Brunel Way – Page 12 – Natural adventures

5543. Brunel Way (236)

Dibz and Fade, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2023

It seems that every time I go down to Brunel Way, I will find Dibz and Fade happily redecorating the long south-facing wall under the main road. They were at it again this week with yet another imaginative co-production. This particular piece was painted a couple of weeks ago, and I caught up with them as they were nearing completion. Both artists, and Fade in particular (who has definitely bonded with my dog) are so generous with their time and happy for a chat.

I am pretty certain that the Yosemite Sam character was painted by Fade (he was putting on finishing touches). More obviously, the piece on the left is by Dibz and the one on the right by Fade.

Dibz, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2023

When you look at the work of the two artists side-by-side, I feel that Dibz’ pieces are always a little more intricate and sharper, while Fade’s pieces have a slightly softer and gentle appearance. To me, it is baffling how each artist is able to create a style and tone that is replicable from piece to piece – these guys are amazing.

Fade, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2023

On the right is Fade’s contribution. Fade has really captured the colours of cartoons, and all of his pieces have that exciting glow about them, in this case created by a gorgeous golden 3D drop shadow. Yosemite Sam is a popular character with street artists and in this instance Fade has more than done it justice. Yet more to come from this pair.

5540. Brunel Way (235)

Klashwhensober, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2023

I might have to do a round up of Klashwhensober’s work soon to mop up several unpublished pieces by the artist from the summer. He is so prolific, I would struggle to post each of his pieces separately. This one under Brunel Way is deserving of an individual post though.

The colour selection for each of the letters might indicate that this is a dregs piece, using up half-empty cans, something you see quite a lot of. Each letter from the word SOBER has an element of depth, created by shading either side of a ridge line. The ‘O’ in particular has an anamorphic quality to it. This is a nicely worked piece from Klashwhensober. He might have left the spot a little tidier after painting though.

5537. Brunel Way (234)

Mr Draws, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2023

I am not 100 percent sure that this piece by Mr Draws is quite there, but I fully admire what he is doing and that he is stretching himself, moving into new and challenging territory. He tells me he is going to be doing more of this environmentally themed work in future, although he will also still be creating his unique writing.

The inspiration for this cow piece came from a picture by George Stubbs, an artist who Mr Draws has recently come across. The cow-zebra drifts in and out of the green background that has a kind of aurora borealis look to it. An interesting and unusual style that I am assured we will be seeing more of from Mr Draws.

5532. Brunel Way (233)

Mr Draws, Brunel Way, Bristol, August 2023

Mr Draws appears to have found a new energy this summer, which is great to see, and he has been painting both his writing pieces and some interesting studies, mostly linked to nature. This is a colourful piece, notable mainly for its wonderful patchwork of fills.

If I were to categorise Mr Draws’ work I would call it right out of the ‘Bristol School’ of street art. His style and that of others, like the PWA crew and RAW, is a stamp that, while not unique to Bristol, definitely belongs in Bristol. The colour fills appear to be random, not following any particular pattern, but have a freedom that lightens any intensity. A piece that is easy on the eye and full of positive vibes. Off to catch some more fish today.

5527. Brunel Way (232)

Dibz, Cheo and Fade, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2023

I don’t often place work in progress (WIP) shots as the feature image, preferring to have the completed piece in all its glory, but in this instance I have gone for it, showing three masters at work, Dibz, Cheo and Fade.

The turnover on this wall this year has been quite staggering, and the bar has been raised a few notches on the quality of pieces that appear there. On the left Dibz has done his stuff with pin-point accuracy and a crispness that is synonymous with his work.

Cheo, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2023

The beast of a piece in the middle is by Cheo, and is frankly utterly brilliant. The overweight character is holding a spray can (a popular theme I have commented on many times in this blog) and looking like he might have had a beer too many the night before. The genius of the piece is the ‘Hello Kitty’ underpants creeping out of the top of the character’s trousers. The hairy belly and five o’clock shadow are nice touches too.

