Tag: Face

4060. Dean Lane skate park (437)

Regular readers of Natural Adventures will know that I am really enjoying the work of Maybe . His small murals are improving all the time and he is starting to make his mark in spots all over Bristol, spreading out from his ‘safe space’ under Brunel Way.

Maybe, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021
Maybe, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021

This first piece on a ramp at Dean Lane skate park might just be my favourite yet from Maybe. The colours are superb, and the blends from dark to light in each colour tone are exceptional. Calm and pleasing, it has the appearance of an Eastern European children’s cartoon that were so much a thing in the 1970s and 1980s about it.

Maybe, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2021
Maybe, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2021

The other two pieces in Dean Lane are small Yin and Yang badges composed of interlocking faces, which is the ‘trademark’ of Maybe. Some really great creative stuff here, and he just keeps on producing.

Maybe, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2021
Maybe, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2021

4039. M32 roundabout J3 (359)

The Bristol street art scene simply wouldn’t be what it is without the metronomic consistency of artists like Face 1st. These artists provide the foundations upon which all other artists build their works and reputations, but without this underground culture, street art would likely struggle in the city. Just look at those towns which have no culture of graffiti or street art  and then host a festival, the legacy although stunning dies off and appears to be fake. Don’t get me wrong, I love seeing street art wherever it is, but people like Face 1st provide an authenticity that you simply can’t replicate through commissions alone.

Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol October 2021
Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol October 2021

This is a revisiting of one of Face 1st’s favourite themes, a girl’s laughing face with a hairdo made out of the word FACE. Lovely colours, nicely painted and everything I would want it to be.

3982. Dean Lane skate park (432)

I have a feeling that this fine little collaboration by Spanish duo Zake and Varo was painted on or around the Dean Lane Hardcore (DLH) event a couple of weeks ago. It is especially noteworthy because although Zake has been painting a lot recently, Varo has been on the rather quiet side for some time.

Zake, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2021
Zake, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2021

The face is obviously by Zake and yet another fantastic piece in his expanding repertoire. Once again, the piece is given a 3D appearance by some clever colour schemes, shading and highlighting, which is something of a speciality for Zake. The character has a thought bubble with the words ‘SK8 or Die’, which is definitely playing to the right audience in this spot.

Varo, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2021
Varo, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2021

Varo’s graffiti writing is altogether something different. He definitely favours these large blocky letters spelling out VARO, and with this artist, less is definitely more. He doesn’t go for intricate, swirly or patterned fills, but just keeps things simple. I love the turquoise middles to his letters that with some clever shading appear to hover above the letters. Good stuff – and as a bonus you get to see my dog’s rear end.

3978. St Werburghs tunnel (260)

Here is one from the archive which I dedicate to Paul H, because he helped me to find it by supplying a date (late September 2019). It is by Chill, who made his debut on Natural Adventures about a week ago. It was following comments on that post that Paul pointed me in the direction of this piece, which I am pleased to share with you now. I love it the way things work out like this.

Chill, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2019
Chill, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2019

I believe Chill is a tattoo artist who occasionally paints walls, and you can see from the black and white colours and general design the tattooist’s hand. It is a bright and vibrant piece and confirms my view that Chill ought to hit Bristol’s walls more often.

3954. Brunel Way (122)

Today I bring you a couple more miniature murals from the king of columns under Brunel Way. Maybe (@maybepaints on Instagram) first appeared on my radar back in April this year, although I think one or two of his earlier pieces had been around for a little while. As time has gone on, not only has Maybe been very productive, but he has also been creative and bold.

Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2021
Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2021

The first piece in this post is an ice cream kissing faces concept. The idea of two contrasting forces coming together in a yin and yang manner is a gift for Maybe, and he has done a brilliant job achieving a witty and enjoyable spectacle here.

Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2021
Maybe, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2021

On a column not too far away is this square face-off, with four pairs of faces in contrasting colours. Maybe has created a lovely effect which is enhanced with the dark vertical shading down the middle, which provides a little bit of depth to the piece.  All good and so much more to come.

3953. Upfest 2021 75×75 (64)

I think that the first thing I should say at the start of this post is that I know nothing about the artist of this curious piece for Upfest’s 75 walls in 75 days event. Certainly the piece is striking and unusual, and the artist, George J Harding, is more used to painting canvasses than walls, but it all comes together nicely in a rather unconventional way.

George J Harding, Stanley Street, Bristol, September 2021, Upfest 21
George J Harding, Stanley Street, Bristol, September 2021, Upfest 21

I have taken a quick look through George J Harding’s work and although there are a couple of street art pieces on his website, they don’t much look like this. I think he has gone for a creative freestyle approach, and by the look of it, did it quite quickly. It is great to see fine artists hitting our walls though and enjoyable to see the crossover in action.

3938. Cumberland Basin

I don’t know how it has happened, but I have got terribly behind with my posts today – something of a rarity. Possibly going for a run first thing upset my rhythm and routine. I’ve not been doing much running lately due to a knee injury, but am trying to ease myself back into it.

Mudra, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2021
Mudra, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2021

To the point and to the wonderful old piece by Mudra, reminiscent of his very first pieces in Bristol. An old man with white moustache, red cheeks and glasses (maybe), superb work on a bare brick wall, and nicely signed-off with his @ signature. Good to  be able to post some of his older work.

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.