Tag: Portrait

4948. Upper York Street (28)

Hazard, Upper York Street, Bristol, May 2022
Hazard, Upper York Street, Bristol, May 2022

It is extraordinary and quite unforgivable that this isn’t the only Hazard piece that hasn’t made it onto Natural Adventures over the last year, and I will have to go back and find the others, because no self-respecting chronicler of Bristol street art, would have allowed this to happen. I can’t explain myself. Perhaps this appalling situation arose because the first time I photographed the piece, there were railings up against it. Who knows?

Hazard, Upper York Street, Bristol, May 2022
Hazard, Upper York Street, Bristol, May 2022

The portrait piece is superbly painted, especially when you consider the heavily textured stonework on the wall, and is a tribute to the late Skibadee who died at the very young age of 47 last February. The portrait is a great one and hints back at some of her earlier works in which the two sides of the face are bathed in different colours. This is just one of so many outstanding pieces by Hazard.

4942. Various locations

Bogat, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2022
Bogat, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2022

Bogat is an artist who is underrepresented on Natural Adventures, so this flurry of pieces that I photographed in March last year should go some way to addressing this. Although I took the pictures in March 2022, some of the pieces in the M32 J2 tunnels may have been there for a while.

Bogat, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2022
Bogat, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2022

Bogat, who often painted alongside Asre, has a thing for open-mouthed portraits and the occasional octopus. The piece above, from Brunel way, is rather nicely done, with some nice shading on the octopus and its tentacles providing some depth. I rather like the bubbles rising off the writing, too, and filling the black space.

Bogat, M32 roundabout J2, Bristol, March 2022
Bogat, M32 roundabout J2, Bristol, March 2022

The rest of the pieces were photographed in the tunnels of the M32 roundabout junction 2, a few hundred meters North East of the junction 3 roundabout, which is a much more popular spot.

Bogat, M32 roundabout J2, Bristol, March 2022
Bogat, M32 roundabout J2, Bristol, March 2022

These tunnels are quite narrow, and dark, making photography something of a challenge. Somehow I managed to capture these pieces reasonably well, perhaps because they are in a portrait orientation rather than landscape.

Bogat, M32 roundabout J2, Bristol, March 2022
Bogat, M32 roundabout J2, Bristol, March 2022

It feels good to have posted these pieces, even if they have been collected together into one post. If I didn’t do that, then there is a real possibility that they would remain in the archives forever.

Bogat, M32 roundabout J2, Bristol, March 2022
Bogat, M32 roundabout J2, Bristol, March 2022

4941. Sparke Evans Park (51)

Rozalita, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2022
Rozalita, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2022

I think I know why pieces from Sparke Evans Park sometimes get left behind in my archives. As mentioned on these pages numerous times, there is a row of mature trees that run parallel with the long wall, roughly 5 meters away from it. If there is even a hint of sun, then it is impossible to photograph anything on the wall due to dappled shading – summer or winter.

Often I will photograph the wall and be dissatisfied with the pictures, and then return some time later on a dull day to take more pictures. Because of the volume of new street/graffiti being painted each week, these second sets of pictures can get a little lost in the competition for space on Natural Adventures. By looking back through my archives I can pull out a few pieces that I feel should be posted. This beauty by Rozalita is one such piece.

Rozalita, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2022
Rozalita, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2022

Although last year was a relatively quiet year for Rozalita, compared to 2021, the quality of her work was outstanding, and this gorgeous piece combines her skills at painting portraits with her detailed flowers and butterfly. I am looking forward to another great year from Rozalita.

4917. Park Street

Conrico, Park Street, Bristol, December 2022
Conrico, Park Street, Bristol, December 2022

My first street art post on Natural Adventures was by an unknown artist on Park Street, and was a rather unusual political installation involving a coffin. How things have moved on since then. This piece by Conrico was photographed at night, so the colours might be a little deceptive.

Conrico, Park Street, Bristol, December 2022
Conrico, Park Street, Bristol, December 2022

The wonderful piece has been painted on the shutters of one of the multitude of café’s on Park Street and is a lovely portrait piece of a woman enjoying a hot beverage (to use British Rail language). Painted in the typical paintbrush style that is Conrico’s signature, he has created an engaging and welcoming piece, one of many commissions he has painted around the city.

4914. Elton Street (13)

Pekoe, Elton Street, Bristol, December 2022
Pekoe, Elton Street, Bristol, December 2022

There is never a dull moment following Bristol street art, but on top of the pleasure of seeing new work every trip out, there is the added excitement of finding new pieces from favourite artists, and Pekoe is one of those artists. Seeing her work gives me that added tingle of excitement.

