Tag: Portrait

3588. St Werburghs tunnel (231)

This is an outstanding tribute piece from Rosalita for a friend’s mother and grandmother. ‘We all carry inside us the people who came before us’ is the beautiful quote that accompanies this piece along with ‘rest in power’. It is a moving and powerful gesture and speaks volumes to the kindness and thoughtfulness of the artist.

Rosalita, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2021
Rosalita, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2021

On the entrance to St Werburghs tunnel, this piece has been respected for a while, which is quite right in the circumstances. The dark reds and floral patterning work well with the two portraits contained within the border. This was the second set of photographs I took. The piece was actually painted in February, but the shadows cast on my first visit rendered my pictures unpublishable. More to come from Rosalita, who has found her wings and is soaring.

3562. Star and Garter (7)

A really unusual, and if I might say slightly scary, portrait piece from Rosalita Raw on the side wall of the Star and Garter in St Paul’s. Why is it that carnival imagery, which is supposed to be bright, happy and entertaining so easily drifts into the dark and edgy?

Rosalita, Star and Garter, Bristol, March 2021
Rosalita, Star and Garter, Bristol, March 2021

Rosalita has had an exceptional six months or so, and I am loving every second of this upsurge in activity from her. This piece is really nicely worked, and shares some similarities with Pekoe’s style although a little bit more detailed in the facial features. Who is she winking at? Is it a knowing wink or an affectionate wink? Unusual and compelling.

3559. Dean Lane skate park (401)

I was fortunate enough to catch up with Pekoe as she was painting this pink face in Dean Lane a couple of weeks back. This was one of several portraits she painted over the space of a few days and which left her skint… spray paint is not cheap.

Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2021
Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2021

It was interesting watching her work on this portrait, and her ‘trial and error’ approach to some elements of it. She was working on the nose and nostrils when I took this picture. Seeing the piece in draft like this, gives you a feel for how important the finishing is in street art and just how much work goes into these works.

Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2021
Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2021

I have always liked Pekoe’s work, from the very first piece I saw… there is a kind of authenticity and honesty about it and it is calmly unpretentious. Finding each new piece brings me a little moment of joy.

3555. M32 roundabout J3 (289)

A weekend or two back Pekoe had a pulse of painting activity that would make your eyes water. It seemed that she has left one of her beautiful portraits at every spot in town. This one, alongside some graffiti writing from Mena was at the M32 roundabout.

Pekoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2021
Pekoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2021

I love the way that Pekoe has used the space to turn her usual portrait orientation into a landscape one by trailing the woman’s hair off to the right. I also love the colour selections, which although not my favourite colours seem to work so incredibly well in this instance. The spot on the eyes and lips lift these features and the shading around the face add real depth to the piece. I absolutely love this one. Bravo!

3540. Dean Lane skate park (397)

This recent piece from Nugmoose caused a bit of a stir, because it is really different and unusual and by an artist that we don’t see painting the streets too often. This is actually part of a collaboration with friends Slakarts and Mudra. These three have formed a rather nice partnership and were out painting again a week later on  the other Dean Lane long wall. I stopped on both occasions to chat with the artists, and Nugmoose is a lovely bloke who told me he is quite interested in painting alien encounters and ideas, hence the strange hieroglyphs to the left of the piece.

Nugmoose, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2021
Nugmoose, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2021

The colours are so unusual and really help to make this portrait stand out. The lines are clean and simple but the impact very big. Every artist I have shown this piece to have immediately responded with saying how good it is, but you don’t have to take their word for it… take mine.

3533. M32 Spot (109)

It seems that there is barely a spot in Bristol that Pekoe hasn’t painted on over the last week or so, I am finding her work everywhere. This is a quick ‘sketch’ to use her own words, tucked away under the M32.

Pekoe, M32 Spot, Bristol, March 2021
Pekoe, M32 Spot, Bristol, March 2021

Even in sketch form her work is immediately recognisable and has a way of drawing the viewer in. This time a pink-faced girl with light blue hair fits the bill and delivers brilliantly. This is the first of a batch of several pieces from Pekoe painted in the last week or two- watch this space.

3500. Purdown HAA Battery (18)

Up at Purdown there are several walls painted by Zace, it certainly seems like he enjoys practising his craft on the square concrete walls. Among the customary alien faces is this outstanding manga style profile portrait.

Zace, Purdown, Bristol, February 2021
Zace, Purdown, Bristol, February 2021

This is an eye-catching piece and one that I like a lot. There is a simplicity of composition about the whole piece, but it comes together nicely, and I’d love to see more like this coming out of the rather productive Zace stable. Shame about the mud splatters on the face.

3494. Purdown HAA Battery (17)

This is the third piece by Big Hev that I have posted in recent weeks, which, I think, brings me up to date with her work in Bristol so far although I can’t be certain  about that. Once again this young artist wows us with a big, bold and colourful portrait filling up one of the concrete walls of the battery.

Big Hev, Purdown Battery, Bristol, February 2021
Big Hev, Purdown Battery, Bristol, February 2021

There is a lot to like about this piece, starting with the great colour selections. It is impossible to ignore this piece as you wander around the old WWII buildings. I am full of admiration for artists who get out there and just do their stuff and I wish I had the courage, conviction and talent to join them. Big Hev will improve her technique, but her style identity is already forming, and I am so excited to witness her progress.

3481. M32 Cycle path (109)

Over the last six months we have been fortunate enough in Bristol to witness some absolutely world-class street art and graffiti writing and it is something of a privilege to see, but the highlight of that period for me has been the emergence of a new generation of artists, at the start of their journey, full of the vigour and hope. Some will dabble and then fall by the wayside, others will hit the scene hard and progress and develop over time into firm regulars, others will develop into established and top drawer artists. I am enjoying that emergence of talent, it all starts somewhere, and Big Hev is one of those that makes what I do so worthwhile.

Big Hev, M32 cycle path, Bristol, January 2021
Big Hev, M32 cycle path, Bristol, January 2021

Although her work is quite naive, there is a definite style that is hers and hers alone. The portraits are brightly coloured and the lips full and eyes large. Big Hev already has a good understanding of shading and the contours of the face are blended really nicely with layers of three colours of blue bringing out the features. This is going to be a hugely enjoyable journey as we watch it unfold.

3465. M32 Spot (103)

It seems that every week there is another artist new to the Bristol scene, or at the very least new to me. This bright column piece is by a young lady going by the name of Big Hev, and it is a privilege to witness the start of her journey painting walls.

Big Hev, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2021
Big Hev, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2021

There is something very appealing about this portrait, its simplicity and its bold colours. In time the shading and so traits will come, but I really like the striking nature of this piece, it demands to be looked at and enjoyed. I have found one other of her pieces, but am looking forward to many, many more.