While the quality of this extraordinary portrait piece by Rosalita (who has changed her Instagram from Rosalita to Rozalita) is unquestionable, the woman’s face disturbs me a little. The exaggerated features have a clown-like quality, and clowns are scary at the best of times.
Rosalita, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2021
Rosalita has associations with a travelling lifestyle and the circus or performance arts seems to have a profound impact on her paintings, most of which encompass a carnival theme. There are so many good things about the artwork in this piece, but it is the impact it has on me as a viewer that I value the most. I find it completely compelling.
Rosalita has really taken the bull by the horns with this piece. Painted at the end of the tunnel after the St Werburghs tunnel on brickwork that previously had only been tagged, or painted by TOYs. With this piece not only has she created a fine piece of art, but she has legitimised this wall as a serious opportunity for other street/graffiti artists.
Rosalita, Boiling Wells Lane, Bristol, June 2021
The carnival/show theme is a thread that runs through Rosalita’s work and is evident once again here with the face of a clown or jester. Many if not most of Rosalita’s characters are tinged with sadness or tragedy… there is something about the look, the hiding behind makeup. What is amazing about this piece, is not simply the portrait, but the fabulous decoration work around it. Another jewel from Rosalita.
A gallery of sensational carnival pieces and other great work from Bristol street artist Rosalita.
All photographs by Scooj
Rosalita, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2021Rosalita, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2021Rosalita, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2021Rosalita, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2021Rosalita, Star and Garter, Bristol, March 2021Rosalita, Lower Ashley Road, Bristol, March 2021Rosalita, Purdown, Bristol, February 2021Rosalita, Purdown, Bristol, February 2021Rosalita, M32 cycle path, Bristol, January 2021Rosalita, M32 Spot, Bristol, December 2020Rosalita and 3F Fino, M32 cycle path, Bristol, November 2020Rosalita, M32 cycle path, Bristol, November 2020Rosalita, M32 cycle path, Bristol, November 2020Rosalita, St Mark’s Avenue, Bristol, July 2020Rosalita, St Marks Avenue, Bristol, July 2020Rosalita, Star and Garter, Bristol, November 2018
And they just keep coming. Rosalita (Raw) has been smashing it all over Bristol during the last six months and if I am honest, I couldn’t be happier about it. There is something about her work that feels very honest, at times brutal but so very full of soul. The subjects and the rich colours she uses are quite unusual in the street art world and her work stands out because of it.
Rosalita, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2021
This piece, at the end of the Brunel Way concrete support depicts a lady carrying a heavy load, in fact a caravan, on her back, looking like a Sherpa Porter. Entitled “if this is my home, where do I go?” This is a powerful piece on the subject of right to roam. So good.
I knew all about this wonderful new collaboration from Rosalita’s Instagram feed, and because I recently (and at last) found the Greenbank wall, I rushed down to take some photographs. It was well worth the trip.
Rosalita, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2021
The collaboration is from Rosalita and Antikki and they certainly decided to go big with this one. There is so much to love here. Rosalita’s clown face behind layers of theatrical make up that disguise the emotional disposition of the subject, as is so often the case with Rosalita’s work there is something sad or uncertain about the portrait. The hair, oh my goodness the hair. Antikki has done an extraordinary job of weaving her dancing figures into the hair, which if you don’t look properly you might miss. The whole portrait is set on a starry and atmospheric background. This is a masterclass in collaborative working where the two styles and cleverly fused into the one piece.
Rosalita, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2021
Like many other people, I am so enjoying Rosalita’s strong presence on our streets, which has blossomed over the last six months or so and it is great to see Antikki joining her. I would love to see more collaborations from these two.
I knew that this piece by Rosalita existed, I just wasn’t quite sure where and when I finally discovered it on the Greenbank wall it was looking a little bit worse for wear. There is definitely a dark and tragic side to a lot of Rosalita’s work and this is something of a deathly portrait set on a backdrop of flowers.
Rosalita, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2021
I don’t often cut-and-paste quotes into Natural Adventures, but Rosalita’s explanation of this piece on her Instagram feed gives us an insight into this portrait:
“🌺From my rotting body flowers will grow🌺 Emptying cans with a mishmash of colours. Dreamt I visited my mother last night, in our old home, as if she had never departed. There was comfort in feeling her presence again. Buddhist believe in meditating on death and impermanence as the only certainty in life 🌱 The intention is that when we embrace the reality of death we are freed of its fear and are able to live our lives fully with an open heart 💓 It is shamanic work throughout all cultures. Themes of death are a form of meditation in my practice, the impermanence of murals is guaranteed and comes with the territory of graffiti/street art culture. In its own way is a reminder of how fragile life is, and through acceptance we can kiss the joy as it passes our way ☠️ nuff love !”
The piece is very similar to another one she painted at around the same time and which I posted here back in January 2021. Fabulous work, and I love the flowers.
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
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.
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 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.
Rosalita is an artist who seems to have burst into life since November last year, and although I had seen a few of her pieces before then, she has jumped into another league of productivity. This is a great thing to see, because her work is exciting, imaginative, vibrant and thoughtful and adds another dimension to the Bristol street art scene.
Rosalita, Lower Ashley Road, Bristol, March 2021
This quick piece on the hoardings of Lower Ashley Road didn’t last long, so I am really pleased I made the effort to photograph it. Rosalita has painted an acrobatic figure, perhaps a carnival entertainer (she does like her carnivals), in a striped red and white costume (the best colours). There is a whole ton of movement in the piece and the body form is perfectly proportioned. I still have a couple more pieces from Rosalita to post and am hoping that this purple patch continues.
Because I don’t get to photograph up at Purdown Battery very often, I am not too sure whether this is a recent or an old piece by Rosalita, but either way it is an absolute cracker. This wall is tucked away a bit and takes a little bit of finding, so I don’t imagine that very many people have seen it, which in one way is a bit of a shame, but in another way it is how some artists like to do things.
Rosalita, Purdown, Bristol, February 2021
The subject of the piece is a mermaid, whose hair is made up of octopus tentacles, but instead of looking rather disgusting as in the Bill Nighy portrayal of Davey Jones from Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean, her hair is beautiful. This is an outstanding piece and another example of great work coming from Rosalita at the moment.
