Tag: Face

4876. Moon Street (100)

Zake, Moon Street, Bristol, December 2022
Zake, Moon Street, Bristol, December 2022

How has it taken me so long to post one hundred pieces from my beloved Moon Street? I guess, in recent years, painting here has reduced as the gentrification of the area has taken a grip, and so it is not so much of a graffiti destination, with artists preferring St Werburghs, Bedminster, St Paul’s or the River Avon. However, we do stopill get some beauties down there, including this very Zake, Zake character piece.

Zake, Moon Street, Bristol, December 2022
Zake, Moon Street, Bristol, December 2022

The rather disturbing face, exaggerated by its asymmetry, is arresting to say the very least. A slight reversion to his early form of portrait, his strengths come to the fore, especially his use of shading and highlights to create depth of features on the face. A worthy piece for my one hundredth Moon Street post.

4861. Dean Lane skate park (544)

Face 1st, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2022
Face 1st, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2022

In case you missed it, Face 1st is one of my favourite artists in Bristol. I try to post all his work that I come across, but it is an uphill struggle, so I do what I can. This one is on the famous curved wall at Dean Lane.

Face 1st, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2022
Face 1st, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2022

This is a stock sure thing from Face 1st, with a laughing girl’s face surrounded with FACE hair. In gold and yellow on a sky-blue background, the piece stands out, and there are some additional drips and bubbles to keep the interest. I haven’t seen any of the PWA crew for a long while, but next time I do, I will have to ask them about the significance of the gemstone, which appears in so much of their work.

4842. Brunel Way (183)

Mote, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2022
Mote, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2022

I would guess that I only manage to photograph about one in three of Mote’s pieces, which might give you an indication of how prolific he has been over the last few months. This piece under Brunel Way is a bit of a departure from his regular fare.

Mote, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2022
Mote, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2022

The stylised face is not a monster, but a human portrait, although it has all the characteristics of Mote’s work. Strong lines, solid fills and fine details created with black lines. The danger of painting the familiar, as opposed to wacky monsters, is that the piece will immediately be compared to a human face, there is a benchmark that we all have and recognise, and it is easier to criticise. Stylised works like this one work well, because they are self-knowing that they are representative of a face, but not an actual face. Great experimentation from Mote.

4770. Moon Street (98)

Face 1st, Moon Street, Bristol, October 2022
Face 1st, Moon Street, Bristol, October 2022

On one of my favourite walls, in one of my favourite streets, by one of my favourite artists. This is a lovely piece by Face 1st, and something of a new idea, with a bit of fragmentation going on in the girl’s smiling face. As is usually the case, the hair spells out FACE.

Face 1st, Moon Street, Bristol, October 2022
Face 1st, Moon Street, Bristol, October 2022

This is a piece that is not only well painted, but also is full of energy and movement. It is pieces like this one that remind me how much I love photographing and following street art in Bristol, seeing and capturing talent and beauty. Time to update my Face 1st gallery, as he has been on a very productive streak lately.

4711. M32 roundabout J3 (430)

Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2022
Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2022

This Face 1st piece on the M32 roundabout is a little bit hidden away, and doesn’t appear to have done the rounds on Instagram as much as some of his other recent pieces, it is however an absolute beauty.

Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2022
Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2022

Face 1st usually paints in three basic formats; writing the word FACE with a face in one of the letters, painting a girl figure (usually smiling) or painting a girl’s face with the work FACE appearing in the hair. This piece is in the latter format. The happy face is splashed with wonderfully complementary colours and lots of dripping gloop. Another fun piece from Face 1st.

4655. Upfest 2022 (42)

Iain Macarthur, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Iain Macarthur, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

Although Upfest was Highly populated with local artists this year, there were also at least twice as many who had travelled across Britain, Europe or the world to the city. Iain Macarthur is an illustrator from London whose work tends to focus around the deconstruction of faces/heads, of which this Upfest piece is a fine example.

Iain Macarthur, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Iain Macarthur, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

This colourful piece explores what lies behind the face, and the answer here seems to be a tangled mass of blue and red organic tissue. Definitely an interesting study, and one that doesn’t present as gory or distasteful. A nice piece, well-designed for the tall, thin board.

Iain MacArthur, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Iain MacArthur, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

4641. Brunel Way (168)

Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, August 2022
Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, August 2022

Today we discover Pula, which on first impressions is my kind of City, with a huge Roman and Italian influence. Definitely looking forward to getting out there and exploring the place. The casualty in this happy state of affairs is this fine column piece by Maybe.

Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, August 2022
Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, August 2022

Maybe has switched-up his face to face composition with a rather more angular version which is rotationally symmetrical, and very easy on the eye. A year on from his first appearances under Brunel Way and I am still very much enjoying finding Maybe’s work.

4550. Dean Lane skate park (506)

A quick one today – there is a lot going on in the real world – it is not every day that the worst Prime Minister ever resigns, and it felt for a little while late night that he never would.

Zake has been on fire this year, and due to his productivity rate, some of his pieces have been painted over by the time I have got to them. I got to this one in time, at least.

Zake, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022
Zake, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022

This piece is a fairly typical Zake face with all the fabulous touches he brings to the shadows of the face, giving the whole thing depth and a 3D quality. I suspect that this was rather a ‘quick one’ but nicely finished nonetheless.

4547. M32 Cycle path (178)

The most consistently prolific artist over the last seven years is without doubt Face 1st. His tireless drive to keep producing wonderful pieces is enviable and really rather awesome. I don’t know where he gets the energy, or the cash for paint from. I guess I don’t need to know, but simply enjoy the benefits of his heroic efforts.

Face 1st, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2022
Face 1st, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2022

This is a rather nice FACE piece with a girl’s face in place of the ‘A’. The letters are large and bold, as if carved out of stone, and the grey of the letters contrasts wonderfully well with the Orange hair of the smiling girl. When the world grinds to a halt, Face 1st will still be out there painting letters and smiling girls on walls. It is just what he does.

4526. The Full Moon

When Zake first appeared on my radar a few years ago, I managed to pretty much keep on top of his work, only rarely missing a piece in Bristol. These days, he is painting so much in so many spots, it is difficult to keep up. I have been meaning to photograph this one in the Full Moon in Stokes Croft for some time, and finally got round to it a week or two ago.

Zake, The Full Moon, Bristol, June 2022
Zake, The Full Moon, Bristol, June 2022

Zake has sprayed this fine monkey in a spacesuit (a theme I have seen before) with a happy moon behind on a gate at the back of the pub courtyard garden. As ever, the faces are beautifully painted and Zake has used his highlighting technique to great effect, with blue shadowing in the creases of the features on both faces. Very nice work from Zake.