Tag: Face

1547. Stokes Croft Corner wall (7)

Once you get your eye in for a particular artist, it seems that you see their work absolutely everywhere, and so it is with Pekoe. Her work was, until recently, off my radar until I saw a piece at the M32 roundabout. Since then I have found three more pieces dotted about the place, including this one and an Upfest piece.

Pekoe, Stokes Croft, Bristol, January 2018
Pekoe, Stokes Croft, Bristol, January 2018

This interesting work was painted as part of a collaboration which included Mr Sleven and one other. Pekoe appears to be fond of the third eye and its symbolism, as it appears in other work. I am still learning about her work and style, and really look forward to discovering more.

1539. Upfest 2017 (172)

Well, well, well, the gifts just keep coming. Regular readers will know that I have only recently discovered the wonderful art of Pekoe and I have featured her work a couple of times in the last month. It turns out that while I was going through another batch of pictures from my Upfest 2017 archive, I found this piece by an ‘unknown’ artist who I now know is Pekoe. I love it when this kind of thing happens.

Pekoe, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Pekoe, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Her Upfest piece was definitely one that caught the eye and is rather more polished than some of her street work – it is a festival after all. She sticks with the female portrait formula that appears to be her preferred subject matter. I am reliably informed by Gary, the art blogger that this wea actually a collaboration piece with Mr Sleven and DNT.

Pekoe, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Pekoe, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Pekoe is a talented Bristol-based artist whose work I am just getting to grips with and I certainly want to see a whole load more. Looking forward to it. Worth a quick peek at her Linked-in page too.

1537. Dean Lane skate park (132)

One of the great joys of trawling through my archives is finding pieces that were never posted because the artist was unknown to me. Fast forward to the present day and I have since discovered the talent and feel like I know a little more. So it was with this old one from Tash Bee back in July 2017.

Tasha Bee, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2017
Tasha Bee, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2017

I liked the piece enough to photograph it, but then it sat dormant in my archive until now. Liberation. It is signed with a large B, but I didn’t know that was her signature back then. This is another serene piece beautifully put together by an artist who is fast rising up the tables of my Bristol faves. Same about the evening sun and shadow.

1534. Brunel Way bridge (8)

This piece is actually not really on Brunel Way, but is in the Cumberland Basin where the Brunel Way bridge/flyover begins. And who should pop up here but Pekoe, who until a couple of weeks ago was completely under my radar.

Pekoe, Brunel Way bridge, Bristol, June 2018
Pekoe, Brunel Way bridge, Bristol, June 2018

This piece, in doodle style, is actually really nicely presented and has a great balance of bright colours and squiggle elements to make up a fine portrait. I am new to her work, but I am enjoying what I see and look forward to finding more of her pieces in Bristol.

1533. Brunel Way bridge (7)

I love, love, love this collaboration piece by Face 1st and Tash Bee. Totally understated and beautifully sprayed on a concrete column under Brunel Way, this piece is tucked away and pretty much out of view. There is a serenity about the piece that works so very well, and the setting is just a perfect way to frame the piece.

Face 1st and Tasha Bee, Brunel Way bridge, Bristol, June 2018
Face 1st and Tasha Bee, Brunel Way bridge, Bristol, June 2018

I don’t know how long these two have been collaborating for, but there have been a spate of their joint pieces cropping up all over the place just recently. For me, this is the best yet. Their use of colour and form is similar, but each has a very distinctive look. The top section is by Face 1st and beneath it is a superb styalized portrait by Tash Bee. I have met neither of these artists, but it I keep looking, it is just a matter of time.

A happy find.

1526. City Road (7)

Oooh, I love this one from Face 1st, tucked around a corner in City Road, where I only periodically take a squint at the walls there that don’t change all that often. I’m glad I made the effort as this is Face 1st just how I like him.

