3895. Brunel Way (119)

This little concrete corner underneath Brunel Way is becoming a bit of a Pekoe gallery, with several of her quick column portraits on display at the moment. In fact I am posting this most recent piece before I have posted the one you can see behind it, due to my current backlog (many hundreds of unpublished photographs).

Pekoe, Brunel Way, Bristol, August 2021
Pekoe, Brunel Way, Bristol, August 2021

I like these quick portraits that Pekoe paints, because although they are a little rough around the edges, they still have the charm and emotion of her larger portrait pieces.  The colours Pekoe has chosen for this one work nicely together and certainly add a little interest to this rather dull and grey place. Hurrah for Pekoe who just keeps going.

3849. Brunel Way (118)

It is that time again to take another little look at the columns under Brunel Way and show you a couple more small pieces from Maybe. There really is no stopping this newcomer who is making a bit of a name for himself.

Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021
Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021

The quality of his work has improved so much in such a short space of time and he is obviously getting to grips with the surfaces and materials he is using to paint these wonderful creations. There really is nobody else in Bristol doing anything like this. In a way his work reminds me of wheatpaste work, and I would think that his style would suit a few paste ups perfectly. Only saying. 

Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021
Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021

As we would expect, both of these pieces are centred around the single line profile faces that Maybe has made his own, and I suspect that the rainbow colours of the second piece is a gesture toward Pride, which is good to see. Of course there is more to come from Maybe, and a gallery really isn’t too far off.

3836. Brunel Way (118)

Maybe has made Brunel Way his spiritual home and several of the columns holding up the dual carriageway bear the delightful small pieces created by the relative newcomer. Although Maybe has branched out into a couple of other spots, the vast majority of his work is here.

Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2021
Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2021

Two more of his pieces are featured in this post. It seems a little unfair that I bunch them together, but he is so prolific that if I didn’t post two at a time, some might never get posted at all. This first one is a sensational colour burst of faces in a circular pattern and in rainbow sequence, although there is an extra blue/green colour included for good measure and symmetry.

Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2021
Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2021

The second piece combines the egg character he painted before with his planetscape that he has been developing to great effect over recent weeks. Curious and compelling. I recommend a trip to this spot which has become a bit of a gallery of Maybe’s work.

3807. Brunel Way (117)

It would seem that Jee See has awoken from quite a long slumber, and is hitting walls again with his trademark SEISMIC letters, in this case with a large piece under Brunel Way.

Jee See, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021
Jee See, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021

Jee See’s pieces are usually quite easy to identify, in particular his seismic series, in which he tricks us with 3D shadows being cast in different directions halfway through the letters. This piece in bright red, with black shading is very nicely prepped and finished, and it would seem that he took his time crafting it. More to come from Jee See soon.

3797. Brunel Way (116)

It is a great pleasure to bring you two more delightful pieces by Maybe from beneath the rather noisy Brunel Way flyover. Particularly gratifying is observing the tangible improvements being made in his work, and with these two examples, it is easy to tell which is the older and which is the newer.

Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2021
Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2021

The space kite is a sophisticated piece in which the artist has really nailed his planet ecosystem – I’d love to know the technique he uses to get this effect. A kite, with a face, drifts serenely through space. This is a wonderful creation and one of my favourites.

Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2021
Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2021

Rather less sophisticated, but using the two interlocking face theme, is this simple circle. With all his work there is a dream-like quality and an element of humanity, hope and joy. These are all things we could do with these days. Keep it up.

3787. Brunel Way (115)

So here we are again with another couple of fabulous small pieces by urban artist Maybe. When it comes to simplicity and creativity Maybe ticks all the boxes, and with these pieces he also creates a sense of fun.

Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021
Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021

The lava lamp, such an iconic design, is inspired and the stretching ‘lava’ liquid takes the form of a couple of faces… such a lovely idea.

Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021
Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021

The other piece is unfortunately a little obscured with a tag on the left, but it is mostly intact, and the sunshine face is a joyful image. Much more to come from this imaginative artist.

3768. Brunel Way (114)

This is another opportunity to showcase the wonderful and slightly different work of Bristol artist Maybe. This artist burst on to the scene earlier this year, painting pretty much exclusively in a stretch of concrete columns supporting Brunel Way, a busy road crossing over the river Avon at Cumberland Basin. His small pieces are little treasures and rather fun to seek out.

Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021
Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021

The first piece is one of Maybe’s trademark reversible faces combined within a rectangle, each painted in its own wonderful colours and shades. There is something about the simplicity of these pieces that makes them rather calming and easy to look at and enjoy.

Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021
Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021

The second piece is a rather clever little design of a moon eating a banana in some kind of reflective motif idea. I am a fan of Maybe, and am enjoying the progress being made. I look forward to maybe finding some pieces in other parts of Bristol.

3765. Brunel Way (113)

It would appear that Zake is off the leash. Over the past month, I have seen and photographed several Zake pieces that seem to get better and better. This is the first one in a series, and a good starting point.

Zake, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021
Zake, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021

I first came across Zake’s work on the columns under the M32 several of which still remain, which is remarkable really and shows the respect from other artists. Although this is not his best work, it does hark back to those earlier pieces. There is some great uplighting going on here and an exaggerated characterful face. Watch this space for more from Zake.

3751. Brunel Way (112)

Another wonderful column piece from Maybe under Brunel Way and one in which he has combined his faces theme with his more recent cosmic theme to great effect. I have said before in posting Maybe’s work, that I like street art like this because it is a little different and another legitimate form of artistic expression.

Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2021
Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2021

I would love to know the secret behind the technique used to create the the planets and stars, the shading on the planet surfaces is particularly nicely done. Maybe’s work just goes from strength to strength.

3749. Brunel Way (111)

I got rather lucky with this piece, managing to time my walk perfectly to be able to catch up with the artist mid way through painting it. The very large piece is by an artist I had never met before and didn’t even know about, Vents137. For an artist who specialises in painting trains, this was something of a departure (no pun intended), but very impressive nonetheless. Vents137 wasn’t at all happy with the colours though and just wanted to get it finished quickly, and he was very quick.

Vent137, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2021
Vent137, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2021

The piece is a classic writing and character arrangement with the letters spelling out VENT and the character taking the form of a hooded robot kind of thing, reminding me a little bit of a Snub23. It is all quite unlike anything I am used to seeing in Bristol and I hope that Vent137 takes to the walls more often.

Vent137, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2021
Vent137, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2021

Yet another debut on Natural Adventures from an experienced artist. How on earth am I expected to keep on top of all of this, I ask you? Great piece that unfortunately didn’t last too long.