Portrait – Natural adventures

7494. Purdown (100)

Conrico, Purdown, Bristol, February 2026

I do love the spot up at Purdown; it serves the dual purpose being a fabulous place to walk the dog, and there can often be some surprising new street art additions on the concrete slabs at the former WWII gun emplacement. This beauty by Conrico was quite fresh, the last time I went there.

I am very much enjoying Conrico’s portrait pieces, and he is in a deep purple patch of form. This bright portrait piece shows off Conrico’s style at its best. He uses his spray can more like a brush, with short bursts used to apply layers of paint, rather than long solid fills. He is, I think, the best at this technique in Bristol, and his works look like they could easily have been painted in a studio. I love the green jacket and all the folds and shades in it. This is a masterful piece, and I like the young couple sitting above it enjoying the view over the city.

7481. Surbiton Station, London

Curiouser, Surbiton Station, London, February 2026

Although I came across this wall at Surbiton Station only a couple of weeks ago, I think that some of the pieces there have survived a long while, and in Curiouser’s Instagram, she posted this piece way back in December 2021. Although the piece has suffered a little from the weather and some light tagging, her talent and story shine through.

The portrait is stunning, with a great understanding of light, shade and depth. The picture depicts a story of aliens and spaceships. I don’t think I have seen any work by the artist before, but she would be perfect candidate for Upfest I would have thought. I’ll be looking out for her work next time I visit and spots in London.

7462. St Werburghs tunnel (567)

Neddy Ned Ned and Jest Soubriquet, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2026

It has been really hard work finding new pieces so far this year. The near constant rain has kept most artists at home. I am expecting a deluge of work once the sun returns, and my files for March and April to be overflowing. At least St Werburghs tunnel seems to offer refuge for those brave enough to venture out, like Neddy Ned Ned and Jest Soubriquet.

Neddy Ned Ned, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2026

I really wasn’t expecting this piece, so it definitely came as a pleasant surprise. The letters, spelling out WISKA are by Neddy Ned Ned, and are full of colour, with delineated horizontal stripes running through the letters in colour sequences. The drop shadow has a disappearing point in the middle of the piece, and the upper half colours are black and green and the lower half, red and green. A nicely thought out piece.

Jest Soubriquet, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2026

The portrait piece by Jest Soubriquet is really striking, especially the lips and eyes. I feel that the top half of the head needs to be higher, as the proportions don’t quite work. I like the mix of a realistic face with stylised hair, it works for me. Nice to see these two painting together.

7460. M32 Spot (215)

Conrico, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2026

Conrico has been smashing it out of the park lately, particularly with his portrait work, which can be a welcome relief from overdosing on graffiti writing. This is a wonderful column piece underneath the M32, and a perfect showcase of Conrico’s work.

In this piece, Conrico has painted a young woman sitting cross-legged with her hand held out and the letters GYS (Graveyard Shift) emblazoned on her palm. There are loads of layers and textures in her clothes, and what is quite remarkable is that the piece is entirely painted with spray cans and not a paint brush in sight. Fine red and white outlines are carefully applied to give definition and sharpness. This is simply brilliant, both in composition and execution.

7428. Dean Lane skate park (899)

Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2025

Having had a wonderful first day of skiing yesterday, I decided to write today’s posts last night so that things weren’t quite so rushed in the morning. This is another banging piece by Pekoe from my archives too last September, another one that slipped through the cracks.

Pekoe and her RBF friends have has a quiet 2025, which I hope is just a blip, because I love their work, especially as they tend to paint together, bringing me lots of pieces to admire at once. This is a delightful portrait piece of a blue_faced lady with wonderful garlands in her hair. It feels like a bit of a throw-back to some of her older work and it is really beautiful. More please in 2026.

7424. M32 Spot (214)

Face 1st, M32 Spot, Bristol, August 2025

A really quick one today as I head off to the Alps for a week of skiing. I will probably be in the air at the time this scheduled post is published. I remain a firm fan of Face 1st, and more than any other artist, he epitomises my relationship with the Bristol scene. We had a chance to catch up a week or two back while he was painting on the M32 roundabout – a piece I never saw, because it was over painted within a day or so. He really is a lovely man, enjoying life in Herefordshire.

