Tag: Portrait

5831. Purdown (67)

Jevoissoul, Purdown, Bristol, January 2024
Jevoissoul, Purdown, Bristol, January 2024

I think I have met Jevoissoul only once, and we had a great discussion about his emergence on the scene and his likely direction of travel. He told me at that point that he had ambitions to be very busy and to paint all over Bristol. Fast-track a few months, and he appears to be realising his plans, with new pieces popping up all over the place.

Jevoissoul, Purdown, Bristol, January 2024
Jevoissoul, Purdown, Bristol, January 2024

This typical piece is on one of the square concrete slabs of the WWII gun emplacement at the top of the hill at Purdown, with commanding views across Bristol. The picassoesque character is clutching a rather large joint from which a slug of smoke wafts upwards. I like Jevoissoul’s work and I would like to see him develop his ideas to create new scenarios. I’m sure this will come in time.

5807. St Mark’s Avenue (9)

Sako and Zake, St Mark's Avenue, Bristol, January 2024
Sako and Zake, St Mark’s Avenue, Bristol, January 2024

Photographing this piece in a narrow alley in Easton was never going to be easy. I had to remove (and replace) three heavy wheelie bins, just to get sight of the collaboration by Sako and Zake. There are other bits and bobs obscuring the piece, but I am an archivist, not a blooming street cleaner.

Sako and Zake, St Mark's Avenue, Bristol, January 2024
Sako and Zake, St Mark’s Avenue, Bristol, January 2024

I really enjoy Sako’s work, which has more than a hint of mystery and intrigue. Using his favoured blue and purple tints, he has created a gangway leading into a tunnel, with a giant hand emerging from the water and a tiny figure standing on a finger. Wistfully looking on is a profile portrait piece by Zake, which is quite unlike his more usual larger-than-life exaggerated cartoon portraits. A beautiful face and beautiful hair.

This is a fine collaboration from the pair of artists, and has left me wondering what it is all about. The sooner I get to meet Sako, the better.

5769. Cumberland Basin

Abbie Laura Smith, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2023
Abbie Laura Smith, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2023

Vigorously waving the banner for paste-ups in Bristol, pretty much single-handedly, is Abbey Laura Smith with her intriguing black and white portraits. Regular readers of Natural Adventures will know that I am an admirer of paste-ups or wheatpastes, and will drone on about how we just don’t see many in the city these days. This niche art form must not be confused with bill posters, which in my view are a plague, driven by the selfish interests of advertising for a product or a cause – they (in my very humble view) are not art in themselves despite being illustrated in most cases by graphic designers or artists, but are tomorrow’s litter, and today’s eyesore. Well we all have opinions, and that is mine, so there!

Abbie Laura Smith, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2023
Abbie Laura Smith, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2023

Wheatpasting is as much about the siting of the piece as the art itself, and Abbie Laura Smith has done a great job in thinking about the placement of this portrait on a utility box in Cumberland Basin. The artwork itself is a clean and crisp line drawing of a pretty lady, with some nice ‘graffiti drips’ at the base. I hope that Abbie’s efforts encourage a revival of this lost art in Bristol.

5749. Purdown (64)

Daz Cat, Purdown, Bristol, December 2023
Daz Cat, Purdown, Bristol, December 2023

I always like finding pieces by Daz Cat, as there is something comforting and very ‘Bristol’ about them. I do miss his rather larger storytelling pieces, which seem to be few and far between these days, but I expect that is because he is otherwise occupied and only has time for his smaller cat characters.

Daz Cat, Purdown, Bristol, December 2023
Daz Cat, Purdown, Bristol, December 2023

This one up at Purdown is a classic piece of Daz Cat artwork. The cat character is looking straight out from the wall with long whiskers and flattened ears (to fit the limited space). The trademark shape on the Cat’s forehead marks this as a Daz Cat piece… no signature necessary. More please in 2024.

5735. M32 roundabout J3 (540)

Pekoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023
Pekoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023

Happy New Year. I am thrilled to start the year with this magnificent portrait piece that Pekoe painted during an RBF paint jam organised to celebrate her birthday. I can only say that she smashed it with this outstanding portrait painted in her own unique style.

Pekoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023
Pekoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023

As with so many of Pekoe’s portraits there are three key elements that combine so well in her work, and they are the face, the hair and the decoration. In this piece, the face is beautiful, with eyes glancing left, a delicate nose, a mouth with gold markings and an ear with plenty of piercings. The hair is brilliant, tied up in bunches and the decoration in gold surrounds the portrait with leaves and peace symbols. A truly wonderful piece from Pekoe.

5723. M32 roundabout J3 (537)

Dibz and Jody, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023
Dibz and Jody, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023

There is just enough time to squeeze one more utterly awesome piece from Dibz and Jody before the year is out. Although not overtly Christmassy, this piece does have a sense of celebration and festival about it.

Dibz and Jody, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023
Dibz and Jody, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023

The wildstyle writing is from Dibz, and has a camouflage influenced design, offset perfectly with dark purple drop shadows. The letters, which of course are perfectly sharp and well finished, create a wonderful frame for the central portrait by Jody.

Jody, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023
Jody, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023

Jody has actually painted a lot on the streets this year, which has been a huge bonus, and he has definitely saved one of his best for this end-of-year collaboration. There is a sadness and calm in the portrait, and it feels religious or spiritual in nature. Simply stunning.

5702. Manchester, Northern Quarter

Liam Bononi, Northern Quarter, Manchester, November 2023
Liam Bononi, Northern Quarter, Manchester, November 2023

One of my favourite pieces from recent Upfest festivals was the magnificent piece in North Street by Liam Bononi, so it was just perfect to come across this outstanding piece by the artist in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.

Liam Bononi, Northern Quarter, Manchester, November 2023
Liam Bononi, Northern Quarter, Manchester, November 2023

There is so much to admire in his work, from the composition through to the incredible execution. There is so much fine detail in the subject’s face and hands, with every wrinkle and fold of skin beautifully painted. His work tends to play with the viewer, with the photorealistic image being fragmented or distorted in some way, with hands clutching the face, perhaps indicating some kind of anguish that is not present in the face itself. Truly wonderful street art, and free for all to see.

5679. Dean Lane skate park (664)

Abbie Laura Smith, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2023
Abbie Laura Smith, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2023

On the side of a bin in Dean Lane, we make a return to the lone wheatpaster operating in Bristol, Abbie Laura Smith with her distinctive style of single black line drawing. The portrait piece is simple and beautiful and sits well in its location.

Abbie Laura Smith, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2023
Abbie Laura Smith, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2023

There is a lot of thought that goes into wheatpasting in both the composition of the piece and deciding on the final location, and some consideration has to go into the formulation of the glue too. Abbie Laura Smith has managed well on all counts with this paste-up. I would definitely like to see more from her, and will be keeping my eyes peeled.

5671. Leonard Lane (42)

Alex Arnell, Leonard Lane, Bristtol, November 2023
Alex Arnell, Leonard Lane, Bristtol, November 2023

Tell me that this isn’t scary or alarming, and I’ll buy you a beer should we ever meet. I think that Alex Arnell may have paid Bristol a swift visit in October or November this year, because I have come across a few of his highly distinctive scribble pieces recently, and I know that he is not a local artist.

Alex Arnell, Leonard Lane, Bristtol, November 2023
Alex Arnell, Leonard Lane, Bristtol, November 2023

Although the piece is a child-like scribble, it is in fact far more sophisticated than that and the subject is highly unsettling. Lots of colour and layers combine to give us this angry/scary portrait – the stuff of nightmares. I am not sure what materials Alex Arnell uses for his work, but it would be interesting to see if he could scale it up and use spray paint to create the same effect. Interesting and distinctive.

5638. Brunel Way (246)

Abbie Laura Smith, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2023
Abbie Laura Smith, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2023

Paste ups are a much underused street art form in Bristol, which is a real pity, they just don’t seem to gain any traction here at all, so I am really pleased to see that we have a new wheatpaster in our midst. I have found a handful of paste ups by Abbie Laura Smith lately, and her black and white social commentary pieces. Her work contains tidy artwork and punchy messages. To see what she has to say in this one, you need to get a closer look.

Abbie Laura Smith, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2023
Abbie Laura Smith, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2023

The portrait of a young woman, conceals the words (profanity warning) “Fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me” in the features of her face and in her hair. There is anger and attitude in the words, and sadness in the image. This is what public street art is all about, and I love it. I am constantly on the look out for more from Abbie Laura Smith.