Tag: Portrait

3835. Upfest 2021 75×75 (26)

Sometimes words are not enough.

I am very tempted to end the post at this point and just leave you to enjoy the pictures, but that would be a bit lazy on my part and short-changing you of my talents as a street art rapporteur (LOL). This piece is by genius artist Liam Bononi.

Liam Bononi, North Street Standard, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
Liam Bononi, North Street Standard, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21

I haven’t encountered Liam Bononi before, but he is firmly on my radar now and I will be keeping an eye out for his extraordinary work. He has a fabulous website, and in his ‘About’ section there is a link to a short biographic video, which is well worth a quick watch if you have time. Liam is a Brizilian, now living in Liverpool, who started painting walls in 2007 and has decorated walls all over the world. Now is the turn for Bristol.

Liam Bononi, North Street Standard, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
Liam Bononi, North Street Standard, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21

In his biography, the following sentence stands out as best describing what lies behind his paintings:

His pieces represent the quest for the divine essence that inhabits each one of us and his art is a narrative about the human beings’ transformation through self-knowledge and search of the self true (sic).

Heady stuff, but then this is a heady piece and one of the most compelling I have ever seen at Upfest. Liam Bononi has just set the bar at a new level. My advice… seek out his work whenever you can.

3831. St Werburghs tunnel (249)

Let me start with an apology. I realise that keeping up with reading blog posts can be an onerous task sometimes, and I am sorry that I have started posting three instead of the customary two street art pieces of late. This is because there is such a huge turnover of street art here in Bristol at the moment and I want to record as much of it as I am able to. I’ll not be offended if you don’t catch them all.

Dibz, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2021
Dibz, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2021

This is a wonderful collaborative wall from Dibz and Shade One who have produced a succession of these remarkable duets through the year. The distinctive writing style of Dibz has been given a thoroughly vibrant makeover with a superb explosion of colours and shades. Wonderful.

Shade One, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2021
Shade One, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2021

The framed portraits by Shade One have a very special quality about them, always hinting as much at what is beyond the circular frame as what is contained within it. His contemporary portraits fit the street scene perfectly and act as a natural foil to the graffiti writing of Dibz. A stand-out collaboration, alongside many other great pieces from a Funday Sunday paint jam a couple of weeks back.

3830. Upfest 2021 75×75 (24)

There is no doubt about it – what we have lost in quantity by the change in format of Upfest 2021, we have certainly gained in quality. The 75 walls in 75 days initiative has been a massive success and each new wall brings with it extraordinary talent. This outstanding wall is by Pikto and really sets a high bar for this year’s productions.

Pikto, North Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
Pikto, North Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21

It is the composition and colours that initially draw the eye, but there is something about the catapult boy’s expression that tells a story here of mischief and satisfaction. Photorealistic pieces like this one have improved so much in recent years that we have become rather blazé, and it is not until you stop and study them that you see the quality and the detail.

Pikto, North Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
Pikto, North Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21

This particular wall has played host to some masterpieces recently and this one carries on that fine tradition. I took these pictures on a sunny day, and I rather like the way that the shadow cast by a tree to the left is commensurate with the shadow cast by the boy’s cheek on his face. Awesome is an over used word, but I will use it here. This piece from Pikto is awesome.

Pikto, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Pikto, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

3829. St Werburghs tunnel (248)

I cannot explain how thrilled I was to see this collaboration recently, because it heralded the return to throwing paint at walls of Tasha Bee, one of my favourite artists. Tasha Bee has been concentrating on other projects for the last three years or so, including her small business Pot Heads Pottery, which seems to be going pretty well, and is a wonderful Bristol creative business. The other half of this lovely collaboration is by Antikki and it is great to see these two working together with their complementary styles.

Tasha Bee, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2021
Tasha Bee, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2021

On the left hand side of the wall is a beautiful and tranquil, stylised portrait piece by Tasha Bee. All the elements of her work are there, with lots of symbolism and a calmness that is represented in so much of her work. The character’s abundant hair flows to the right appearing to turn into waves on the sea.

Antikki, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2021
Antikki, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2021

Antikki has continued the theme and colour scheme, although there is much more movement in her dancing figures against the blue waves. I absolutely love this collaboration and it is a pity that it didn’t last very long. I am just so made up that I photographed it when I did. I sincerely hope that these two get together again soon as there is something magical in their partnership.

Tasha Bee and Antikki, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2021
Tasha Bee and Antikki, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2021

3816. Greenbank (11)

One of the things that regular readers of Natural Adventures might have noticed is the high proportion of female street artists that are featured. This is not me being selective, but an honest reflection of just how many female artists are regularly painting these days. I am saying this as a brilliant thing, not as a surprising thing, which I think might shatter a few people’s preconceptions about street art and graffiti. There are few artists, male or female, who appear as regularly as Pekoe.

Pekoe, Greenbank, Bristol, June 2021
Pekoe, Greenbank, Bristol, June 2021

This wonderful portrait piece is on the (very) long wall at Greenbank. The face, in yellow, has features that are really clear and sharp, and the blue lips are particularly eye-catching. The big hair, a Pekoe trademark, is beautifully decorated with all sorts of squiggles and symbols. Another triumph from the lovely Pekoe.