This is a classic piece of Face 1st artwork – a smiling girl character with big hair, spelling FACE. The piece was photographed in August last year and has been retrieved from my archives, filling in while January pieces are a little thin on the ground. A lovely combination piece, perfectly matched with the spot.

7416. Cumberland Basin

Shade One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026

There are a few artists in Bristol who specialise in portrait pieces, and at the top of the tree are Shade One, Mind49 and Stivs. Shade One celebrated his own birthday paint jam with this magnificent portrait of a young woman on the long wall at Cumberland Basin.

What makes this piece super-special is that it has been painted using greyscale colours, but somehow that is not the first thought one has when first seeing it. The cartoon style is more forgiving than photorealism, but nonetheless equally effective. The blue background complements the detail in the portrait. Superb work.

7412. BB Gallery (11)

Conrico, BB Gallery, Bristol, December 2025

Conrico turns out some incredible work, and has done so, in his unique style, for some years now. Recently he has been going through a purple patch, with an increased vibrancy and storytelling element to his work.

The combination piece, tucked away on the Bristol to Bath cycle path, features a female street-wise character and some writing set on an urban skyline. There is a wonderful contrast between the bright colourful foreground, and the grey foreboding backdrop. Everything appears to have been painted with brushstrokes, but that is Conrico’s style, and I really like it. I am not sure what the GYS stands for (I believe it to be a crew that includes Daz Cat and others), but I will find out soon enough. Beautiful work from Conrico.

7360. St Werburghs tunnel (556)

Jenks, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2025

Arguably, the most eye-catching piece from the Minto birthday paint jam was this extraordinary portrait by Jenks. The session coincided with Halloween, and this menacing horror piece certainly dined out on the spooky festival.

The technique used to generate the reflections in the mask is of the highest quality, incorporating loads of colour tones to create the effect. Furthermore, the distortions in the screaming girl figure and the scene around her create the illusion of a world we can’t see from this side of the mask.

It takes a great deal of skill and experience to produce a piece like this one, but the effort is worth it because of the impression it leaves behind. This is a wonderful piece from the visiting artist Jenks.

7318. Stokes Croft

Vandalist, Stokes Croft, Bristol, November 2025

I have made a few trips into the office recently, which has both benefits and disbenefits. It is great to have some face to face meetings with ‘real people’ and good to catch up with old friends, which is always nice. The walk in, however, takes 40 minutes, effectively adding 1 hour 20 minutes of unproductive time to my day. On the upside, it is not entirely unproductive, as I get to see if there is any new art along the way. On one such walk, I found this stunning shutter and shopfront piece by Vane in Stokes Croft. It took me a little bit of detective work and luck to find out that it was Vane (Vandalist) who had created this wonder.

I was looking for an explanation of the portrait piece and found it on Vane’s Instagram feed. His words are as follows:

I was asked to paint this memorial portrait on Stokes Croft, Bristol – of the late, great Gerald Valentine Phillips.
Gerry was a pillar in the local community. Despite his history as an addict he spent 25 years clean, helping people through their own recoveries and founded a number of care based charities in Bristol including Emerge and Cherry Orchard Care

The backstory to this piece makes it all the more poignant. Painting portraits on shutters cannot be easy, and this is a technical feat as well as a visual joy. It is lovely to see how community figures can be remembered in this public way. Well done Vane.

	hitandrun1964 on 7494. Purdown (100)
	hitandrun1964 on 7497. Surbiton Station, L…
	skat on London bound
	Bill Bisgood on Football train
	Cethru Cellophane (a… on Football train

	hitandrun1964 on 7494. Purdown (100)
	hitandrun1964 on 7497. Surbiton Station, L…
	skat on London bound
	Bill Bisgood on Football train
	Cethru Cellophane (a… on Football train

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