Art / Street Art
Maybe Paints is definitely going places
The latest work by one of Bristol’s newest, most imaginative, most distinct and most prolific street artists was painted to show solidarity with the people of Ukraine.
Maybe Paints‘ recognisable distinctive figures can mostly be seen on the columns near the Brunel Way pump track and the DIY skating area known as Curbside.
His latest work, however, can be found in the middle of the junction 3 roundabout over the M32, with two tessellating figures in blue and yellow, and one shedding a solitary tear.
“Bomb paint, not people” Maybe Paints wrote on Instagram
Maybe Paints told the Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast that it was “lockdown frustration” that led to him becoming a street artist, with the colour palette of his first work dictated by paint he found at the side of a road.
Preferring not to reveal his identity due to the sometimes nefarious nature of street art, Maybe Paints is willing to reveal that his day job is making sets and props for animations.
“Through lockdown I was feeling quite lonely, I needed a connection, and that came out through the painting,” said the anonymous artist.
“It all started with tessellating faces and colour depicting health and sickness between the two.”
Listen to Maybe Paints on episode 36 of the Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast:
His first piece was painted next to the Brunel Way pump track with the name Maybe Paints coming a few weeks afterwards.
And in just over a year of painting, his style has evolved. “I don’t want to get set in my ways and do the same thing over and over. I’d like to be able to tell different stories.”
Here are a selection of some of Maybe Paints’ works still visible:
All photos: Martin Booth
Read more: Experimental new sculpture to slowly transform over time
Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast:
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