A classic Pekoe portrait piece looks like this, although this year Pekoe has been developing her style and experimenting more with graffiti writing. With regard to her portrait pieces, they have become a little bit less busy and more thoughtful in composition, of which this is a great example.
Pekoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2023
Pekoe painted this alongside RBF crew friends, in one of two consecutive paint jams, supplying me with plenty of material to post. There is a very strong comic-book cartoon style happening here, especially with the eyes and nose, which I really like. The hair too is different from anything I have seen from Pekoe, and overall the piece is a good one. I am enjoying this slight shift in Pekoe’s work.
Jevoissoul has hit the ground running and here he has painted a classic portrait piece complete with joint and stylised smoke, all painted in his Picassoesque cartoon style. He is brave too, there are no many new artists who would paint this wall so early on in their development, and to be fair, Jevoissoul has carried it off well.
Jevoissoul, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023
When I met him a little while back, Jevoissoul told me that he has been drafting and sketching his characters for years and is very familiar with his material. The challenge for him has been to scale up his work and to adapt to using spray cans, both of which he has done admirably. I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot more of Jevoissoul over the coming months/years.
I got that tingle of excitement when I came across this piece by pekoe, just as I always do when I find her work. Pekoe is one of those handful of artists that I associate with being the beating heart of the current Bristol scene, giving the city a strong sub-culture identity.
Pekoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2023
The piece was painted as part of an RBF paint jam, one of two over a short space of time. I would say that this is not one of Pekoe’s best pieces, there is something a little peculiar with the proportions, but it marks a subtle change, especially with fewer busy elements in the character’s hair and in the background than usual. I think that the portrait lives up to the Resting Bitch Face moniker rather well. So good to see a Pekoe portrait, it feels like it has been a little while.
I have been looking for this spot for a long time, my pride getting in the way of asking, but was assisted by Paul H when I asked him where the second Fink piece was. He told me it was just around the corner from Peel Street Green, and the rest as they say is history (sorry about the cliché). If only I had extended my walks by about 200 meters, I would have found the spot before.
Fink, White Street, Bristol, September 2023
Fink visited Bristol while he was over from Dubai painting at the Cheltenham Paint Festival, and left us with two superb portrait pieces in his stunning single continuous line style. This face is painted in beautiful blues, purples and pink, the colour combination of 2023, which work so well together. The central large face is accompanied by several smaller ones in the background fills. This is belter of a modern piece and would look good in any contemporary art gallery. What a treat his visit turned out to be.
Pekoe has undergone something of a step change in her work this year, making a bold decision to start concentrating on her letters and moving a little away from her portraits. A part of me is a little saddened by this, because I love her portraits, however I am also excited that she is developing her writing, which usually incorporates a small portrait within it, such as in this piece.
Pekoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2023
The first thing that jumps out at you about this piece is the happy and colourful design. Some of the colour is picked up from the piece she has overwritten, but somehow they blend rather nicely. Pekoe’s blue full capital letters spell PEKOE, with the ‘O’ being replaced with a slightly sad/grumpy looking portrait (it’s in the mouth), are nicely filled with shapes and symbols we associate with her work. I am looking forward to seeing where this change in direction takes us.
Elno, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023
One of the highlights of my trip to Cheltenham for this year’s Paint Festival was the opportunity to meet and chat with Elno, a lovely, lovely person who made plenty of time to talk about her work, and a piece that I photographed earlier in the year from the Lighthouse Community Gardens. I caught up with her just as she was completing the piece, only the sword handle was incomplete and, of course, her signature.
Elno, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023
I made a bit of a mistake asking Elno if her character had any links to Avatar (the film), and she swiftly put that one to bed. I gather that she has been painting characters like this for a while, and it is purely coincidental that this one resembles any kind of animation film characters, and if I am honest, I feel a bit of a fool for even asking as the resemblance is tenuous at best.
Elno, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023
There is so much to like in this piece from the composition with its very strong Japanese influence. Characters with large eyes are always beguiling and beautiful, and the red hair, complete with flower, complements the blue skin perfectly. I love the touch of patterned material on the woman’s shoulder, adding some extra class to the piece. I suggested that she try to make it to Bristol for Upfest, a suggestion that didn’t fall on deaf ears. Let’s hope.
Elno, Lighthouse Community Garden, London, April 2023
I don’t quite know if Mind 49 has moved to Bristol, the West of England or something like that, but he is painting in the city much more frequently than he used to and, I have to say, he is knocking it out of the park on a regular basis. This pink portrait piece was his contribution to Werm’s birthday paint jam a little while back.
Mind 49, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2023
Mind 49 has a great touch, and his artwork almost looks like it has been painted with brushes. His portrait work is excellent, and he hasn’t gone down the route of super photorealistic, giving his pieces a bit of street authenticity, I like to think. The material on the jacket has been well painted, with plenty of texture, shading and folds that give it depth. Mind 49 is really establishing himself with this kind of portrait work in Bristol.
Occasionally, the Resting Bitch Face crew (RBF), an all-female group of painters is joined by a male, which is what happened here when Jody joined in with the Barbie paint jam at Greenbank a few weeks ago. His inclusion definitely fitted in well with all the other pieces, and he embraced the theme with gusto.
Jody, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023
This is a beautifully crafted and mischievous take on Barbie, providing a little bit of body art and a nose ring to give this graffiti Barbie a bit of an edge over her more conventional selves. Jody has painted a photorealistic portrait of the doll, and managed to convey the plastic toy qualities of her skin and makeup, large eyes and fake hair.
Jody, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2023
I absolutely love this portrait piece, but in loving it, it is important not to overlook the technical skill and versatility of an artist at the top of his game.
I met Fink briefly at the Cheltenham Paint Festival recently, and he was good enough to stop for a quick chat. I mentioned to him that I had seen some of his work in Bristol from quite a while back and had been following his work on Instagram for a while. It turns out he lives now in Dubai and makes his living from his art commissions, which is pretty amazing. It seems that on his trip to the UK he dropped in to Bristol for a quick stop and painted this magnificent piece not far away from the back of Temple Meads station.
Fink, River Avon, Bristol, August 2023
Fink’s abstract portrait pieces are special, drawn with a continuous line, a bit like sketching a face on paper in one go without lifting the pen. The golden face is made up of smaller faces painted in the same way, that give the whole piece texture and interest. This is a very fine piece from a visiting artist, who has some history with Bristol.
This is the third piece I have posted from the 650 years of Bristol celebration pant jam, and it is by the magnificent artist Willl Cross. For most of the artists, there was a major challenge in switching their spray cans for brushes, not so for Willl Cross who uses brushes for all his street art pieces, and is more familiar with studio art work.
Willl Crosss, Queen’s Road, Bristol, August 2023
Willl Cross tends to use a crossover method which incorporates modern scenes painted in a romantic style, and often his subject is wearing traditional Bulgarian costume. This outstanding piece presents a stunning view which many Bristolians will be familiar with, showing the Avon Gorge and Clifton suspension bridge viewed from the Downs. The woman in the portrait, with her eyes closed, appears to be enjoying the moment and is gently holding a wildflower.
Willl Crosss, Queen’s Road, Bristol, August 2023
There is more mystery to the piece though, with some menacing winged beasts or demons floating around the woman’s head. I would like to believe that the demons are being expelled by the peace of the moment.
The patterns on the dress are wonderfully painted, and the dramatic skies overhead indicate turmoil. I would so much love to speak with Willl Cross to understand more about the painting.
We are privileged in Bristol to have free access to stunning artwork like this for citizens and visitors to enjoy. Next time you are passing, stop for a moment and drink in this awesome painting.
Natural adventures 