Tag: Portrait

2213. Wilder Street (31)

You have no idea how much pleasure Hazard’s work gives me. It always seems to be so uplifting and beautiful and has a purity about it that is unusual in street art. This is a wonderful piece completed perhaps a couple of weeks ago on the hoardings of a development on Wilder Street.

Hazard, Wilder Street, Bristol, May 2019
Hazard, Wilder Street, Bristol, May 2019

I remember that the first Hazard piece I saw was at Upfest 2016 I think, and I remember commenting on how she combines a beautiful portrait with interesting and elaborate hair decorations, and she does the same thing here. The feathers are just an additional delight to ponder.

Hazard, Wilder Street, Bristol, May 2019
Hazard, Wilder Street, Bristol, May 2019

I love the skin tones in this piece which run from tans through to oranges and yellow on the cheeks. A classy work that conveys innocence and mystery combined. Thank you Harriet for brightening up the streets of Bristol, and come back from your travels safely.

2123. Stokes Croft

A new Mexican cantina has opened up in Stokes Croft called Masa and Mezcal where the old MEATliquor use to be. The cantina looks rather nice and has a fresher feel than its predecessor. Because this is Stokes Croft, it wouldn’t quite feel complete without some street art about the place, and this building has always had art and tags.

Jody, Stokes Croft, Bristol, March 2019
Jody, Stokes Croft, Bristol, March 2019

Who better to adorn this new outlet than Bristol’s Jody. Here he gives one of his beautiful portrait pieces which blends into the graffiti that pre-existed on the wall in a thoughtful and sensitive way, giving the whole thing an air of credibility rather than whitewashing and starting afresh.

Jody, Stokes Croft, Bristol, March 2019
Jody, Stokes Croft, Bristol, March 2019

This is a piece that will be missed by many, because although it is new, it looks like it has been here for ever. Very beautiful, very clever.

2112. Upfest 2018 (139)

This was my favourite wall from Upfest 2018 and it was the first time it had been painted by street artists. I love it that every year, the organisers of the festival find new places for artists to paint, especially as these pieces on permanent walls live long after the festival ends.

Michel Velt, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Michel Velt, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

This is a gorgeous collaboration between Michel Velt and Elafil. The stunning portrait is bt Michel Velt, an artist from the Netherlands. I cannot tell you how much I admire this piece, it has such life and emotion in it – I feel like I could speak to the woman portrayed. Beautiful without being over-photorealistic if you know what I mean.

Elafil, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Elafil, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

Elafil painted probably my favourite piece of the 2018 festival and here he gives us a little extra piece of 3D writing just for good measure. It is clear he had some paint left over from his piece in South Street Park to use in this fine collaboration. I love, love , love this wall.

Elafil, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Elafil, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

2086. St Werburghs tunnel (69)

I cannot think of a period in the four or so years that I have been writing about Bristol street art where there have been so many ‘new’ entrants into the painting scene. One such artist is Diced Mango who once on my radar only a few months ago is now producing pieces on a regular basis in several spots around the city.

Diced Mango, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2019
Diced Mango, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2019

This recent piece in St Werburghs tunnel combines a character with writing, a format common amongst graffiti writers. The portrait is naively drawn with Diced Mango’s trademark coloured ‘string’ hair.

Diced Mango, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2019
Diced Mango, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2019

The writing in gold is in a rather nice organic form. I think there is a lot more to come from this artist and I am looking forward to seeing how his work develops over the coming months and years.

2069. Shoreditch, London (28)

I think that this piece by AKA Jimmy C is another one that falls into the category of ‘recently done, just in time for my visit to Shoreditch’. It is a touching painting of a man carrying a child with fatherly affection and care. As with all AKA Jimmy C pieces it is painted using tiny spots of paint to make up the whole – pointillism graffiti.

AKA Jimmy C, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
AKA Jimmy C, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

I had walked past this charming piece and it was only when I turned back, checking for traffic, that I saw it. It goes to show that in this game you really do need to keep your wits about you. This is a sensational piece and simply adds to the enormous spectrum of street art.

2002. M32 Spot (38)

In this game it is sometimes hard to work out whether artists are new to the scene or whether you have simply not seen any of their work before. Diced Mango very much fits into this category for me.

Diced Mango, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2019
Diced Mango, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2019

I only became aware of the artist a few weeks ago, and posted his piece in Dean Lane, and now, so soon afterwards, I found another one, this time in the M32 Spot. It is another portrait, painted in a rather naive style and with the bright colours that seem to be a feature of his work. I am looking forward to following the progress of Diced Mango and finding out a little bit more about the artist.

1993. Upfest 2018 (129)

Well this is an absolutely extraordinary and highly unusual portrait piece by Bristol-based artist Lee Ellis. I have not seen any of his work before, but that is because I think he is primarily a studio artist and not a street artist.

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

I took a look at his work on the Interweb and he has this incredible style that has a touch of menace and darkness about it, but also manages to convey emotions and passion in the subjects. It would be interesting to see what he could do with a proper outdoors wall. Striking work.

1987. Upfest 2018 (123)

This stunning shutter piece is by Sake One, a West Coast (USA) artist who has been spraying since the early eighties and was greatly involved with the hip hop culture in San Diego during his youth. There is a thorough biography of the artist on the Upfest website, which is worth a read.

Sake One, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Sake One, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

The piece itself is a highly accomplished work, as you’d expect from an artist of this calibre. The profile of the girl is sensitively painted and blends perfectly with the subtle writing to its right. The tragedy of shutter pieces is that they are rarely seen during daylight hours, even at weekends when so many shops seem to be open…not like in the old days!

1983. Dean Lane skate park (186)

I get a great thrill when I see work from an artist new to me, and this piece from Diced Mango in Dean Lane came as a most welcome surprise. This work reminds me a little of the work of Pekoe, simply because it has some commonalities of bright colours, a female face and  ‘scribbled’ hair.

Diced Mango, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2019
Diced Mango, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2019

I have since seen more work from Diced Mango and I think that this might be a thing…I hope so. The artist is Alexander Richardson A.K.A. Alex the Maverick of Maverick Media. It is great to see real people with real jobs doing real street art/graffiti art, always striving to brighten the place up. A nice first piece by this artist for Natural Adventures.

1970. Shoreditch, London (22)

Wow, wow, wow. Fancy having an enormous portrait of Salvador Dali painted outside your premises. I mean, this is just amazing work from the wonderful Zabou. Everything about this piece is in my mind perfect… the subject, the monochrome face, the dazzling leopard spot design jacket, the melting watch. This is a masterful piece and Salvador himself would I’m sure be smiling down on Zabou.

Zabou, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Zabou, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

For me, this is what it’s all about, what I do and why I do it. Wandering around the streets without any plan and chancing upon things I didn’t know were there. A voyage of discovery and pleasant surprises. Finding this was a highlight of my sauntering around Shoreditch last November.