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
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
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.
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
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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
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
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.
Judging by the number of photographs I have of these delightful small pieces by Maybe, I will be posting them pretty regularly over the coming weeks and months, which can only be a good thing. I expect it won’t be too long before I have enough to do a gallery. I love this kind of quirky and different street art, as it represents another element on the vast spectrum of styles and techniques used to brighten up our streets.
Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2021
Maybe tends to paint only under Brunel Way, and I haven’t seen any of his work anywhere else in Bristol. This is a calm and meditative piece that really demonstrates how far Maybe has come in such a short space of time. The signature profile face is in the form of a balloon, but in this piece the introduction of planets in a star-studded sky is a theme that the artist returns to in several more works. Lovely to see, and something a little different.
What a wonderful and fresh collaboration this is from Stivs and an artist new to me (at the time of taking this picture) Maesyhook. The wall is often difficult to photograph, but I am pleased with these pictures – not too much glare.
Maesyhook, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2021
On the left is a sugar-sweet cat/unicorn sitting on a cloud looking very cute, painted in the Japanese Kawaii style, something you don’t see too often in Bristol… until now. I am guessing that Maesyhook has only recently moved to Bristol, although she is originally from Granada, and is another addition to the growing community of Spanish street artists in Bristol. The writing at the bottom originally said Love Rave – Love 21 June 2021 – a reference to an all-day rave at the Lakota on Monday next week. Watch this space for more of her recent work.
Stivs, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2021
To the right is yet another outstanding piece of calligraphy graffiti (calligraffiti) writing from Stivs who is in a very rich vein of form at the moment. I think it spells FUTURE (correction… KARP), although I might be wrong, however, this is an outstanding piece of art. The blue letters are perfectly accompanied by the red, pink, yellow and purple edges, lifting them out from the wall and the whole thing is bordered with a very clean triple line. Remarkable. and then as if that were not enough, Stivs has worked in a ton of fabulous drips. One of the very best of its type. Bravo!
I think that the paint was probably still drying when I saw this lovely collaboration from Ryder and T-Rex under Brunel Way. And what a fun piece it is, with a taste of the Wild West about it. Ryder posted a little cartoon of it on his Instagram feed, which is great.
T-Rex, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021
To the right of the piece we have a Tyrannosaurus rex 🦖 pulling a cart, so full of movement, and mischief. I expect that T-Rex could paint these characters in her sleep. I love the western touch of a red neckerchief round the dinosaur’s neck.
Ryder, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021
Being pulled by the T-Rex is a RAW ‘band wagon’ with a Ryder googly-eyed letter R playing an instrument. What madness is this? The whole thing is a bit of a riot and the collaboration a memorable one. Great to see that both of them are able to get out and paint together.
Aah, a classic piece of Taboo writing to keep everyone cheery. Last week I posted a gallery of Taboo’s work, and it really is extraordinary in so many ways. His letters are nice and organic and non-uniform creating a freedom and expression that some more anally retentive artists could not cope with.
Taboo, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2021
As well as his unusual letters which spell TABOO, albeit upside down and backwards, there is a clue in his shout-outs, Taboo nearly always gifts us an interesting character to add to the mix. In this case the character is a melting Mickey Mouse. This is not the first Mickey Mouse that Taboo has painted and he certainly seems to like his classics, such as Tom and Jerry and Popeye. A great fun piece.
Another new artist, who is without doubt causing a stir at the moment in Bristol, is Petro, whose Instagram handle is delightfully @intheallotment. I’m not sure where Petro has come from, but there is a lot of experience in this work, and while new to Bristol, Petro is no stranger to throwing paint at walls.
Petro, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2021
Petro likes to go big and all the work I have seen so far is large. Big letters and earthy colours characterise Petro’s work. There is also something about the unruly nature of the letters that reminds me a little of Taboo, Alos and Whos, all of whom seem to break conventional rules of letter shapes and designs. This is a lovely organic piece, and I have several more beauties to share with you.
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