Portrait – Page 7 – Natural adventures

6864. Harmood Street, Camden Town, London

Irony, Harmood Street, Camden Town, London, April 2025

On 8 April this year, I took a trip to London to watch the mighty Arsenal swat away Real Madrid in what was without doubt the best football match I have ever been to – and I have been to a fair few. The kick-off was a late one, so rather than catch a very late train home to Bristol I decided to stay over in London with my sister, and then visit my uncle and aunt the next morning. After my visit, I had a few hours to kill and decided to walk to Camden Town and snap up a few doors and some street art. This outstanding portrait piece from Irony was one of the first I saw on my ten-mile walk.

Irony, who is one of the most talented street artists ever in my view, is known for his portraits of young women, and this one has been plastered all over social media recently, so it was a genuine surprise and pleasure to come across it.

The artist has captured a mood so perfectly in this piece and the slight downward tilt of the subject’s head conveys some kind of body language that the viewer can pick up on. Obviously, the most striking part of the piece is the stunning blue hair, perfectly presented. This is a great piece from a great artist.

6863. M32 roundabout J3 (673)

Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2025

Back to work today after the Easter break, and, of course, it is a bit of a struggle getting my head around returning to work. Getting back into the routine of writing my blog posts before work is helpful in recalibrating and preparing my mind.

This is a fine example of a quick(ish) one from Daz Cat. Painted in chrome on a dramatic red background with some imaginative decorations, this three-quarter profile of a cat is just the ticket for starting off the short week positively. I imagine that Daz Cat can knock these characters off in his sleep – goodness knows how many he has painted over the last decade or so.

6855. Sparke Evans Park (129)

Stivs, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2025

Stivs has been painting some extraordinary portrait pieces recently, demonstrating that his talents extend far beyond his outstanding calligraffiti for which he is best known. This is a gritty and authentic portrait of his friend and fellow artist Badger Feral.

The piece is representative and beautifully painted, without the need to be photorealistic, which is the temptation for many portrait artists. I am full of admiration for the range and quality of work that Stivs achieves, and am always pleasantly surprised when I find new pieces by him. Long-live Dog Supremacy Crew (DSC).

6844. Watkinson Street, Liverpool

John Culshaw, Watkinson Street, Liverpool, March 2025

Perhaps the least surprising theme for street art in Liverpool was a link in some way or other to the Beatles. It seems that so much of the culture of the city is reliant on the greatest music group ever, and it is difficult to avoid any cultural references to them wherever you happen to be in the city.

John Culshaw, Watkinson Street, Bristol, March 2025

This fine portrait piece of the Fab Four by John Culshaw (an artist I know nothing about) features, from left to right, Ringo, John, Paul and George. Each of the portraits is skilfully painted in two-tone colours, with the whole thing looking like an album cover. Fun fact, I was at school with Zak Starkey (only for a short overlap, and he wasn’t in my year), Ringo Starr’s son. More Beatles related street art in my next post.

6833. St James street, Liverpool

Liam Bononi, St James Street, Liverpool, March 2025

There were several memorable highlights to our recent weekend away in Liverpool, and nestled just under my wife’s completion of the half-marathon, and walking around the docks and the Liver building, was this utterly outstanding portrait mural by Liam Bononi.

The portrait piece, of a contorted agonised male face, is particularly impactful on account of both its size and its positioning on an entire elevation of a large, isolated Victorian building. There is so much detail in the face and hands, a signature of Liam Bononi’s work, and there is a fair amount of emotional wrestling going on here.

Without doubt, I am a big fan of Liam Bononi’s work, and the quality of his portraits. What a fabulous surprise to find one as magnificent as this on the back streets of Liverpool.

6831. Jordan Street, Liverpool

Aske, Jordan Street, Liverpool, March 2025

A couple of weeks ago I visited Liverpool with my wife and daughter to cheer on my wife and our nephew-in-law who were running the half-marathon. After finding a strategic place to stop and wave them on at the mile marker, we had an hour or two to kill before being at the finishing line at the end of their admirable adventure. Our rather less energetic walk took us to a café, which happened to be in a street art district.

