Tag: Portrait

5615. Greenbank (100)

Zake, Greenbank, Bristol, October 2023
Zake, Greenbank, Bristol, October 2023

My one hundredth post from Greenbank and what better way to celebrate such a landmark than with this stunning face piece by Zake. Over the last few years, Zake has been one of the most regular artists in Bristol, either painting solo or with his PWA friends.

Zake, Greenbank, Bristol, October 2023
Zake, Greenbank, Bristol, October 2023

In this piece Zake has gone large, and to give you some idea of scale, this portrait stands at about 7-8 feet tall. As always with Zake’s work, the contours and texture of the face are created by a wonderful contrasting of light and shade, giving the appearance of deep furrows and folds in the subject’s skin. Zake pretty much always paints in this cartoon style and I think it would be really interesting to see if he could paint something a little more realistic in terms of proportion and features, just as a one-off… I think he would smash it.

5602. Dean Lane skate park (654)

Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023
Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023

You might wonder why I have included this piece for a Halloween post. Well, regular readers will know that Laic217 specialises in painting skeletons and portraits of people with melting or distorted faces, and that to produce another one in that vein for Halloween would be a bit of a busman’s holiday. Instead, he has created a personal horror of a normal portrait of a young woman wearing a black puffer jacket. Woooooo, scary.

Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023
Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023

I was lucky enough to meet with Laic217 when visiting Dean Lane last weekend with Paul H, moments after he had finished painting this brilliant piece, and while he was doing an additional quick one, much more in line with what we’d expect. I had to ask him if the portrait was his – it was unsigned and not so obviously a Laic217 piece, although the shiny fabric was a bit of a tell-tale sign. Laic217 confirmed it was one of his, and explained the joke. Brilliant and funny, although I’m not sure that we can expect too many more of these ‘tame’ pieces from Laic217 – a bit of a one off I suspect.

5596. Cheltenham 2023 (15)

N4T4, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023
N4T4, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023

A favourite artist of the paint festival circuit is N4T4, who has been a feature of Upfest and Cheltenham posts on Natural Adventures for a few years now. His portrait pieces are always beguiling and beautifully crafted – I have only good things to say about his work.

N4T4, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023
N4T4, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023

This was actually N4T4’s second piece at this year’s festival, the other one, which I have ready posted was a stunning goldfinch. In this piece you can just about make out the patterns on the woman’s face, that add texture and complexity to the portrait. The patterns from the face overspill into the surrounding orange and red decorations. Lots of swirls and blended colours give away this piece as a work by N4T4. A fabulous festival piece.

5591. M32 cycle path (233)

Pekoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2023
Pekoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2023

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, 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.

5588. Dean Lane skate park (652)

Jevoissoul, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023
Jevoissoul, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023

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
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.

5565. M32 roundabout J3 (517)

Pekoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2023
Pekoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2023

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
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.

5504. White Street (1)

Fink, White Street, Bristol, September 2023
Fink, White Street, Bristol, September 2023

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, 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.

5484. M32 roundabout J3 (508)

Pekoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2023
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.

Pekoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2023
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.

5475. Cheltenham 2023 (7)

Elno, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023
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
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
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
Elno, Lighthouse Community Garden, London, April 2023

5466. Cumberland Basin

Mind 49, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2023
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, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2023
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.