3698. Brunel Way (105)

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
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
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
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
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.

3690. M32 Spot (113)

What an absolute pleasure it was meeting Daz Cat again while he was painting this very nice column piece a week or two back. He was out with CD.TC who I met for the first time and also seems to be a really decent fellow.

Daz Cat, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2021
Daz Cat, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2021

Daz Cat was using his ladder (I want one of those) to add some finer detail to the main structure of the cat he had painted. He came down to chat and said he felt a bit heady. I asked him if it was the paint fumes and he said that it was not, that he was simply rather hungover… good on him.

Daz Cat, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2021
Daz Cat, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2021

I consider this piece to be very good indeed. Not only has he used the column dimensions really well, but the sharp detail on the piece is very well crafted. Furthermore the cat is in profile orientation rather than face on, and so we see a different aspect and depth to the cat’s face. This is one of my favourite pieces of his to date, although there are so many outstanding ones to choose from.

3679. Brunel Way (102)

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
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?

3677. Brunel Way (101)

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
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.

3624. Stapleton Road

This is another of the columns under the railway bridge that crosses over Stapleton Road that has recently had a makeover and is by local artist Rob Wheeler. I don’t know too much about the artist other than that he is part of Graft Workshop, an outfit of street artists who take commissions in Bristol, and whose work I have featured on Natural Adventures some time ago.

Rob Wheeler, Stapleton Road, Bristol, April 2021
Rob Wheeler, Stapleton Road, Bristol, April 2021

This beautifully designed and executed piece has the symmetry and look of an elaborate wallpaper design and adds a touch of class to this column that previously had been a magnet for tags. I hope that this stunning artwork is respected because it is already much loved by the local community.

3582. Stapleton Road

This is the second of four railway column pieces in Stapleton Road to be featured on Natural Adventures. Local artists were commissioned by Network Rail and Severnside Rail Partnership to smarten up the railway supports which had become rather untidy with a plethora of tags and posters. I am a little torn sometimes when this kind of commission comes along, because these spots can host some fine pieces of graffiti, but faced with the option of anti-graffiti painted columns or these gorgeous commissioned murals, I’d always opt for the latter.

Zoe Power and David Bain, Stapleton Road, Bristol, March 2021
Zoe Power and David Bain, Stapleton Road, Bristol, March 2021

This column is a joint effort from Zoe Power and David Bain and is a perfect place to showcase their work. Interestingly their other collaboration to have appeared on Natural Adventures is also a railway piece on Redland Station.

Zoe Power and David Bain, Stapleton Road, Bristol, March 2021
Zoe Power and David Bain, Stapleton Road, Bristol, March 2021

The trademark of these two artists is a highly stylised design and bright bold colours. I would label this piece as a true collaboration because they have stitched their work so closely together that it is difficult for me to be one hundred percent certain who painted what. The cheerful and skilfully painted mural is, along with its sisters, is sure to become a well known local landmark.

Zoe Power and Dave Bain, Redland Station, Bristol, November 2019
Zoe Power and Dave Bain, Redland Station, Bristol, November 2019

3542. Frome side (9)

One of the real privileges of the last year or so has been to witness the emergence of so many new street artists in Bristol, and even more exciting is that roughly half of them are female and are absolutely smashing it. There almost seems to be a new school of female artists loosely linked and bringing their own particular colourful blend of art. Exciting times.

Tao.Create, Frome side, Bristol, February 2021
Tao.Create, Frome side, Bristol, February 2021

One of these artists is Tao.create whose beautiful trapeze artist is still adorning one of the columns at the M32 Spot. This looks like a practice piece to me although it is difficult to say. Tao.create seems to love the body form and has a great skill for portraying movement. Equally clever is the absence of facial features which helps to focus our gaze on the whole body shape. I love the understated nature and location of this piece. I can’t wait to see more.

3533. M32 Spot (109)

It seems that there is barely a spot in Bristol that Pekoe hasn’t painted on over the last week or so, I am finding her work everywhere. This is a quick ‘sketch’ to use her own words, tucked away under the M32.

Pekoe, M32 Spot, Bristol, March 2021
Pekoe, M32 Spot, Bristol, March 2021

Even in sketch form her work is immediately recognisable and has a way of drawing the viewer in. This time a pink-faced girl with light blue hair fits the bill and delivers brilliantly. This is the first of a batch of several pieces from Pekoe painted in the last week or two- watch this space.

3517. M32 Spot (108)

Daz Cat is another artist who has been insanely busy recently, painting pretty much any wall that he can. I was lucky enough to meet him for the first time last weekend while he was painting alongside Sage. As with virtually every artist I have met, he was happy to stop for a chat, and I must confess to being slightly distracted by how much younger he is than I was expecting. It is funny how you can create an image in your mind of how somebody might look, and when you get to meet them it is a surprise how unlike that imagined person they are.

Daz Cat, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2021
Daz Cat, M32 Spot, Bristol, February 2021

This is a quick column piece at the bottom end of the M32 Spot all in purple with black lines for the detail. I don’t know how many cats he has painted, but doing this must be like falling off a log sometimes. I am thoroughly enjoying this surge in Daz Cat’s work, and have several unpublished pieces lined up for Natural Adventures.

3473. M32 Spot (104)

At times photographing and writing about street art requires some detective work, tracking down who might have painted a particular piece. This is especially true when new artists burst onto the scene. I shan’t go into the detail of how I found Tao.create, suffice it to say that it wasn’t easy.

Tao.create, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2021
Tao.create, M32 Spot, Bristol, January 2021

I believe that this might be her first wall in Bristol, although I might be wrong there, but if it is, what a fabulous debut. The trapeze artist has a lovely feel about her and a grace and poise that comes across really well. The colours and shadings are very nicely done and the framing of the subject works very well on a column – it would look rather awkward on a landscape wall. Let’s hope this is the first of many.