Tag: Portrait

1932. Shoreditch, London (12)

I have seen so much of his work on the Interweb, but I think this is the first piece by C215 that I have seen in the flesh. I don’t think it is a particularly new piece, but being only an occasional visitor to Shoreditch, it is new to me.

C215, Shoreditch, London, November, 2018
C215, Shoreditch, London, November, 2018

There is so much to like about his work, with the simple lines and scatter of colours combining to give an astonishingly clear portrait. The style has some similarities with the work of Dzia, where the constituent elements combine magnificently to create a perfect whole. Love this piece.

1909. Upfest 2018 (105)

Regular readers of Natural Adventures may recall posts about the ephemeral work of Annika Pixie who is a Bristol artist and regular at Upfest. Annika is a vibrant and colourful member of the local art community, who appears to spend her winters in Thailand teaching before returning to her adopted city.

Annika Pixie, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Annika Pixie, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

This portrait carries all the hallmarks of an Annika Pixie piece. The face is partly obscured by a thin veil as if peering through a net curtain and there is a sadness in the girl’s expression. on her chest are some little ballet dancer stencils…I wonder what the story is here. It is always great to see Annika’s work although I was disappointed to have missed talking to her this year.

1905. Upfest 2018 (101)

During the Upfest 2018 weekend, I really struggled with who was painting this piece. The difficulty was that it was on a new wall that didn’t really offer close access and the artist was perched high up on scaffolding. It turns out that the piece is by Bristol’s magnificent Jody.

Jody, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Jody, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

Jody is meticulous with his work and certainly never rushes. For this reason, many visitors to Upfest never actually get to see his finished pieces, until they return some time later. It was days before he finished this one, but wow, it was well worth the wait.

Jody, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Jody, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

This is a cleverly worked portrait of a woman behind a golden cat mask and it truly outstanding. Like so many of his works it seems to have gravitas…I can’t really express what I mean by that other than that there is a seriousness about the work. Beautiful piece beautifully executed.

1874. Upfest 2018 (93)

I first encountered the work of The Thomas Brothers at Upfest 2016 where they produced this wonderful work in North Street. Their style is highly distinct and recognisable, pulling together a kind of 1980s meets pop art flavour full of colour and dazzle.

The Thomas Brothers, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
The Thomas Brothers, Upfest, Bristol, July 201818

This piece can still be found in the Tobacco Factory car park and is well worth a look. It is particularly gratifying to have pictures of the work in progress as it gives an insight into how the brothers construct their work.

The Thomas Brothers, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
The Thomas Brothers, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

Backgrounds are laid down first, which are then over-painted with stencil work, marking out the finer detail of the piece, such as the writing and the features on the woman’s face. The final touches are added to create the completed collaboration which is vibrant and assertive.

The Thomas Brothers, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
The Thomas Brothers, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

I like the way these guys work and am pleased that they visited again in 2018.

1847. Upfest 2018 (88)

Shade One is a Bristol artist who has been spraying since 1985, so can probably be considered as one of the godfathers of street art in the city. Having said that, I am relatively new to the street art scene here and anything older than about five years is a bit of a murky area and I need to do extra research.

Shade One, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Shade One, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

This is a striking cartoonesque portrait that for me has Disney written all over it. Something about it reminds me a little of Cruella de Vil. Fabulous crisp lines and solid fills, this is the work of an expert.

 

 

1842. Upfest 2018 (83)

I remember at Upfest 2017 really loving a piece by Lauren Maria Hill and she has come up trumps again in 2018. A fine artist, who is probably more at home in the studio, Lauren Maria Hill manages to use these smaller boards to showcase her stunning portrait work.

Lauren Maria Hill, Upfest, Bristol, October 2018
Lauren Maria Hill, Upfest, Bristol, October 2018

Unfortunately I never saw the finished piece, I think it must have been taken away and protected from the showery weather, but you can get the general idea from these pictures. This is another work from Upfest 2018 to feature a leaf from a Swiss cheese plant – Maybe they are fun to paint.

Lauren Maria Hill, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Lauren Maria Hill, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017

1819. Upfest 2018 (79)

This portrait is a highly memorable and unusual piece by Mazcan. The artist is from Brighton and she is known for painting portraits of women about the place. She is perhaps equally well-known for her crochet work, which she appears to enjoy very much judging from her Facebook feed.

Mazcan, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Mazcan, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

There is a lot of mystery in this piece, and it seems to be as much about what you can’t see as what you can. Certainly, this was a piece that I couldn’t take my eyes off. I’m not sure I like it as much as some of the pieces on her Facebook pages, but it is a great introduction to her work.

1816. Upfest 2018 (76)

Oh my oh my. This utterly outstanding piece by Elafil was the biggest head turner of the festival. I had to revisit it several times, just to enjoy the bold brash colours and expression knock me over. I seriously rate this piece as a brilliant piece of street art. The bottle green and copper tones work so well together and create something that assault your eyes – ‘hey look at me’ the piece is saying.

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

Another thing about this particular piece is that it is unquestionably photogenic, which is great for someone like me who likes to present great pictures of street art in my posts. The only downside is that when I got to see it, the artist had already finished and fled the scene. Next time!

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

Elafil is from Spain although I’m not sure which part. He clearly has ambition to join the international circuit and on this evidence shouldn’t have any problem at all. He has a website which showcases some of his great work, but alas no ‘about me’ tab.

1786. Upfest 2018 (62)

I might have mentioned before that there were a lot of shutter pieces at this year’s Upfest and this mysterious piece is by French artist Kaldea Nakajima. I don’t know too much about her or her work, but have found her creative website that hosts some of her work.

Kaldea, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Kaldea, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

I rather like this female portrait with octopus-like tentacles for hair, and a wonderful halo signifying what I’m not quite sure. The lips are very Japanese, and I wonder if there is some influence there, judging from her surname. Altiogether an unusual and calming piece.

1760. Upfest 2018 (54)

Wowzer, a staggering work in blue from Ketones6000 in South Street park at this year’s Upfest. A piece as striking as this is hard to overlook…it simply draws you in to get a better look. The artist, AKA Jerome Davenport is an Australian who has been working out of London during 2017 and 2018, and Upfest was just one of several festivals he painted at this year.

Ketones6000, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Ketones6000, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

This photorealistic vision in blue is rather haunting and clearly has a maritime theme going on. The face is the first and most obvious component that you see in this piece, but when you get up close, some other interesting details emerge.

Ketones6000, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Ketones6000, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

On the right hand side of the portrait you can see a tall ship emerging from the fog, so I am guessing the hero is probably a sailor of some kind. I love this piece and the atmosphere it creates – it would be great to get Ketones6000 back for next year.