Tag: Face

3891. Cumberland Basin

This extraordinary piece from Nightwayss is really pushing boundaries for the artist and is notable for its absence of monkeys. I believe that the piece might be based on a self portrait, and there seems to be some agonising soul-searching going on here.

Nightwayss, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2021
Nightwayss, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2021

The piece was painted as part of Eman’s birthday paint jam, so I had a chance to catch up with Nightwayss. Unfortunately his effervescence slightly freaked out my long-suffering dog, who is dragged around Bristol’s graffiti spots, and who decided to bark a lot every time Nightwayss tried to stroke him, rendering conversation a little tricky.

Nightwayss, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2021
Nightwayss, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2021

There is no doubt that Nightwayss is a very skilled artist, and he has pulled off this concept very well, with the face and skull beautifully finished. An unusual and compelling piece.

3876. Cumberland Basin

Watching Zake apply the light and dark shading to this fabulous piece during Eman’s birthday paint jam was a real pleasure. He has become something of a specialist at refining the effects of light and dark on his faces with the light source in this case coming from the left hand side. This clever shading exaggerates the features and created more of a 3D effect.

Zake, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2021
Zake, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2021

Although his English isn’t great, it was nice to be able to talk with him for a while about his technique. Like all the artists around him on the day, he really seems to enjoy what he does. My only regret from the day is that when I returned the next day to take photographs of the finished pieces, three of them, including Eman’s, had been painted over.

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.

3802. M32 roundabout J3 (337)

I mentioned in a recent post that Zake has been busy of late, and this new piece is a fine example of the rich vein of form he is in at the moment. Painted in collaboration with Soap and arte.mis.29 on the M32 roundabout wall.

Zake, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021
Zake, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2021

The face (what else?) appears to be that of a woman and her hair blends into a head scarce, and it is hard to know where the one ends and the other begins. As always with Zake’s work he pays a lot of attention to shading and shadows to create relief in the feature of the face. A really lovely piece.

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.

3769. Upfest 2021 75×75 (6)

Oh my goodness! There are some pieces that you look at and, well, they simply take your breath away. For me, this is one of those pieces. Painted for Upfest’s 75 walls in 75 days event, this astonishing collaboration from Mishfit and Mazcan simply blew me away, and I look at now as I am writing and wonder at its magnificence.

Mishfit, King William Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Mishfit, King William Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

These two portraits work so incredibly well together and are perfect for the space vacated by Caro Pepe and AgeAge. To the left is a stunning portrait from Mishfit painted with incredible graded skin tones and a beautiful headdress, the colours of which are reflected in a cloud to the right of the subject. I haven’t seen any of Mishfit’s work before, but what an introduction.

Mazcan, King William Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Mazcan, King William Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

Mazcan on the other hand has visited Upfest on a couple of occasions, but this piece is definitely a step up from before, and I think she must have been practising. This blue face has quite a lot of attitude and there is so much depth and bone structure created with clever use of shading. The red streaks in the hair add so much to the depth and contrast of the piece too.

Mishfit and Mazcan, King William Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21
Mishfit and Mazcan, King William Street, Bristol, June 2021, Upfest 21

Genuinely, this is a bloody brilliant collaboration and will definitely stick in my memory for a long, long time.

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.

3767. Frome side (11)

The nice thing about dropping down beneath the M32, where a canalised section of the River Frome flows, is that it seems to be a popular spot for visiting artists to paint, often accompanied by Bristol friends showing them around.

Wee Nuls, Frome side, Bristol, June 2021
Wee Nuls, Frome side, Bristol, June 2021

This delightful piece by Wee Nuls was painted a few weeks back by the Belfast-based artist who, it appears, cut her teeth with spray painting in Bristol some time ago. I love this kind of portrait piece that sits comfortably alongside Slakarts, Pekoe and others who create bright and colourful faces about the city. I hope that Wee Nuls makes more trips to Bristol soon.

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.