Face 1st, City Road, Bristol, May 2018
Face 1st, City Road, Bristol, May 2018

Great colour selection, and I will never tire of his basic easy-on-the-eye premise of spelling out FACE with his swirls and a white face incorporated somewhere along the way. One of Bristol’s most prolific street artists.

1512. Norrisville Road (2)

It feels like the PWA crew are really waking up at the moment. Face 1st and Soap have become more active on Instagram, and on the streets they seem to be busy, not only individually but also collaborating. This is a great thing to witness, and I hope this rich streak of form continues.

Soap, Norrisville Road, Bristol, May 2018
Soap, Norrisville Road, Bristol, May 2018

This collaboration is a little unusual for me, because I haven’t seen writing from Soap before (look carefully to see SOAP), being much more used to his large mouthed characters. The piece is tucked away down a side road on the St Pauls/Montpelier border, on a wall that had been getting a bit tatty with graff and tags.

Face 1st, Norrisville Road, Bristol, May 2018
Face 1st, Norrisville Road, Bristol, May 2018

Face 1st is of course a favourite of mine and in this work we see his familiar tear drop designs (almost paisley pattern-like) and a face with large appealing eyes.

Face 1st and Soap, Norrisville Road, Bristol, May 2018
Face 1st and Soap, Norrisville Road, Bristol, May 2018

This is quite an unusual collaboration in quite an unusual place, but a most welcome find when not really looking for it. It is a pity about the green car parked in front of the piece, which prevented me getting a decent front on photograph, but cars are out there and dodging them is part of the experience.

1499. M32 roundabout J3 (75)

I have featured quite a few pieces by Nevla recently and this one is the least like all the others. Pretty much all of his work that I have seen so far is of cartoon characters. This one is slightly different in that it is a little less lighthearted than the rest, more of a study than a cartoon.

Nevla, M32, Bristol, January 2018
Nevla, M32, Bristol, January 2018

I am nearly at the end of the Nevla pieces that I have, and I haven’t seen any recent work although I am constantly on the look out. As I mentioned in a previous post, I like his unique style and would like to see him produce work in other hotspots around the city. Nice green face.

1492. Stokes Croft, the Carriageworks (37)

I have been posting about the work of Face 1st for a long time now, and he really is one of my favourite artists in Bristol. His simple formula of combining the word FACE with a face incorporated never ceases to impress me. I have also noticed that he has started to become active on Instagram, which will help me to keep on top of his work and maybe find out a little bit more about him.

Face 1st, The Carriageworks, Bristol, April 2018
Face 1st, The Carriageworks, Bristol, April 2018

This piece on the Carriageworks in Stokes Croft is from a little while ago, but is one of the last few to be sprayed on this building which is now fenced off as the long awaited (decades) development work on the site has begun. The site was a bit grotty, but part of the character of the area will be lost forever once the graffiti and street art are no longer incorporated. Gentrification is gaining pace in the area.

Since I started wrioting posts about Face 1st, I have been calling him Face F1st…uit is a difficult thing to do once you have a habit, but I will from no on refer to him as Face 1st (which will bugger up my archive searches a little but there you go).

1462. Upfest 2017 (161)

Back to some more pieces from Upfest 2017 starting with the third collaboration from Caro Pepe and Age Age. I love the work that these two do together, and their different subject matter and styles complement each other so well and in this piece fuse together perfectly.

Age Age and Caro Pepe, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Age Age and Caro Pepe, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

At last year’s Upfest they definitely went for this subtle colour scheme of mauves and browns, which is actually very effective. These are not brash ‘in your face’ works, rather they are gentle comforting studies.

Age Age and Caro Pepe, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Age Age and Caro Pepe, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

Age Age’s contribution begins on the left and Caro Pepe’s on the right. The central panel is where they come together creating a robot girl whose right eye is covered over under the face mask. Of their three contributions, this is my favourite. I think they are returning this year and it will be interesting to see if they work together again.

Caro Pepe and Age Age, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Caro Pepe and Age Age, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Caro Pepe and Age Age, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Caro Pepe and Age Age, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017