As I said in a recent post, barely a week goes by without posting a new piece by Pekoe, and as if to prove my point here is another one. This column piece is difficult to photograph and do it justice because of the way it is wrapped around the circular column.
Pekoe, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2021
This yellow-faced beauty carries all the hallmarks of a Pekoe portrait, with big hair decorated with stars and shapes, rosy cheeks with dotted outlines and tears. No need for the artist to sign the piece at all. Always great to find another Pekoe portrait.
This is a very special post showcasing the work of an artist who has only recently hit the scene with almost all of his work appearing on the columns under Brunel Way. The artist is Maybe, and his small acrylic/marker pen works have been improving from week to week. This is a wonderful example of the depth and breadth of street art in Bristol and shows that there is room for everyone here.
Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2021
I have collected several pieces into this one post to give you a flavour of his style and subject material that tends to focus on faces and interlocking images.
Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2021
Even since April the quality of the line drawings and the materials he uses have improved considerably and in future posts you will see how quickly the artist is getting used to working on concrete canvasses and gaining in confidence.
Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2021
For people like me (and Paul H) it is always very exciting when new artists emerge on to the scene and establish their intent. The egg face piece above is one of my favourites.
Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2021
Even running from top to bottom in this series you can see how the lines have become sharper and the creativity of ideas expanded. There is so much to look forward to from this artist. All that remains is for me to get lucky enough to meet him while painting one of these creations.
Face 1st is still painting at full tilt at the moment and every day I feel like I am stumbling across something new from him. This piece was from earlier on this month and is in the style of his most recent theme of what looks like burst bubblegum mess surrounding the smiling girl’s mouth and face.
Face 1st, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2021
It is interesting how some artists hit upon an idea or theme and then work on it for a while before moving on to the next thing. Decay is another artist who reinvents his theme roughly annually and then produces lots of versions of the new theme. All fascinating stuff. More of these from Face 1st to come.
I have kept it as no secret that I have been struggling to keep on top of the sheer amount so street art and graffiti that is being painted in Bristol at the moment. I find myself constantly looking back into my monthly archives to see if there are any gems I have missed. Once I have hung up my camera for the last time, I will still have plenty of material to post, albeit historical.
Ments, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2021
This is a gorgeous piece from Ments, painted in April, that shows off his talents perfectly, incorporating his newer techniques with his older organic style of writing. Believe it or not, these abstract forms actually spell out MENTS although it takes a bit of creative thinking to make out some of the letters. A very nice piece indeed that fully deserved its moment in the spotlight last month. Blame the backlog.
A week wouldn’t really feel like a complete week without posting a piece from Pekoe, so here, to complete the circle is a small recent column piece under Brunel Way from the RBF warrior.
Pekoe, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2021
Although Pekoe isn’t turning out pieces at quite the rate she was a few weeks back, she continues to remind us she is there. This is a rather nice quick one, portrait style, well suited to columns. Blue face, salmon hair, what’s not to like?
Every artist brings something different to the walls of Bristol, some high end world-class pieces, others quick and dirty throw-ups, but in between there is a vast contribution of different styles, subject and quality, which makes the whole scene so interesting. 3F Fino first entered my radar about a year ago in Cumberland Basin, and since then has hit walls all over the city with his unique character pieces.
3F Fino, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2021
This column character piece picks up on a theme he has used a lot n his work, of partially hidden faces. I am not sure if this is a COVID-19 thing or totally unrelated to that, and maybe more to do with clandestine activity. This character has been popping up in central Bristol too, so watch this space for more posts from 3F Fino.
It is great to see that Eman is keeping himself very busy these days, and this is one of several recent pieces in the Cumberland Basin area. I think that Eman and I must be on the same time wavelength as I keep meeting him on my rounds, most recently this weekend just gone.
Eman, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2021
This piece is a writing/character combination is chrome with a blue and thin yellow border. The character is something that Eman is developing and concentrating on and seems to be a direction of travel he is enjoying. This is the first of several new pieces I will be posting from the artist, and is an excellent start.
Stivs continues to turn out some of the best calligraphy writing in Bristol and this is an absolute beauty under Brunel Way. The photographs simply don’t do this piece justice… in the context of the slightly gloomy spot, the bright blue and purple letters illuminated the space and demanded to be looked at. A real humdinger.
Stivs, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2021
I am not even going to attempt to tell you what the letters spell out, although I was thinking of having a go, I can tell you however that it is not his customary STIVS. I think the really clever touch lies with the thin bright blue outline on the black background that gives the whole thing a little lift. A nice piece.
This piece has quenched my thirst a little. Over the last year I haven’t seen too many Rusk pieces, and although he was never a ‘once a week’ artist, I would expect to see more from him in a normal year. Of course this is not a normal anything.
Rusk, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2021
This is quite a large burner, on a wall I hate to photograph because of the light reflections and poor light quality. Rusk has written a beautifully finished intertwining set of letters with magnificent fills along with a bonus character of Mighty Mouse, although he has swapped his customary red cape for a blue one. Really nice stuff from Rusk.
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.