This small piece by Pekoe marks the return of her ‘XXX hates fascists’, theme, which in this instance declares that is it Bristol that hates fascists, and one can be on fairly safe ground that it is indeed the case. It would look odd if somebody raised a hand and said “well, actually, I quite like fascists” – we know that they are out there though.
Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2025
The piece was painted for Dean Lane Hardcore, I think. I feel that I haven’t seen enough of Pekoe’s work this year, and there has been a period of quiet from the regular drumbeat of RBF (Resting Bitch Face) paint jams this year – Family life seems to be a factor for some members. As ever, I look forward to more from Pekoe.
This is a tribute piece, one of many to the late Paroe, on the long wall at Sparke Evans Park. Pekoe’s stylised portrait pieces are no stranger to Natural Adventures and I have observed over the years that emotions underpin her pieces and that is for sure the case here.
Pekoe, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, July 2025
The woman has a sorrowful expression, somewhat amplified by the tear of sadness. Tears used to be a common feature of Pekoe’s pieces, but of late they have been less common, perhaps reflecting her own happier disposition.
Pekoe, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, July 2025
This piece is archetypal Pekoe, and that is a wonderful thing. A beautiful portrait with strong features, especially eyes and lips, and some great shading. The wonderful hair is a trademark element of Pekoe’s work which is nicely coloured with green and yellow bands. Another fine portrait piece from Pekoe.
Pekoe and SPZero76, Knowle West, Bristol, July 2025
I knew that there has been a paint jam somewhere in South Bristol recently, but I had no idea where. Then along came John Bennett who occasionally reads this blog and sent me the location. Even then, it took me a while to find this treasure trove, but it was well worth persevering to locate the quiet little side street.
Pekoe and SPZero76, Knowle West, Bristol, July 2025
This collaboration from Pekoe and SPZero76 is the first of several posts from this little backwater. Pekoe’s portrait is notable for the cat perched on the woman’s head and the inclusion of shoulders and upper torso, which is so often missing in Pekoe’s work. SPZero76 has painted one of his crazy raccoons, which includes a little cat sitting on a cloud of spray paint. I love the contrast in their comments too. Pekoe’s earnest ‘fund art not war’ contrasting with SPZero76’s rather hilarious ‘read more comics’. Such is the diversity of the street art community.
There is never a time when I am not utterly made up when finding a portrait piece by Pekoe. This is a modest piece in the tunnel, which was painted as part of the Wispa birthday celebration paint jam in June.
Pekoe, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2025
Pekoe’s subject and style has been a consistent landmark in the Bristol street art scene for years, and her corralling of the RBF crew is admirable. This portrait has some great colour contrasts – I love those glossy green lips, and green eyes. Pekoe has had a relatively quiet year so far, but I live forever in hope to find more of her work.
I’m not sure why, but I am always surprised (and thrilled) when I see collaborations between Pekoe and Sepr. Somehow in my head I don’t see them as natural collaborators, but how wrong I am. This delightfully witty piece on the long hoarding at Greenbank took me several attempts to get decent pictures. The fine weather we have been experiencing has a downside which is that full sun causes shadows to be cast everywhere. Eventually I took advantage of an overcast day and made my way to the spot.
Sepr, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2025
The combination tells a story of a headless chicken, and in the left hand side, Sepr has created one of his superb cartoon characters, in this case a ‘one chicken band’. Obviously the festive bird wasn’t to everyone’s taste and the decapitated body marches on as the head complete with party hat watches on.
Pekoe, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2025
The perpetrator of the violent crime is a rather charming young woman wielding an axe, which makes one feel a little uncomfortable. Pekoe has done a great job here and unusually has painted more of a full character than her more usual head portrait. I have noticed that recently she has also been painting traffic cones in her pieces, like a little signature. The collaboration is witty, gruesome and really well painted. It would be great to see more of these story pieces from these great artists.
Stivs and Pekoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2025
It was great to see this collaboration from Stivs and Pekoe recently, two artists who are knocking out some fabulous work at the moment. To the left, the calligraffiti letters are by Stivs and the character portrait on the right is by Pekoe.
Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2025
Stivs has written his familiar letters DSC, which stands for Dog Supremacy Crew (formerly Dog Shit Crew – I think). The beautiful letters are not quite as elaborate as some of his calligraffiti pieces, but are nonetheless impressive. From the size and intricacy of it, I would think that he painted this fairly quickly.
Pekoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2025
To the right, Pekoe, in keeping with the collaboration colour scheme, has painted this wonderful blue-faced portrait of a young woman with a fabulous hairdo. There is a symmetry in the face, and a slightly haunting stare. The piece is beautifully produced, and so very neat and tidy. I am not sure what the significance of the road cone is, but I’ll take it.
Pekoe is a firm favourite on Natural Adventures, and this piece, which was painted alongside RBF crew friends Desi and Pura formed the centrepiece of the triptych. I know that Pekoe has an interest in stained-glass windows, and this piece perfectly reflects that interest.
Pekoe, Greenway Bush Lane, Bristol, February 2025
I love Pekoe’s tagline, which appears in most of her work these days ‘hot girls hate fascists’ because it really belittles those whose attitudes are shaped by nasty figures such as Andrew Tate, Trump and the like, who prey on the disillusionment of young men and steer them towards a far right solution to all their problems and whose attitudes undo all the progressive policies that have made the world a much fairer place in my lifetime.
This is a lovely piece that showcases Pekoes versatility, and I wonder if we are going to see any more of these stained-glass style pieces in the future.
Pekoe is my heroine for coming up with this series of portrait pieces with the wonderful words ‘hot girls hate fascists’. We live in an uncertain time, when nationalism and the far right are on the rise, and we need look no further than to Trump and Musk to see the devastating effects and chaos caused by self-interest and populism. Pekoe provides a powerful and simple message for these people – it is not a good look.
Pekoe, Frome Side, Bristol, January 2025
I have always admired Pekoe’s work and every single time I find one of her pieces I get an endorphin kick, which I guess is why I like finding and photographing street art, it is my rest and recreation. In this portrait piece the lady is either a devil or is wearing a devil hairband. I love the white streaks in the hair, providing gloss, and the lady’s face has a wicked smile. A wonderful piece under the M32.
This is yet another piece from the very well-attended birthday RBF paint jam in honour of Desi and Even back in January. It is a fabulous portrait piece by the lovely Pekoe. It has been a relatively quiet winter for Pekoe, but I am pleased to report she has definitely become more active this side of Christmas.
Pekoe, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, January 2025
This portrait is beautifully finished, with superb tight lines, fills and borders. I am particularly struck by the white highlights that complete the piece superbly, on the lips, the eyes and most significantly adding a shine to the hair. The theme for the paint jam was Studio Ghibli, a Japanese animation outfit, and I don’t know if the spiders have anything to do with that or whether they are simply random additions. The other character to the left is part of Bbygwya’s adjacent combination piece.
What an honour for Pekoe to have a lovely birthday tribute piece from Smak back in December last year. This is a classic piece of traditional Smak graffiti writing, and reminds me of some of the first pieces I noticed by the artist, many years ago.
Smak, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2024
The letters are mostly created by the outlines, and the fills resemble the background, giving them a bit of a transparent look. This piece also picks up on Smak’s current theme of including palm trees and hinting at the tropics. Great work from Smak.
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