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.
This is a small quick one from Pekoe painted underneath one of the ramps at Dean Lane skate park around the time of the DLH event. I think that Pejoe has painted a piece here once before and I’ll try and dig it out and add it to the end of this post.
Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2020
This one is a little more multi-coloured in the face than her usual pieces, but you can see that it was probably painted quite quickly, lacking the finesse of some of her other work. It is a lovely piece nonetheless and for once no tears. Nice to see a cheeky little Smak tag thrown in too.
The last few weeks have seen a rash of Pekoe pieces popping up all over the place and it has been a real pleasure to see. Her distinctive style is the perfect complement to the large and growing cohort of graffiti writers in the city.
Pekoe, M32 cycle path, Bristol, July 2020
This piece by Pekoe is a real celebration of Bristol and articulates exactly how I feel about the city. Bristol has a great culture and with its history steeped in colonialism and the slave trade it is working hard to confront and come to terms with its past and move forward in a progressive and equitable way. The Black Lives Matters movement has had huge support in Bristol and a desire to understand white privilege and to take steps to make things right. We are at the start of something special I hope.
I love the green face and the hairstyle in this piece is a little different, but no less marvellous. A terrific work.
Here she comes again, the magnificent Pekoe with one of her eye-catching portraits. This one was painted recently during a weekend paint jam by the great and the good of Bristol. Pekoe is another artist who has been very active since the easing of lock down. We are getting very spoilt by our street artists at the moment.
Pekoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2020
There are several aspects of this piece that signify it as a Pekoe piece… the bright colourful face, big hair with beautiful patterning and a third eye that adorns several of her pieces. She has been an active supporter of the Black Lives Matter campaign and is orchestrator-in-chief of the RBF crew. Love this one.
The second piece from the RBF collaboration is by the organiser of the BLM wall Pekoe, and is a superb face and characteristically colourful and decorated hair. Pekoe’s work is so distinctive and somehow feels very ‘Bristol’ if that makes sense.
Pekoe, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2020
I don’t think I will ever tire of her work, which is always colourful and vibrant. Her pieces often seem to be tinged with a little sadness, emphasised by the tear, a signature element of her work. This one is a real beauty and even more powerful as part of this Black Lives Matter wall.
RBF Crew + friends, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2020
This piece, in the heart of Stokes Croft came as a complete surprise to me on one of my Covid-19 dog walks last week. It is by the wonderful Pekoe and painted over one of her previous pieces here, and from that I can guess that this is one of her favoured spots.
Pekoe, Stokes Croft, Bristol, April 2020
There is always a lot of emotion in Pekoe’s pieces, sometimes happy, often sad, but this one look different particularly downcast. Maybe the sadness is reflective of the Coronavirus pandemic and all the baggage that comes with it.
All the trademarks are here, a colourful face, big hair in multi-colours with lots of symbols in it and a tear. Another fine piece from Pekoe.
What a dazzling portrait from Pekoe on Dean Lane. It is so good to see that she is painting a lot already this year and that this is the fourth piece I have posted (I think) from her so far in 2020.
Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2020
I would say that the facial features on this piece are as good as I have seen on a pekoe face to date, and that maybe having a solid fill rather than shadings has accentuated the features. I would make a further observation, which is a very minor point because I do really like the piece, that the hair on top needs to go a bit higher for the whole head to be in proportion. I am guessing that the height of the wall here was the limiting factor, not the talent of the artist
Modest and understated, Pekoe just goes about her business from time to time. No fanfare, no fuss and she turns out pieces like this beauty behind the railings on the swimming pool wall at Dean Lane.
Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2020
This is the second piece by Pekoe that I am aware of this year, the other was down by the M32. Typically, Pekoe has painted a portrait, this one in three quarter view, with characteristic big hair decrated with rain drops, stars and an unhappy ‘smiley’. Many of her pieces are tinged with sadness which I hope is not indicative of her own state. It is always a pleasure to find her work.
I absolutely love this stylised portrait by Pekoe. It kind of ticks a lot of boxes for me. It is bright and colourful, thoughtful and emotional, simple and complex, a really great piece which is tucked away at the lower end of ‘crack alley’.
Pekoe, Hepburn Road, Bristol, January 2020
I haven’t yet had the pleasure of meeting Pekoe, but look forward to such an occasion… it is only a matter of time. Pretty much all of her works that I have seen are portraits, and most convey a lot of emotion, for example, in this piece the subject is crying triangular tears, there is a sadness here, common to a few of her other works. I was so pleased to find this, before seeing it on Instagram as is the case with so many pieces these days… nice to make a real discovery.
Natural adventures 