To the right, Fade reflects the colours, and to a certain extent the style, of Dibz’ writing on the other side of Cheo’s character. There is some mirroring of fills and drips too. The key difference between the two is the complexity of the design and thickness of the letters. Perhaps one day it will not be possible to distinguish between the two. A superb Triptych.

5521. Brunel Way (231)

Bean, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2023

Bean has more than made his mark in Bristol, and his characters have livened things up a great deal. He is on a roll and there doesn’t seem to be any stopping him. This colourful piece under Brunel Way, featuring two characters and some writing, shows how the young artist is quickly growing in confidence and improving his technical skills.

The characters that Bean paints have a very distinct look in a cartoon style that relies on using two tones of each colour in each section of the piece, light and dark, to create some depth. There isn’t much blending of colour or use of highlights, that some artists use to create depth. Bean’s writing is free in form, and very nicely filled. This is an artist who seems to be in a hurry and is turning out imaginative pieces at an alarming rate.

5508. Brunel Way 230

Mr Crawls, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2023

I am in Cleethorpes. This is something I never imagined I would say. I am here for work, and of course using the opportunity to find some street art and photograph a door or two. Watch this space in a month or two. This wall that Mr Crawls has chosen was painted three times in the space of a week, having been unpainted for months before that.

I really like this one from Mr Crawls, a return to the gull character in parrot colours. It is really well finished with sharp lines. What is new is the signature, it is the first time I have seen one, and now he seems to be sticking with it. We have seen a gull, a goose and a parrot. Does Mr Crawls have some more birds in his closet?

5505. Brunel Way (229)

Solar, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2023

I really enjoy the work of Solar, and his work feels all the more enigmatic because I have never met him and know practically nothing about him other than his artwork. His lettering verges on anti-style, without going the full hog, it touches on abstract, but not quite.

It is often the colour palette that first invites you to look closer at Solar’s pieces, and this scorching colour combination has an earthy, lava, fiery feel to it, tempered by the green fragments around the edges. The piece spells out Solar, and by chance the yellow patches reflect the sun splashed dapples of light to the bottom left of the wall. Great stuff from Solar.

5488. Brunel Way (228)

I caught up with Dopes and Fade for a little while as Dopes was finishing off this piece on the long wall alongside the River Avon. We chatted for a while, which was enjoyable and informative. Just as Dopes was packed up and leaving, he glanced at the piece and commented that the ‘D’ was all wrong and looked a little distorted. I have to say that I hadn’t noticed, but there you have it, artists know what they want and are deeply critical of their own work, and they always notice the little defects.

Chrome pieces are prized in the graffiti community, but I have to say that they are not my favourite, and I think they are probably more of a graffiti culture thing as much as anything else. As I would expect from Dopes, this is neatly done with consistent patterning and styling throughout.

5485. Brunel Way (227)

It feels like Pl8o has slowed down a little, especially compared to previous years, although that may be in part due to the fact that I haven’t seen much of his work, which doesn’t necessarily equate to a slowdown in activity by an artist. It was great therefore to find this piece on the long wall under Brunel Way.

I think that Pl8o hit the jackpot when he selected his letter/number combination, as there is something aesthetically pleasing about the shapes of the letters that flow together brilliantly, especially the way he paints them. These letters are filled nicely and the ‘8’ is represented by an alien cartoon style character. A fun and welcome appearance from Pl8o.

	Cethru Cellophane on 7412. BB Gallery (11)
	scooj on 7408. Greenbank (177)
	Cethru Cellophane on 7408. Greenbank (177)
	scooj on Thursday doors – 15 Janu…
	scooj on Thursday doors – 15 Janu…

	Cethru Cellophane on 7412. BB Gallery (11)
	scooj on 7408. Greenbank (177)
	Cethru Cellophane on 7408. Greenbank (177)
	scooj on Thursday doors – 15 Janu…
	scooj on Thursday doors – 15 Janu…

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: