Portrait – Page 14 – Natural adventures

6097. Vestry Street, Leicester

Smug, Vestry Street, Leicester, May 2024

This is another outstanding Smug piece that I photographed during a short visit to Leicester last month. It is difficult to convey the sheer scale of the piece, because it is relatively thin, but as you can see it is seven stories tall, and somehow manages to complement the building perfectly. I believe it has been here for quite a while, since at least 2019, but I might be wrong.

The stunning piece features a woman, perfectly slotted into this narrow space, with a bullfinch in flight by her head. The photorealistic representation is quite extraordinary, in particular the folds of the woman’s clothing and her scarf. This and the other Smug piece are worth the trip to Leicester alone. Utterly outstanding and overwhelming.

6094. Frome Side (35)

Hurrah, for Bloem. Her drive and creativity are something to admire, and as she progresses her confidence seems to grow. I had been aware of this portrait piece under the M32 for a while and hoping that it would still be there by the time I got round to visiting the spot, which I can only do without the dog.

The stylised portrait piece sees Bloem significantly extending her boundaries, and while there are many things to improve on, this one reminds me of some of the early work of Hazard, Pekoe and Rhozi (Rozalita), which is encouraging to say the least. The portrait is unusual and rather compelling, and is bookended with a rather nice design on the left and her name on the right. As I have said many times before, I really like her work, and feel excited each time I come across a new one.

6082. Greenbank (121)

It is a genuine privilege to have a stand out The Hass piece here on the Greenbank hoardings, which feels like it was a warm-up piece for his outstanding Upfest combination wall. This is street art of the highest calibre painted in a graffiti spot, and as such stands out a mile. Anyone passing by, and the cycle path gets a lot of footfall, would surely have to stop and admire such a thing of beauty.

The piece falls into two distinct halves which merge in the middle. The left-hand side features a delightful floral design, so delicate and pretty and to the right The Hass has painted a representation of a stone sculpture head, which is reminiscent of the great pieces by PichiAvo.

As a whole, this combination is a true masterpiece, and we are lucky in Bristol to have artists who turn out extraordinary work like this on a reasonably regular basis. This was one of the best surprises I have had on my ’rounds’ for quite a while.

6080. Cumberland Basin

Mind 49, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2024

There is an artist in Bristol whose steady progress over the last year or two has elevated him to a high status, and deservedly so. Mind 49 has been painting from an early age, and his development has been a joy to witness, and now he is turning out outstanding pieces on a regular basis. He seems to have found his style and his work reflects a greater confidence.

This is one of a few recent pieces that showcase Mind 49’s portrait style, in which he practically always obscures part or most of the face either by its orientation or the use of clothing or accessories, like these sunglasses. Because of this his portraits feel more grounded, and less posed than some portrait pieces that we see. Brilliant zip by the way. This one is so much better in ‘the flesh’ because my photographs are a little washed out, which can happen on this wall in the afternoon/early evening light. Keep watching this space for a whole lot more from Mind 49.

6074. Upfest 2024 (11)

Liam Bononi, Lime Road, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

Liam Bononi is right up there with some of the best street artists in the country and beyond, and it is a great privilege that he has returned to Bristol and Upfest with this outstanding portrait piece in Lime Road. I got a little lucky with these pictures, because there is usually a car parked in the bay, partially obscuring this wall.

The portrait piece is different from work I have seen before by the artist, in that usually he distorts the image in some way through ‘cracks’ or obscured features and so on, but here he appears to have gone with a straightforward portrait. His photorealistic work is outstanding and manages to convey more than simply an accurate portrayal by capturing both emotion and movement in the subject.

There is one nod to obscurity in this piece in the form of the golden violin bow, which is lacking in any detail. I am not too sure what to read into this deliberate mechanism, and may have to do a little research. One of the highlights of Upfest this year.

6058. Upfest 2024 (7)

The Hass, North Street Green, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

The Hass is an exceptional street artist whose talents never cease to amaze me, and he has knocked it out of the park with this extraordinary piece for Upfest this year. The long wall is at the back of the brick building on North Street Green, and I believe that this is the first year it has been ‘commandeered’ for the festival.

I think I got lucky with the gorgeous weather on the day I photographed this piece, because the colours of the grass and sky are reflected in the artwork. The whole piece is a mash-up of stunning portraits and a peacock and peacock feathers.

The Hass has made a clever play with the eye patterns on the feathers and the eyes in the portraits, quite deliberately I’m sure. Not only does the piece blend perfectly with some abstract shapes and patterns, but there is also some incredible detail throughout the work. It is unbelievable that the whole thing is painted using spray cans. Outstanding work.

6047. Hepburn Road (23)

This curious portrait piece from Zake is part of a PWA collaboration, but because of parked cars in Hepburn Road (formerly known as crack alley), I was unable to capture the whole collaboration. That kind of thing happens sometimes.

As I have said in previous posts, Zake seems to be pushing his boundaries all the time with his portraits, and although they all retain his clever use of light and shade to create depth, the characters and their expressions are constantly evolving. This rather dapper and shady fellow looks perfect for this dark narrow alleyway.

6044. Upfest 2024 (3)

Abraham.O, North Street, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

Wow! This is an utterly awesome portrait piece from El Salvadorian artist Abraham.O who is now based in London. He is well-known for his greyscale portrait pieces, and this is what I would describe as ‘high-end’ street art, the kind of thing that makes you gasp in amazement.

I understand the piece is a portrait of his wife, and what a wonderful way to demonstrate your love and affection. In photographing street art every day, one gets used to ‘street furniture’ getting in the way f things, and the gate across the right-hand edge of this one is annoying, but no more than that, as the piece stands out irrespective. The flower petals with the faintest hint of blue is a wonderful touch.

Abraham.O, Dean Lane, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

At Upfest, artists often leave behind little ‘extras’ and I believe this one in Dean Lane skate Park is by Abraham.O. There is a nice little biography of the artist on the Upfest artist pages of their website.

6037. Cumberland Basin

Daz Cat, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2024

From what I can gather, Daz Cat has been away for a little while travelling in Southeast Asia, and has recently returned to Bristol not only with some vigour but also with a newfound inspiration that is coming across very clearly in his new pieces, like this one in Cumberland Basin.

I can’t say I have really seen anything like this from Daz Cat before, it is like his work has taken a significant step change. There is more sophistication and depth to his character portrait, who appears to be a hybrid between a human and a cat. There are some great colours used in this piece, and the hair is just something else. Daz Cat has come a long way, and his journey is getting really interesting.

6033. Lawrence Hill roundabout (18)

Mind 49, Lawrence Hill roundabout, Bristol, April 2024

Lawrence Hill roundabout is a spot that is a little off the beaten track, and most of the graffiti down there is average at best, with a lot of bombers and taggers getting in some practice. Decent pieces tend not to last too long in a pristine state, but having said that turnover is pretty slow. I was therefore privileged on a recent speculative visit to find this beauty from Mind 49.

It has been wonderful to watch Mind 49’s development from a young artist at Upfest 17 when he was a youthful 16 year old painting under the name Mind Control. This piece follows the theme of concealed portraits that he has been painting in which parts of the face are obscured by hoods or glasses or other things and in this case by the fact that the subject is looking away. This style leaves more to the viewer’s imagination and is quite unusual in the street art world. This is a really wonderful piece tucked away from the more common spots.

	cjsmissionaryministe… on Thursday doors – 5 Febru…
	cjsmissionaryministe… on 7442. St Werburghs tunnel…
	scooj on Thursday doors – 5 Febru…
	scooj on Thursday doors – 5 Febru…
	scooj on 7449. Greenbank (180)

	cjsmissionaryministe… on Thursday doors – 5 Febru…
	cjsmissionaryministe… on 7442. St Werburghs tunnel…
	scooj on Thursday doors – 5 Febru…
	scooj on Thursday doors – 5 Febru…
	scooj on 7449. Greenbank (180)

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