Tag: Portrait

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.

1968. Shoreditch, London (20)

Aah, another fabulous piece by Nether410. As a tourist in these parts, I know little of the piece other than what is on Nether410’s Instagram feed. He says the portrait is of Carol Burns of Bacon Street and that this is the site of her and her father’s business.

Nether410, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Nether410, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

This is an amazing portrait, unsentimental in its portrayal of the subject. There is a story being told here as well, with the key and the keyhole, but I don’t know what it is about. A fine piece.

1967. Shoreditch, London (19)

Quickly skipping back to November last year, the next few posts will feature pieces I saw on a mini excursion to Shoreditch in London, kicking off with this incredible piece by Mr Cenz. I have seen a lot of his work over the last year or two, but only a few in the flesh, and the pictures rarely do them justice. His style pretty much always incorporates a female portrait composed of swirling vibrant shades of colour, which when you think about it, shouldn’t really work, but oh my goodness, work they do!

Mr Cenz, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Mr Cenz, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

A piece like this is just so magnificent and elevates the building it is painted on from being ordinary to being extraordinary. I would surely love to see him visit Bristol.

1966. M32 roundabout J3 (118)

It is obvious from this collaboration combined with Instagram posts from each of these artists that they not only paint well together, but they are really good friends too. Jointly, Hazard and Tasha Bee are at the vanguard of female street art in Bristol, although if I am honest an artist’s gender to me is not as relevant as the quality of their work, both score highly on the latter measure.

Hazard, M32, Bristol, January 2019
Hazard, M32, Bristol, January 2019

The Hazard piece on the left is a copy of the one she painted in Stokes Croft a couple of weeks earlier and has that amazing blue and red shadow thing going on.

Hazard, Stokes Croft, Bristol, December 2018
Hazard, Stokes Croft, Bristol, December 2018

It is so good to have her in Bristol for a while because we get to see her work first hand, rather than via social media – I need to photograph her most recent piece this lunchtime (by the time you read this it was a couple of days ago).

Tasha Bee, M32, Bristol, January 2019
Tasha Bee, M32, Bristol, January 2019

The Tasha Bee piece on the right is in such a different style – flat rather than 3D and highly designed, fitting the ‘Tasha Bee brand’ if that makes any sense at all. I love the work of both of these artists, and although I have met Tasha Bee several times, I would love to meet Hazard too and see her at work. Wonderful collaboration.

1935. Shoreditch, London (15)

The whole idea behind posting pieces from Shoreditch is that I am under no obligation to write too much about the artists, because they are mostly off my radar. I am finding, however, that it is very difficult not to do any research at all. Nether410 is from Baltimore, and it would seem that he had made a recent trip to London and left a few stunning pieces, including this one.

Nether410, Shoreditch, London, November 2018
Nether410, Shoreditch, London, November 2018

This piece is a portrait of Charlie Burns who was the founder of the local business here, who I am guessing also had connections to the world of boxing. It is an outstandingly beautiful portrait full of character and expression. Wow…we simply need to get Nether410 to Bristol some time.