Pekoe, Elton Street, Bristol, December 2022
Pekoe, Elton Street, Bristol, December 2022

This piece on one of the boards in Elton Street is an absolute classic Pekoe big hair portrait, and is presented in bright bold colours that grab the attention. There is a genuine honesty about Pekoe’s work that is never too self-indulgent or showy, she gets it about right every time. This one is a real beauty.

4909. Temple Way (4)

David Puck, Temple Way, Bristol, December 2022
David Puck, Temple Way, Bristol, December 2022

This is an easy piece to overlook, and sometimes it is the pieces that are ‘in our faces’ that this can happen to. I’m not sure how long this paste-up by David Puck has been on this hoarding, but it is one of a few large portrait wheatpastes that he has gifted us over the year, but the first I have posted on Natural Adventures.

David Puck, Temple Way, Bristol, December 2022
David Puck, Temple Way, Bristol, December 2022

Let’s hear it for the wheatpasters! This form of street art is very much the poor relation in Bristol, which is a pity, because I have always rather liked them, and it was Kid Crayon’s wheatpastes that first got me curious about street art a few years back. David Puck has created a portrait of a woman resembling Marilyn Monroe, beautifully painted with a leafy print. The words ‘Apathy to nature tells of inner style’ would appear to be a quote and may have inspired the piece. It is so good to see work like this in Bristol, and I will see if I can dig out and post some more David Puck.

4904. M32 roundabout J3 (440)

Zake, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2022
Zake, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2022

I love it when artists get busy, and Zake has been super-busy of late. It is incredible how versatile he has become over the last few years, sticking to his roots of stylised portrait work, but expanding his repertoire of characters immeasurably.

Zake, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2022
Zake, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2022

This piece was painted as part of a trio alongside Daz Cat and Kool Hand in the St Agnes subway under the M32 roundabout. The rather weird character is all teeth and no hair, and judging from the blood vessel on his neck appears to be a little vexed about something. A really nice piece from Zake, who is pushing the boundaries with increasing frequency.

4893. Greenbank (61)

Laic217, Greenbank, Bristol, December 2022
Laic217, Greenbank, Bristol, December 2022

As the development alongside the Bristol to Bath cycle track reaches its completion, the long hoarding is being dismantled in sections as each new block of the development is finished. We always knew this would be a temporary spot, but it feels rather sad that it is shrinking away and will soon be gone altogether.

Laic217, Greenbank, Bristol, December 2022
Laic217, Greenbank, Bristol, December 2022

One of the regulars here over the last few years has been Laic217, and here he is with another classic piece. This one, along with other recent pieces, reverts back to his rather sinister distorted faces. Distorted and trippy some might call it. All the elements of a Laic217 piece are there, but once again it is his attention to detail in folds in material that really stands out. He has become a master of painting the clothes worn by his skeletal characters. Brilliant stuff from one of my all-time favourite artists

4889. Upfest 2022 (64)

Lee Ellis, Upfest 2022, Bristol, May 2022
Lee Ellis, Upfest 2022, Bristol, May 2022

I love it when fine artists paint at Upfest, it affords them the opportunity to ‘go large’ and make a big impression with their studio skills in an open air environment. Lee Ellis is a Bristol-based artist best known for his abstract portraits, which have a slightly sinister or unsettling quality about them. In this Upfest piece, Lee Ellis has treated us to not one but five portraits in this piece.

Lee Ellis, Upfest 2022, Bristol, May 2022
Lee Ellis, Upfest 2022, Bristol, May 2022

The portraits feature a blue-faced man (or men) in black shirts, each with a cup of tea. It is the contrasting red background that helps to elevate the work into something quite extraordinary. While the style may not be to everyone’s taste, this was definitely a unique piece that I’m sure would have remained in visitor’s memories for a long while. Striking.

Lee Ellis, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Lee Ellis, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

4884. Upfest 2022 (59)

 

Chi-Yien Snow, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Chi-Yien Snow, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

It never ceases to amaze me just how many artists paint at Upfest, and it is truly a triumph of organisation by Steve and Emma and their team. At the festival, artists can be allocated walls, some of them enormous, temporary hoardings or these 1 meter squares, and it is up to the artists to make the most of the space available. Chi-Yien Snow has done a wonderful job with this board.

Chi-Yien Snow, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Chi-Yien Snow, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

Chi-Yien Snow is a fine artist living in Clevedon, who paints in acrylics and oils, and has painted this outstanding and soulful portrait piece for the festival. I would guess that the portrait is of a native South American, perhaps from the Amazon region, or at least that is what it looks like to me. It is always a real pleasure to see the work of new artists and I will be looking out for Chi-Yien Snow’s work from now on.