Tag: Face

2623. M32 Spot (55)

On one of the ramps of the M32 DIY skatepark is this rather sombre looking face, unmistakably the work of Slakarts. This picture was taken way back in January, before I knew who the artist was, and it has been languishing in my archive ever since. This is liberation day. It is also election day and the results will map out our national journey for the next five years… I fear the worst.

Slakarts, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2019
Slakarts, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2019

Slakarts paints using broad black outlines with solid fills to create his trademark faces which are often coloured with muted tones. The works are modest, both in creation and design and there is often a sadness or strangeness in the faces – this piece in particular feels peculiar without an iris or pupil in the eye. More to come from Slakarts.

2618. St Werburghs tunnel (116)

Within a matter of days of Fiva painting his blockbuster piece in St Werburghs tunnel, Zake gave us this fabulous piece contained within the F. Fiva’s large letters were just too good to resist, and his invitation to ‘paint over me’ was readily taken up by Zake.

Zake, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2019
Zake, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2019

I am really taken with this curious piece by Zake which reminds me a lot of the incredible work in Winser McCay’s ‘Little Nemo’ cartoon strips. There is something a little creepy and fascinating about this moon character, an I’d like to see more like this.

2611. Moon Street (78)

I like treasure hunting, especially when each time you find a treasure, like this one by Mutatee, it comes as a wonderful and fulfilling surprise. I think that hunting for and photographing street art is a wholesome substitute for trying to generate likes on Twitter or Facebook or getting that micro-buzz of endorphine every time you receive a message on your mobile phone.

Personally, few things irritate me more than people’s phones buzzing, ringing, twittering, ding-a-linging upon which they’ll abruptly end a conversation, leave the room (metaphorically), check the offensive communicator (Star Trek reference) and only then return to the conversation saying ‘where were we?’ (we?… I’ve been here all the time you idiot). You know the kind of thing. Grrrr. Ranty bit over, I’m not too sure where it came from but it felt great to get it off my chest.

Mutatee, Moon Street, Bristol, November 2019
Mutatee, Moon Street, Bristol, November 2019

Back to Mutatee – she is the bringer of my little endorphine snacks and this little charmer high up on a wall in Moon Street is one of a bunch dotted about the City – I recently spotted another one that I’ll have to photograph next time I pass by on foot – so many more to come from this creative and imaginative installation artist.

2599. Upfest 2018 (170)

What an amazing portrait at Upfest 2018 by artist Michel Velt, which was one of two he painted over the course of the festival. His style is really interesting and it almost looks like a felt tip drawing rather than spray paint.

Michel Velt, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Michel Velt, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

Looking at the piece I wonder if it was quite finished, because the orange decoration on the right hand side is missing a little bit of black edging. The whole event was so disrupted by the changeable weather that a number of pieces were abandoned or incompete. It doesn’t matter at all wih this, because it is so beautifully presented. A wonderful piece.

Michel Velt, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Michel Velt, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

2582. M32 Cycle path (40)

What a magnificent chrome beast this is on the M32 cycle path by Slakarts. The light coloured accents on the nose and cheeks and on the eyebrows and hair help to bring much more depth to the piece.

Slakarts, M32 cycle path, Bristol, November 2019
Slakarts, M32 cycle path, Bristol, November 2019

This is probably my favourite Slakarts piece thus far, and it is typical of his stylised faces, and that it is cut off at the top and bottom matters not. I am pretty certain that I have more of his work slopping around somewhere in my archives, so I will try to dig it out. Nice piece.

2579. St Werburghs tunnel (109)

This lovely sprite-like face by Face 1st has been at the entrance to St Werburghs tunnel for a little while now, but remained completely untouched, which is as it should be. There is a seasonal feel to the piece with bronze-coloured leaves for hair.

Face 1st, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2019
Face 1st, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2019

All of Face 1st’s work is really good at the moment, in fact it has been for a few years now and the artist is showing his versatility by adapting his style iteratively from piece to piece. For its simplicity and beauty this is opne of my recent favourites.

2576. Cheltenham 2019 (21)

Anyone who made their way into Cheltenham for the Paint Festival from the station along the Honeybourne Line would have seen this utterly striking piece by Fink. Three stylised faces in bright and beautiful colours on a brick wall between the two tunnels. If you look carefully you will see that within each of the faces, there is a background of countless more faces. Fink creates these faces in one single spray movement.

Fink, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, Bristol, September 2019
Fink, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, Bristol, September 2019

I don’t know too much about Fink other than that at one time he used to spray little characters in Bristol and I assume he used to live here. I have seen on his Instagram account that he is currently working in Dubai, so I guess his visit to Cheltenham was combined with a trip home. A great opener for the festival.

2574. M32 Cycle path (39)

When I first started posting street art on Natural Adventures about five years ago I thought that it might be dominated with 45RPM and RichT pieces, because at that time I would come across them all over the city. I don’t know if, as my interest has increased their activity has waned, or whether there is some other explanation, but I just don’t get to see enough from these artists.

RichT, M32 cycle path, Bristol, October 2019
RichT, M32 cycle path, Bristol, October 2019

I was watching RichT as he was prepping the brown letters for this piece, but because I didn’t know him, I thought I’d let him just carry on without disturbing him. I think the letters say LUIS, but I can’t be certain, but the star of the piece is the schoolboy cartoon face, done in the great style of Beano, Dandy or Beezer comics – I just love it.

I regret not introducing myself to RichT and 45RPM while they were painting this wall together, but I’m sure there will be another time.

2570. M32 Cycle path 37

Ahh! Lobe with another exceptional, bold, stylised, portrait, this time of an unshaven man with spectacles and woolly hat. I have only seen a few of her pieces, but every single one of them has brought a smile and I get a real sense of excitement each time l find a new one.

Lobe, M32 cycle path, Bristol, November 2019
Lobe, M32 cycle path, Bristol, November 2019

It is funny how different graffiti spots in Bristol can undergo peaks and troughs in terms of turnover. The cycle path has been quite dead for a while and then suddenly over the last couple of weeks it has kind of got busy again, this being one of several recent pieces. It just shows that constantly patrolling each of these favoured graffiti spots is utterly worth it.

 

 

2567. Dean Lane skate park (263)

When I saw this little collaboration from Tasha Bee and Stupid Stupid Meathole, my first thought was that it looked a bit old and weathered, and I wondered if I might have overlooked it on previous visits to Dean Lane… in other words I have absolutely no idea when it was painted.

Tasha Bee, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2019
Tasha Bee, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2019

The collaboration is bookended with two beautiful faces from Tasha Bee and filled with what looks like the word ‘meat’. These two have collaborated before in the past, but not for some time. In fact I don’t recall seeing much from Stupid Stupid Meathole for quite a long while.

Tasha Bee, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2019
Tasha Bee, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2019

I’ll always have time for Tasha Bees stylised faces and am equally fond of SSM’s rather grotesque figures. This piece of writing though is quite uncharacteristic because there is lots of colour, not just the single pink SSM usually uses. A nice low-key collaboration.

Stupid Stupid Meathole, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2019
Stupid Stupid Meathole, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2019