This discovery had been completely unplanned by me, I have only once before been to Liverpool, long before I was interested in street art, and didn’t do any research before our trip. I got lucky once again. While my daughter and niece, caught up and had a coffee, I ran around the area, like a mad thing, taking as many pictures as I could. This was one of the first.

As a football fan, I can appreciate that this is a fine piece on two levels. One, the quality of the portrait of Jurgen Klopp, former manager of Liverpool Football Club, and two, the love for football and how the local team touches lives. The artist is Aske, not known to me, and this is a fine tribute to a local hero. More from this Liverpool adventure to come.

6823. Dean Lane skate park (816)

There is no question about it, Stivs is an extremely talented artist. Whether it is his extraordinarily tight calligraffiti, his cartoon characters or his portrait pieces, his natural ability shines through in all of his work. Recently he painted this stunning portrait piece in Dean Lane, bringing enjoyment to many.

I don’t know whether it is easier or more difficult to paint portrait pieces in single tones or in full colour, but either way, I am in awe of anyone who carries it off. This is a beautiful cartoon portrait piece, that feels like it has a Japanese film influence, but I am only guessing. The different tones and shades in the face create wonderful depth, and the subtle streaks in the hair hint at the shape and style of it. An outstanding and quite unexpected piece.

6818. St Werburghs tunnel (486)

Badger Feral and Stivs, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025

This slightly unusual collaboration from Badger Feral and Stivs has been turning a few heads, and not surprisingly, as it is rather striking. While I am very familiar with Stivs’ work, I believe this is the first piece I have come across by Badger Feral.

Badger Feral, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025

Starting with the Badger Feral piece, we are presented with a portrait of a hooded woman, with red hair and gold earrings. Her blue eyes are matched by the hood around her head. The portrait has a slightly darker side, with an inverted cross on the woman’s forehead, and her hood is suspended by a line of little skulls. Lots to take in here, and plenty of symbolism too.

Stivs, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025

Stivs on the other hand has painted a portrait of a jolly fellow wearing a cap. I don’t know who the character is, but there might be a clue in the ‘Jim Bitch’ that accompanies the piece. Stivs has painted the portrait in a photorealistic style, and it looks like, from subsequent pieces, that he is rather enjoying portrait work at the moment. There is so much to take in from this ever so slightly weird collaboration.

6814. M32 roundabout J3 (667)

Stivs and Pekoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2025

It was great to see this collaboration from Stivs and Pekoe recently, two artists who are knocking out some fabulous work at the moment. To the left, the calligraffiti letters are by Stivs and the character portrait on the right is by Pekoe.

Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2025

Stivs has written his familiar letters DSC, which stands for Dog Supremacy Crew (formerly Dog Shit Crew – I think). The beautiful letters are not quite as elaborate as some of his calligraffiti pieces, but are nonetheless impressive. From the size and intricacy of it, I would think that he painted this fairly quickly.

Pekoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2025

To the right, Pekoe, in keeping with the collaboration colour scheme, has painted this wonderful blue-faced portrait of a young woman with a fabulous hairdo. There is a symmetry in the face, and a slightly haunting stare. The piece is beautifully produced, and so very neat and tidy. I am not sure what the significance of the road cone is, but I’ll take it.

6805. Cumberland Basin

Mind 49, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2025

Ooh! How brilliant to see Mind 49 returning to the streets after a relatively quiet start to the year. Commensurate with his last piece at the Greenbank spot in January, Mind 49 has combined a photorealistic portrait with a cartoon illustration, carrying some threat and menace.

The portrait is superb, painted in his unique style that creates what I would term a blurred photorealism, rather than some of the perfect sharp pieces that you see from time to time. The cartoon parts begin around the main character’s neck and show him holding a pistol. In the background, a hooded character looks on. I love the way that Mind 49 brings these two very different styles together and makes them sit side by side effortlessly. Looking forward to more as the days get longer and weather warms up.

	Suzette Benjamin on Thursday Doors – 21 May…
	scooj on 7658. Tobacco Factory –…
	scooj on Champions
	scooj on Champions
	scooj on 7657. Stillhouse Lane –…

	Suzette Benjamin on Thursday Doors – 21 May…
	scooj on 7658. Tobacco Factory –…
	scooj on Champions
	scooj on Champions
	scooj on 7657. Stillhouse Lane –…

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