Tag: Face

2071. St Werburghs tunnel (66)

Possibly the most distinctive style in Bristol belongs to Atchue and his ultra pink cartoon faces, such as this one from a little while back in St Werburghs tunnel. As with the work of Stupid Stupid Meathole there is something a little grotesque in these gurning characters.

Atchue, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2018
Atchue, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2018

It is impossible to ignore a piece like this and it stands out from the plethora of burners and throw-ups that adorn the walls of this tunnel. A simple idea which is nicely painted that picks you up and slaps you around the face just to make sure you are paying attention. Nice work.

 

 

2068. Shoreditch, London (27)

I have only seen Ant Carver’s work at Upfest, so it was with some excitement that I found this wheatpaste piece by him during my extensive stroll around Shoreditch. His style is instantly recognisable and all the better for having witnessed the way he builds his work up at Upfest 2018.

Ant Carver, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Ant Carver, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

This was not the only wheatpaste by Mr Carver that I found on this particular walk and It will give me great pleasure to share the other one with you soon. It comes as no surprise that it is the eyes that captivate the audience in his pieces, and it must have something to do with the way he builds his pictures up. Great work.

2067. Shoreditch, London (26)

This wonderful mash-up piece by Ewan Blackford is right up my street, metaphorically speaking at least. To me it has components of the Sky High approach to mixing it up a bit, and some of the crazy character stuff of artists like 3Dom or Si2 (Hull Graffiti).

Ewan Blackford, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Ewan Blackford, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

It is a nicely composed wall and certainly eye-catching. Together with the location of the wall itself, this piece was unmissable. I have not heard of the artist before, but that is true of so many of the London-based artists…let me conquer Bristol first.

2058. Dean Lane skate park (196)

Recently Face 1st has been teaming up with an artist I have not been aware of before who likes to paint elephants, Junk. I don’t yet know much about the artist, but I like his simple style which goes so well with a very similar style used by Face 1st.

Face 1st, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2019
Face 1st, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2019

I have actually posted a collaboration by these two before fairly recently, but thought that the whole thing was by Face 1st and that he had branched out into doing elephants…he corrected me via Instagram.

Junk, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2019
Junk, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2019

I hope to see more of this pairing…there is something rather calming and meditative about this collaboration… maybe it is an elephant thing.

Face 1st, M32 roundsbout, Bristol, January 2019
Face 1st, M32 roundsbout, Bristol, January 2019

2056. St Werburghs tunnel (63)

Zake is an artist who is really coming out of the shadows and making a bit of a name for himself. I first became aware of him last Summer but I don’t know if that was because he was reasonably new to the Bristol scene or whether I just hadn’t spotted any of his work before.

Zake, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2019
Zake, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2019

This piece is a little bit different and has some similarities with artwork by Laic217…which can only be a good thing. A skull leaving its host through the mouth is surely an odd concept, but one which allows Zake to experiment beyond his faces. Skulls are difficult to get right, but this is not too bad at all. I love it that Zake is more mobile and seems to have teamed up with some of the PWA artists and friends. A lovely surprise piece in the tunnel.

2054. M32 roundabout J3 (128)

Another one that slipped through the net is this melting face piece by Laic217 from a time when he was experimenting with these kinds of facial distortions and disfigurements, back in February 2017.

Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2017
Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2017

Although it is only a small piece, sandwiched between two bits of graffiti writing, it demands to be looked at, and why not…this is the kind of piece that typifies the work of this Polish adopted son of Bristol. Melting face, bucket hat, smilie face smoking… all trademarks used by Laic217. Another fine piece.

2043. Upfest 2016 (161)

The big news for 2019 is that there will be no Upfest this year, the organisers have decided to have a fallow year to regroup and hit 2020 with renewed vigour. What this means is that I might be able to catch up a little on Upfest pieces passim that still need writing up. I am starting this batch of 2016 pieces with work from, I think, Douglas Trodge.

Douglas Trodge, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Douglas Trodge, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I have looked all over the Interweb, but I cannot find a Douglas Trodge, so am unable to write anything further of any use here. The two cartoon portraits are rather unusual and certainly memorable… way too good to sit in my archive forever.

Douglas Trodge, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Douglas Trodge, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

I might have to do a little more research on this piece.

 

2042. The Bearpit (176)

Street art is a mysterious beast and manages to catch me out consistently. I don’t know how long Panskaribas has been spraying in Bristol, but having not been aware of his work only a few months ago, I now seem to come across it on a really regular basis. Either there has been a mental block or gap on my part, or Panskaribas has only recently moved to Bristol or started spraying walls.

Panskaribas, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2019
Panskaribas, The Bearpit, Bristol, February 2019

Whatever the reason for this heightened presence of Panskaribas, in my view, it is a good thing. I like his characters with faces sketched out in a cartoon doodle style. There is a simplicity to his work that is oddly sophisticated and I am looking forward to learning more.

2033. Dean Lane skate park (192)

I seem to be forever trying to play catch up with some of the artists in Bristol, such as Mr Draws, Face 1st, Deamze and in this example Tasha Bee. With only writing two posts each day and having to share as much as I can from Bristol streets and Upfest and occasionally London and further afield, inevitably some good works struggle to make it on to these pages. Often too good to leave out, I try to publish them, but often a long time after completion. Certainly I have enough material to last me for at least a year if I stopped taking pictures today.

Tasha Bee, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2018
Tasha Bee, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2018

This is a lovely example of Tasha Bee’s work from last year at the Dean Lane skate park with each of the two figures reversed out, so one green with lilac features and the other lilac with green features. All round a lovely calming work. See more in my Tasha Bee gallery.

2025. Lawrence Hill roundabout (1)

I love visiting new spots, and although I have known about Lawrence Hill roundabout for a little while, I just haven’t managed to visit until recently. Actually I took the dog for a walk there, killing two birds with one stone.

Zake, Lawrence Hill, Bristol, February 2019
Zake, Lawrence Hill, Bristol, February 2019

There is a lot of graffiti in each of the tunnels, but of really variable quality. It also looks like turnover is pretty low as some of the pieces looked rather old and tatty. Not this wonderful piece by Zake though. I am more used to seeing his faces on the columns under the M32, so it is great to see something that doesn’t have a width restriction. Three brilliantly expressive faces in differing aspects. Lovely work.