It seems that there is barely a spot in Bristol that Pekoe hasn’t painted on over the last week or so, I am finding her work everywhere. This is a quick ‘sketch’ to use her own words, tucked away under the M32.
Pekoe, M32 Spot, Bristol, March 2021
Even in sketch form her work is immediately recognisable and has a way of drawing the viewer in. This time a pink-faced girl with light blue hair fits the bill and delivers brilliantly. This is the first of a batch of several pieces from Pekoe painted in the last week or two- watch this space.
The fabulous purple patch that Pekoe seems to be enjoying continues with this wonderful portrait piece in the corner of Montpelier Park. There is a lot of joy in the piece, and it reminds me a little of the kind of portraits that Kid Crayon does… bright and unusual colours and a hat.
Pekoe, Montpelier Park, Bristol, January 2021
I recently visited Montpelier to switch up my walks a little bit and give the dog a bit of variety. It was a fruitful trip and finding this was the jewel in the crown. I knew of its existence, but I didn’t know where in Bristol it was, so I kind of got lucky. Something really likeable about this one and Pekoe seems to be turning out some happy pieces.
Pekoe’s portraits just keep getting better and better and seem to flow with the ease of an artist really enjoying their trade. There is something just a little bit special about this one, Maybe it is the RBF T-shirt, maybe it is something else, but it works very well for me.
Pekoe, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2021
The lighting in the tunnel, as I have said countless times, is dreadful, and I had to adjust the colours to be a truer representation, because my original photograph was ‘yellowed out’. No tears on the face of this young lady, but an emphasis on cheeks and lips. Big hair as always and an all-round wonderful portrait piece.
Here is yet another banging portrait piece from the lovely Pekoe who is on something of a roll at the moment. If I didn’t already have a gallery of her work then I would certainly have to pull one together based on her last couple of month’s work alone.
Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020
A bold blue face this time, again in a three-quarter profile, and such sumptuous pink lips. The hair is given the pink treatment too with the black lines and multitude of little decorations such as diamonds, hearts and teardrops. This is Pekoe at her commanding best. There is something about this piece that I find rather calming and serene… it might be the closed eyes and the colour selections.
Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020
This was another of those pieces that I was lucky enough to find before I knew of its existence through social media and that always makes the discovery a little sweeter. I hope that Pekoe keeps this purple patch going because I am having great fun seeking out her work.
It was while she was finishing off this piece that I first formally met the wonderful Pekoe, thanks to an introduction from Paul H. It was so good at last to meet her, and especially nice because she knew exactly who I was and was appreciative of the posts I had written here on Natural Adventures and on Instagram.
Pekoe, M32 cycle path, Bristol, November 2020
Pekoe, as well as finishing off her own piece was helping a friend with practising his own art work adjacent to her portrait. The act of a kind and helpful person. Her green three-quarter profile is exquisitely offset by the shock of orange hair collected into a bun, making great use of the space available on the panel she was painting.
Pekoe, M32 cycle path, Bristol, November 2020
Big hair is a major part of Pekoe’s portraits and in this one she has really excelled herself in my view. The decorations intertwined in the bright orange, red and yellow hair show off her signature style. I love this piece and will always associate it with making her acquaintance for the first time of many I hope.
Shutters have become a much prominent feature of the city this year because of the increased frequency that shops have had to remain closed due to a sequence of lockdowns and restrictions. This has offered up an opportunity for street artists to either paint new shutters, or for older shutters to be appreciated by a wider public. I guess I am looking for a silver lining to this terrible pandemic… clutching at straws maybe.
Pekoe, Ashley Road, Bristol, December 2020
Anyhoo, this is a wonderful addition to the shutter pieces from Pekoe, who has hit a bit of a purple patch lately. I love this portrait, the way it fills the space so perfectly, slightly off-centre and the face is in three-quarters profile, which I love. The woman’s black hair and decorations are particularly nicely done. I think that this is my favourite shutter piece of the year. Bravo! Pekoe.
Once again the busy Pekoe brings us good cheer with this tidy little portrait piece on a pillar supporting Brunel Way. One of the features I love the most about her work is the bright colours she uses for the faces she paints, and why not use them when it seems to work so well.
Pekoe, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2020
Meeting her about a week ago was a genuine pleasure and long overdue. She celebrated her birthday yesterday, so I thought I’d post this piece to celebrate. The letters on the hat may not make much sense to readers, so I’ll enlighten you. BS3 is a Bristol postcode for the Bedminster area and RBF stands for the Resting Bitch Face crew. Nice piece.
Pekoe has been a very busy lady lately, with a flush of small portraits dotted around the city, which is very good news indeed. After years of writing about her work I finally got to meet her at a paint jam last weekend. Although this piece was photographed before I met her, I was able to tell her how much I liked it.
Pekoe, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2020
Sometimes ‘street furniture’ interferes with taking photographs of street art, but in this instance I think it somehow adds to the ambience and environment. The bin, bike and coffee cup complement the scene, but the star here is definitely the outstanding yellow-faced portrait. I really like this piece, she has managed to create something special in quite a tight space and I like the way she has separated the portrait from the wall with a thick gold outline. A classy piece from the lovely Pekoe.
I cannot think of a Pekoe portrait that I haven’t liked. Her style is so recognisable and has a beautiful innocence about it, if you know what I mean. There is no pretension, it is what it is and isn’t pretending to be anything else, and I like that.
Pekoe, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2020
This piece appeared last week alongside a Bnie piece in the tunnel and together they painted under the RBF banner. The three-quarter portrait reverts to a theme often used by Pekoe, namely a third eye on the forehead. The turquoise, pink and yellow colours work very nicely together and the decorative features are wonderful. I particularly like the green shading on the woman’s shoulders and face that give a lift to the whole portrait. Lovely work.
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’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.