Tag: Hair

7195. River Avon (93)

Scrapyardspec, River Avon, Bristol, September 2025
Scrapyardspec, River Avon, Bristol, September 2025

I always feel much happier writing about street art once I have met with the artist. For me, it feels like I have been through some process of validation and gives me confidence to speak more authoritatively about street art and the pieces in question. This lovely piece by Scrapyardspec is a case in point.

Scrapyardspec, River Avon, Bristol, September 2025
Scrapyardspec, River Avon, Bristol, September 2025

I met Scrapyardspec about a month ago, and we chatted for quite a while. He shared with me what I’d already noticed, that he was developing his characters a little bit, now that he was confident of his archetype and his painting skills were improving. Here, the character has rudimentary limbs, and a rather fetching pink hairdo. Great to see him improving and pushing his boundaries.

7152. Cumberland Basin

Scrapyardspec, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2025
Scrapyardspec, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2025

When I look through my archives from this summer, I keep finding pieces by Scrapyardspec, and so what you see here on Natural Adventures is only a proportion of the pieces he has painted in Bristol. This one is a relatively recent piece created at a paint jam celebrating Werm’s birthday, and at which I met Scrapy for the first time.

Scrapyardspec, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2025
Scrapyardspec, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2025

The most notable thing about this piece is the inclusion of hair and the addition of rudimentary arms and feet. Scrapyardspec and I discussed his development a little and I think that now he has grown in confidence and has his archetype nailed, he can play around a lot more with his characters and improve as an artist. I am very much looking forward to watching his onward journey.

7029. M32 Cycle path (292)

Face 1st, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2025
Face 1st, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2025

I don’t think there will ever be a time when I am not happy to see a piece by Face 1st. Of course, since he moved away from Bristol, that sense of joy is heightened, because his pieces appear less frequently and have become a little bit of a rarity.

Face 1st, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2025
Face 1st, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2025

This is a classic laughing girl with big hair piece from Face 1st. The big hair spells out FACE, in script-like letters, with a very deep drop shadow. The blue tones with the white face work well, and although not the tidiest piece I have seen from the artist it is nonetheless distinctive and very, very Bristol.

6947. Dean Lane skate park (835)

Zake, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2025
Zake, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2025

I am used to seeing Zake character pieces that tend to be head-on round faces in a cartoon style with lots of light and shade creating depth, so this is something a little different.

Zake, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2025
Zake, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2025

The profile portrait of an androgenous person draws more on a realistic version of a character than the cartoon style I am used to from Zake. The hair, in particular (most of his characters are bald), is great to see, demonstrating that Zake is far more than simply a one-trick pony. Definitely an unusual piece from one of the most prolific artists painting in Bristol at the moment. I have updated my gallery of Zake’s work so you can see what I mean.

6491. St Werburghs tunnel (454)

Face 1st, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2024
Face 1st, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2024

I managed to catch up with Face 1st at  Goldie’s Metal Headz paint jam a couple of weeks ago (lots more on that to come). During our conversation he broke the news that he has moved to Herefordshire, and he is really happy with the move with his family. Of course, this means that we won’t be seeing quite so much of his work on the streets of Bristol, which is a real shame, but the reason behind it is great news for Face 1st, and I wish him well.

Face 1st, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2024
Face 1st, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2024

This is a classic combination piece from Face 1st, with a girl’s face and hair fused with the word FACE, this time in 3D block writing. The whole thing has been splattered with pink gunge, a device that Face 1st uses a lot. There is no doubt that I will miss the frequency of his work and I will be keeping my eyes peeled for any visits he makes to his old stomping ground.

To honour his departure to pastures new, here is an updated gallery of his work.

Lick and stick

.

Once, when I had hair

tufts would be dealt with swiftly

mother’s lick and stick

.

by Scooj

5972. M32 Cycle path (261)

Bean, M32 Cycle path, Bristol April 2024
Bean, M32 Cycle path, Bristol April 2024

By the time this post is published I will be half way through a team away day in Derbyshire, planting trees. I have to leave right now so that I am not late for my lift.

Bean, M32 Cycle path, Bristol April 2024
Bean, M32 Cycle path, Bristol April 2024

This is another magnificent piece by Bean whose Easter break return to Bristol has been both productive and seen some real improvements in his work. I love the character’s hair in this piece. Norma’s service resumes tomorrow I hope.

3816. Greenbank (11)

One of the things that regular readers of Natural Adventures might have noticed is the high proportion of female street artists that are featured. This is not me being selective, but an honest reflection of just how many female artists are regularly painting these days. I am saying this as a brilliant thing, not as a surprising thing, which I think might shatter a few people’s preconceptions about street art and graffiti. There are few artists, male or female, who appear as regularly as Pekoe.

Pekoe, Greenbank, Bristol, June 2021
Pekoe, Greenbank, Bristol, June 2021

This wonderful portrait piece is on the (very) long wall at Greenbank. The face, in yellow, has features that are really clear and sharp, and the blue lips are particularly eye-catching. The big hair, a Pekoe trademark, is beautifully decorated with all sorts of squiggles and symbols. Another triumph from the lovely Pekoe.

3802. M32 roundabout J3 (337)

I mentioned in a recent post that Zake has been busy of late, and this new piece is a fine example of the rich vein of form he is in at the moment. Painted in collaboration with Soap and arte.mis.29 on the M32 roundabout wall.

Zake, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021
Zake, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021

The face (what else?) appears to be that of a woman and her hair blends into a head scarce, and it is hard to know where the one ends and the other begins. As always with Zake’s work he pays a lot of attention to shading and shadows to create relief in the feature of the face. A really lovely piece.

3292. Cheltenham 2020 (14)

There were so many Bristol artists at the Cheltenham Paint Festival, which should have come as no surprise really as it is only a short distance away. One of those artists was Pekoe with this rather nice portrait piece.

Pekoe, Paint festival, Cheltenham, September 2020
Pekoe, Paint festival, Cheltenham, September 2020

Pekoe’s portraits are easy to identify, usually by the fabulous styling of big hair filled and decorated, and this piece certainly doesn’t disappoint on that score. I stupidly haven’t met Pekoe yet, but I guess it is just a matter of time, being in the right place at the right time, although with a new lock down in place that might be a little while away.