3796. Upfest 2021 75×75 (13)

What a treat it was to meet Ant Carver while he was painting this beauty, not once or twice, but three times. Perhaps this was because I visited the area quite a few times but also because he took his time completing the piece. It is funny how some artists can fly in and out in a day while others take considerably longer.

Ant Carver, Lime Road, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Ant Carver, Lime Road, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

Ant Carver used a technique called a doodle grid to paint this magnificent portrait piece. The way it works is a little bit like a combination of grid squares and tracing paper. The wall is painted with squiggles and patterns that act as reference points. The doodle is photographed and then the desired design superimposed onto the photograph of the doodle and made slightly transparent, so that the doodle comes through. The artist is then able to look at the photograph composite on their phone and use it to get all the lines and detail in exactly the right place on the wall. Worth checking out on the Interweb if you are interested.

Ant Carver, Lime Road, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Ant Carver, Lime Road, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

This portrait has been painted on a new wall for Upfest, adding capacity, which is great because you can never have enough walls.

Ant Carver, Lime Road, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Ant Carver, Lime Road, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

The piece is called ‘The Hand We’re Dealt’ and can best be described using the artist’s own words from his Instagram account:

‘‘The Hand We’re Dealt’ is the latest piece in my series of work exploring loss. Over the past few months I’ve been using my paintings as a way to reflect on my experience with grief. This is the latest painting in that series. Each element of the painting can be interpreted differently by the viewer, but to me the candle represents the passing of time and the luxury it is for that to happen. The skull symbolises life and death, and the cards reference the lottery of life and the hand we’re dealt.’

Ant Carver, Lime Road, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Ant Carver, Lime Road, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

This is another superb piece from the London-based artist. I only wish my photographs could do it justice.

3786. Upfest 2021 75×75 (10)

One of my all time favourite artists in Bristol is Hazard, and it is not difficult to understand why.  Her portraits, so full of depth, emotion and colour, can be found dotted around the city, and although many have long-since gone, there are still several to be found. This new piece for the Upfest 75 walls in 75 days initiative, is breathtakingly beautiful. It is also frustratingly difficult to photograph.

Hazard, North Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Hazard, North Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

I passed by while she was mid-way through painting the piece and was going to stop for a chat, but I could see that she was in full flow and I didn’t really want to disturb her. I rather like the ladder on the side of the building, taking away a little bit of the glamour we might associate with being a muralist.

Hazard, North Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Hazard, North Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

The piece itself is a gorgeous portrait of a woman in deep red colours with blue hair and a Garland of what looks like clouds and vapours in a pinky orange hue. The connection with nature is obvious, as it is in so many of Hazard’s pieces, with the leaves to the right of the piece.

It is so good to see Hazard back out painting our walls, it has been a quiet eighteen months from her.

3769. Upfest 2021 75×75 (6)

Oh my goodness! There are some pieces that you look at and, well, they simply take your breath away. For me, this is one of those pieces. Painted for Upfest’s 75 walls in 75 days event, this astonishing collaboration from Mishfit and Mazcan simply blew me away, and I look at now as I am writing and wonder at its magnificence.

Mishfit, King William Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Mishfit, King William Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

These two portraits work so incredibly well together and are perfect for the space vacated by Caro Pepe and AgeAge. To the left is a stunning portrait from Mishfit painted with incredible graded skin tones and a beautiful headdress, the colours of which are reflected in a cloud to the right of the subject. I haven’t seen any of Mishfit’s work before, but what an introduction.

Mazcan, King William Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Mazcan, King William Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

Mazcan on the other hand has visited Upfest on a couple of occasions, but this piece is definitely a step up from before, and I think she must have been practising. This blue face has quite a lot of attitude and there is so much depth and bone structure created with clever use of shading. The red streaks in the hair add so much to the depth and contrast of the piece too.

Mishfit and Mazcan, King William Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Mishfit and Mazcan, King William Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

Genuinely, this is a bloody brilliant collaboration and will definitely stick in my memory for a long, long time.

3767. Frome side (11)

The nice thing about dropping down beneath the M32, where a canalised section of the River Frome flows, is that it seems to be a popular spot for visiting artists to paint, often accompanied by Bristol friends showing them around.

Wee Nuls, Frome side, Bristol, June 2021
Wee Nuls, Frome side, Bristol, June 2021

This delightful piece by Wee Nuls was painted a few weeks back by the Belfast-based artist who, it appears, cut her teeth with spray painting in Bristol some time ago. I love this kind of portrait piece that sits comfortably alongside Slakarts, Pekoe and others who create bright and colourful faces about the city. I hope that Wee Nuls makes more trips to Bristol soon.

3759. Frome side (10)

Slakarts is not only a talented street artist, but he is also a really decent bloke. I was walking through the tunnel a couple of weeks back, and he cycled past me, and then stopped to say hello. After a very brief chat, he said he had to dash, but I was rather touched that he had bothered to stop at all.

Slakarts, Frome side, Bristol, June 2021
Slakarts, Frome side, Bristol, June 2021

This piece next to the M32 Spot is a rather interesting take on his faces, and with the tooth missing has the appearance of a punk granny. It certainly made me smile when I saw it, although I have seen another like it elsewhere. Slakarts keeps churning out his very distinct style of portraits, and Bristol is all the better for them.