Tag: Portrait

4117. Dean Lane skate park (446)

Painted alongside Rozalita and 3F fino on the Sally Army wall at Dean Lane skate park, this striking portrait is by Tao.create. I have only seen a handful of pieces by the artist and I have liked what I have seen so far, but this is the best yet and introduces her work to a larger and more engaged audience.

Tao.create, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021
Tao.create, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021

The bright portraits demands to be looked at and is big, bold and colourful. Some elements are better painted than others, the hair is very nicely done, and some of the features more developed than others (for example the nose has more work and detail than the mouth). I would like to think that Tao.create will continue to develop her obvious skills and follow in the footsteps of other Bristol portrait artists such as Pekoe and Hazard. Definitely one to look out for.

4102. Cumberland Basin

Different artists have different creative patterns or routines. Some paint the same thing over and over again, tweaking and perfecting it (for example Slim Pickings – TES), others create something extraordinary and different every time (Sled One, Tom Miller, 3Dom). Some only write, some only create characters and some combine the two. Mudra too has a modus operandi, which is either to create a character portrait or to write MUDRA cryptically incorporating characters and symbols. This piece falls into the latter category.

Mudra, Cumberland Basin, September 2021
Mudra, Cumberland Basin, September 2021

This lovely piece from a little while back on the long wall at Cumberland Basin spells out the artist’s name, where the ‘d’ in a little breakout star at the bottom is replaced with a wonderful stylised portrait of a pink-faced, purple-nosed lady with shocking yellow hair. A wonderful and creative piece beautifully worked nice clean lines and fills.

4100. M32 Cycle path (150)

I think that this might be one of my favourite Slakarts pieces to date. The slightly more sophisticated overall design and inclusion of great colours (reminiscent of Kleiner Shames’ preferred palette) delivers a truly pleasing work. Perhaps he was inspired while painting alongside Decay… and who wouldn’t be?

Slakarts, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, November 2021
Slakarts, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, November 2021

The stylised portrait has been painted with great care, and the lines are sharp and fills solid. There are some clever elements and some fabulous fragmentation of elements, creating something of a cubist look to the piece. A beautiful piece beautifully finished.

4095. Dean Lane skate park (441)

One of the most enjoyable aspects of following the street art scene in Bristol over recent years has been the emergence of dozens and dozens of new artists, genres and movements. Among the most interesting has been the Bristol Womxn Mural Collective that seems to be growing with some pace, and holds regular paint jams at various different spots around Bristol. Watching studio artists transition their artistry onto walls is a fascinating experience and adds some intriguing, new and fresh pieces to the spectrum of street art in the city.

Raquel Blazquez, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021
Raquel Blazquez, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021

This small piece by Raquel Blazquez is tucked under one of the ramps in the skate park, which presents a cosy space for artists. The portrait of a woman is colourful and has a certain presence generated by the expression of the subject’s face. The piece has all the hallmarks of a fine artist (lots of detail and colour shadings) adapting to a street canvass. Lovely work and I hope to see more.

4090. Catherine Mead Street (2)

This is a lovely piece from Nightwayss sprayed as part of a paint jam, which, on reflection, I perhaps ought to have posted as a bundle or collaborative wall, but I didn’t, so there.

Nightwayss, Catherine Mead Street, Bristol, November 2021
Nightwayss, Catherine Mead Street, Bristol, November 2021

In recent months Nightwayss has been experimenting with these fragmented pieces, playing with portraits, light shapes and disassociation. The overall effect is a contemporary take on street art and really brings out the fine artist in Nightwayss. Alas, there are no monkeys in this piece, but it is nonetheless a really interesting and challenging piece of art.

4071. M32 Cycle path (147)

I cannot help but absolutely love this recent portrait piece from Pekoe, for lots of reasons. Of course, I am a big fan of her work in any case, but the wonderfully stylish haircut absolutely does it for me, and it is a major departure for Pekoe whose portraits normally have big and sometimes disorganised hairstyles.

Pekoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, November 2021
Pekoe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, November 2021

Pekoe has been doing a lot of full front or three-quarter face portraits, and the difference here is that she has gone for a profile, and I think it works really well. I like it all – the grey face and pink cheek, the blue hair and lips and the yellow border. This one is definitely a keeper.

4033. M32 Cycle path (146)

This wonderful portrait piece by Rosalita (Rozalita) is part of a collaborative effort with Conrico. Unfortunately, by the time I got to see it, Conrico’s contribution had been overpainted with a rather substandard throw up. Luckily, though, Rosalita’s piece was left intact.

Rosalita, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2021
Rosalita, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2021

This is a Halloween piece, or more accurately a Dia de Los Muertos portrait, with a representation of a Mammacita (Conrico’s word, not mine). The decorated face with stitched lips is a familiar sight these days, as these Day of the Dead festivals become more internationalised. The roses in the hair round the portrait off nicely. Rosalita just keeps on turning out these amazing portraits.

4027. Upfest 2021 75×75 (71)

We have been so spoiled this year with the Upfest 75 walls in 75 days event, and in particular with some extraordinary pieces by Irony. This is the second Irony piece from the event, and is an absolutely extraordinary portrait.

Irony, West Street, Bristol, October 2021, Upfest 21
Irony, West Street, Bristol, October 2021, Upfest 21

Irony is known for his female portraits that it is difficult to keep your eyes off. The photorealistic detail and depth is beyond astonishing, and puts this artist right up into the world top league alongside other artists like Bubblegum in Barcelona.

Irony, West Street, Bristol, October 2021, Upfest 21
Irony, West Street, Bristol, October 2021, Upfest 21

Looking deep into those eyes, it is impossible to know what the girl is thinking, and as with many of his portraits, her emotions are not easy to read, inert almost, and yet she is wonderfully animated. I think the blue hair is a touch of genius that works so well with this wall and this spot.

Irony, West Street, Bristol, October 2021, Upfest 21
Irony, West Street, Bristol, October 2021, Upfest 21

I made several attempts at photographing this wall, but it is not easy as the immediate front yard has become a bit of a building site and there are two rather unhelpful black wheely bins that are totally in the way most of the time.

In my view, this is one of the best pieces to appear in Bristol in 2021.

4025. Brunel Way (128)

I am a little annoyed with myself, because I was actually very close to Pekoe while she was painting this piece, but was having a long conversation with Tack Jucker at the time. When, finally, I walked under the bridge to see who was painting, I saw that it was Pekoe, but she had gone, and I missed her by minutes. Such a pity as it is a while since I last spoke with her.

Pekoe, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2021
Pekoe, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2021

Notwithstanding my irritation, the piece she painted is a good ‘un. A classic Pekoe portrait in a vibrant red with decorated big white hair. The tears are there, which always makes me a little sad, because it projects a sadness in the character, and maybe in the artist too. Great to see another piece from this prolific Bristol portrait painter.

4017. M32 roundabout J3 (354)

This is a very appealing colour selection for this fiery Pekoe piece on the M32 roundabout. Another interesting feature is that Pekoe has given us more than just a portrait, which is the norm with her work, and we have the top halfI  of the character.

Pekoe, M32 roundabout ,Bristol, October 2021
Pekoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October 2021

I think that this might be an early Halloween piece, or it is simply a cheeky devil, either way it is nice to see, and I love the little winged orange emoji-type thing. Brace yourself for a season of Halloween pieces, which seem to be getting more and more popular every year.