Portrait – Page 19 – Natural adventures

5484. M32 roundabout J3 (508)

Pekoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2023

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.

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.

5475. Cheltenham 2023 (7)

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.

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.

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

5466. Cumberland Basin

Mind 49, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 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 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.

5462. Greenbank (93)

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.

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.

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.

5457. River Avon (50)

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’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.

5453. Queen’s Road (3)

Willl Crosss, Queen's Road, Bristol, August 2023 — Willl Crosss, Queen’s Road, Bristol, August 2023

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 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.

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.

5448. St Werburghs tunnel (378)

Hiccup, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2023

I was really struck by this piece in the tunnel recently and at first I thought it might have been by Rozalita, but on closer inspection it clearly wasn’t, and the name BLEOM was also a bit of a clue. The piece is by Bloem, who is also Hiccup, and because I have posted her pieces under the latter name, I shall be consistent and continue to do so.

The portrait piece, featuring a jester, is really neat and tidy and carries an element of treat in the form of a barbed wire circle around the head. All elements of thee piece come together well, in particular the ruff, and the jester’s expression. The letters are also very sharp and well painted. This is a classy piece from an artist relatively new to the Bristol scene, and I look forward to seeing and writing about more of her work (coming sooner than you might think).

5446. Queen’s Road (2)

Jody, Queen's Road, Bristol, August 2023 — Jody, Queen’s Road, Bristol, August 2023

It is very special to see a Jody piece that has been painted on the street without spray cans, but rather with brushes… it doesn’t happen often, but what a magnificent result. This gorgeous portrait piece has been painted as part of the 650-year celebrations of Bristol and an event curated by Upfest in partnership with Bristol BID.

Jody has gone full on renaissance style with this portrait, and in doing so was following the brief. In his own way, he has created something very special, although slightly incongruous being next door to the dreadful Weatherspoons pub. The lady’s hair and hair decoration are eclipsed only by the outstanding detail of her face.

This piece is an antidote to all the horrors of our very own crisis in Britain and demonstrates that there are good and beautiful things in our lives. An ancient beauty for our modern times.

5428. M32 roundabout J3 (502)

Pekoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2023

There is never a time when I am not thrilled to find a Pekoe piece. She belongs to a small handful of artists who define the Bristol scene and ones that I always keep a special eye out for. This modest piece on the M32 roundabout marks a return to her portraits, which have been playing second fiddle to here writing recently.

This pink faced girl with green hair is in three-quarter profile and is glancing out of the side of her eyes, giving her a slightly irritated or angry look. With great lips and the signature tears, this small piece reminds us what a great artist Pekoe is. It is amazing that she has found the time to paint this piece, given her bust summer festival itinerary.

Kosc

A gallery of outstanding graffiti writing and portrait pieces by Bristol artist Kosc.

Crew: NTS

Instagram: @_kosc_

All photographs by Scooj

	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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