe, Armada Place, Bristol, February 2020
Lobe, Armada Place, Bristol, February 2020

I believe that this piece was painted at the same time as a recent Rusk piece although it is not part of a collaborative effort. It is great to see Lobe ‘hitting’ this board as I consider it to be a much under-used spot by decent street/graffiti artists. Enjoying the ride.

2796. St Werburghs tunnel (154)

During the first half of February, a whole bunch of new pieces appeared in the St Werburghs tunnel, in fact the turnover there has been quite remarkable this winter, and this extraordinary piece by Deddringa was among them. He is an artist I am unfamiliar with and this is the first piece by him that I have posted.

Deddringa, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2020
Deddringa, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2020

The piece is rather unusual, and has the appearance of a dystopian future Planet of the Apes kind of thing, or at least that is how I see it. The simian features on the face are skilfully blended with the background, especially under the mouth where the silhouetted buildings come through.

I probably need to do a bit of swotting up to find out more about Deddringa and hope to see more of his work in the future.

2794. Lawrence Hill roundabout (13)

An old one from Face 1st, although not that old – painted sometime in 2019, but not photographed by me until February 2020 because I haven’t been down to this spot very often. The colours are magnificent and set alight with the dayglow green outline.

Face 1st, Lawrence Hill, Bristol, February 2020
Face 1st, Lawrence Hill, Bristol, February 2020

I think I have more pictures of Face 1st’s work than any other artist in Bristol which reflects his incredible energy and productiveness. I would guess that for each picture I publish on Natural Adventures there is at least another one in my archive. The only other artist that comes close is Nevergiveup and his #followmyrabbits.

2787. Dean Lane skate park (286)

What a dazzling portrait from Pekoe on Dean Lane. It is so good to see that she is painting a lot already this year and that this is the fourth piece I have posted (I think) from her so far in 2020.

Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2020
Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2020

I would say that the facial features on this piece are as good as I have seen on a pekoe face to date, and that maybe having a solid fill rather than shadings has accentuated the features. I would make a further observation, which is a very minor point because I do really like the piece, that the hair on top needs to go a bit higher for the whole head to be in proportion. I am guessing that the height of the wall here was the limiting factor, not the talent of the artist

2775. M32 Spot (59)

Another lovely portrait piece from Lobe, taken through railings at the M32 Spot. You can see the chanelled River Frome behind the pillar. The river passes under the city centre in a culvert, beneath Cabots Circus and Broadmead shopping centres, beneath the old fire station, beneath the fountains in the centre, along towards the Arnolfini, then it is siphoned underneath the floating harbour before eventually discharging into the New Cut. If only Bristolians knew what lies only a couple of meters beneath their feet.

Lobe, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2020
Lobe, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2020

Back to the art and this wonderful face in the typical style of Lobe, that is with thick bold black outlines and strong fills in only two or three shades. I’m not sure if those are eyes or half-moon spectacles. If they are the latter, then they are upside down. More from Lobe to come.

2772. Moon Street (80)

In one of his favourite spots, Face 1st recently painted this ‘traditional’ Face 1st piece of a girl’s face surrounded by big hair spelling out Face. In this one there is a rather toxic-looking gunge dripping from the letters, but the girl seems to be pretty happy about it.

Face 1st, Moon Street, Bristol, February 2020
Face 1st, Moon Street, Bristol, February 2020

Although this area is being gentrified and several blocks adjacent to Moon Street have been levelled, it still remains one of my favourite places to hunt for street art.

2744. M32 roundabout J3 (195)

There is no doubt about it, the ever-prolific Face 1st is absolutely on fire at the moment, being very creative with his ideas, collaborating and doing his usual stuff. I don’t know how he has the energy and can only guess that he has access to a cheap supply of paint.

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

Hidden away in one of the M32 tunnels is this absolute gem, understated as is so often the way with this artist, which is a kind of fusion of a rebirth concept and a Cadbury’s cream egg – or at least that is how I see it. It is this quirky kind of idea that keeps Face 1st right up there with the top artists in Bristol. I still have to hunt down several recent pieces he has done… I just can’t keep up.