5527. Brunel Way (232)

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

Dibz, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2023
Dibz, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2023

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
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.

Fade, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2023
Fade, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2023

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.

5511. St Werburghs tunnel (383)

Cheo, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2023
Cheo, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2023

In the past couple of months, Cheo has hit the accelerator and is painting with the frequency he was before Covid19 struck. Until this summer, he was painting very rarely, and went almost a year without hitting a wall, apart from perhaps the Ropewalk. Now it is quite a different tale and the giant appears to have woken from his slumber.

Cheo, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2023
Cheo, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2023

This outstanding piece, a tribute to the great Vaughn Bode with Lizard and Screws characters, was created during the recent paint jam in the tunnel, alongside, amongst others, Inkie and Goldie. It was certainly a special day, and I imaging that the pieces will be there for quite some time before getting tagged and eventually overpainted.

Cheo, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2023
Cheo, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2023

Cheo’s piece is so rich in colours and the depth he has created with shadings is quite remarkable. The characters are snappily dresses and have got to work with spray cans and marker pens to create some of their own street art. This is artwork of the highest calibre, and reminds us of what we have missed during the prolonged hiatus in his work. More to come from Cheo.

5358. Dean Lane skate park (618)

Dibz and Fade with a Cheo bee, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
Dibz and Fade with a Cheo bee, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023

Dibz and Cheo have been at it again, with this outstanding collaboration in Dean Lane. Dibz has provided the writing and Cheo the wonderfully faithful Disney Donald Duck character. What is so clever about the piece is how Dibz has picked up on the lively character of Donald Duck in his writing, really bringing it to life.

Dibz and Fade with a Cheo bee, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
Dibz and Fade with a Cheo bee, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023

It is so pleasing to see Cheo getting out and painting walls again after what felt like a very long lay-off. In fact I am having some difficulty in keeping up with his work, but have to see that as a good thing really.

Fade with a Cheo bee, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
Fade with a Cheo bee, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023

We head off to Assisi today, so that’s your lot I’m afraid from a hot and windy Italy.

UPDATE: in the comments, you will see that the Donald Duck is by Fade and not by Cheo, although the bee is still there from a former Cheo piece. All is not as it seems. Any credit above afforded to Cheo needs to be transferred over to Fade, who has been smashing it since his return to the UK.

5327. Dean Lane skate park (611)

Cheo and Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
Cheo and Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023

Cheo has definitely woken up from a reasonably long quiet period, and it would appear that his friend and painting collaborator Dibz has ha something to do with it, at a guess. The two have combined to create this wonderful picture-frame piece featuring a Vaughn Bode lizard by Cheo and tight writing from Dibz.

Cheo and Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
Cheo and Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023

The influence of Vaughn Bode on the graffiti art scene has been quite extraordinary, and continues to be as vibrant now as when the artist himself was alive. Che’s lizard is perfectly drafted with a lot more perspective and depth than some renditions I have seen. The bee, of course, is lovely too. Dibz has gone for some rather more basic writing than we are used to seeing, but it is just so perfectly executed, flawless I would say.  This is a very good collaborative wall from two of Bristol’s finest artists.

5267. Dean Lane skate park (602)

Dibz and Cheo, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023
Dibz and Cheo, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023

Well, well, well, how nice to see Cheo back again painting on the streets of Bristol. I wonder what has coaxed him out from what feels like a much too long absence, but whatever it is, it is great to see some fresh work from him. This is a superb, how could it be anything else?, collaboration from Dibz and Cheo.

Dibz and Cheo, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023
Dibz and Cheo, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023

To fit the collaboration on this wall, Dibz has contracted his style somewhat, and I am not certain his writing says DIBZ, but I can’t quite make out what it does say. Everything about the writing is close to perfect – this guy performs miracles with a spray can. Cheo has painted one of his characters, complete with baseball hat and ski goggles. The t-shirt says Neo Geo, which is lost on me, and of course we have his signature bee – it is great to see Cheo out and about, and I look forward to seeing more from him over the summer.

4486. Dean Lane skate park (498)

One of the highlights of the last few weeks has been the appearance of a couple of Cheo pieces, something there has been a distinct lack of over the last two years. Here he has combined with Kopsky, an artist I am not familiar with.

Cheo, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2022
Cheo, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2022

The central character is classic Cheo. A caricature in a cartoon style with all the trappings of hip-hop culture. Beautifully painted and finished. It really has been way too long without his quality on the streets. I hope that this pieces is something of a renaissance.

Cheo and Kopsky, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2022
Cheo and Kopsky, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2022

The letters Arne by Kopsky and are obviously the work of a very accomplished writer. I’m not too sure what the letters spell out, but the greyscale tones are a perfect foil for Cheo’s colours. I love the tape and plasters ‘attaching’ the piece to the wall. Fine work indeed in this collaboration.

3144. Raleigh Road (9)

At last Cheo has broken cover. He seems to have spent much of the last six months on his studio work and commercial activities and painting walls has taken a back seat. This new piece on the wall outside the Souk Kitchen (a favourite for Upfest) is actually a kind of promotion for an augmented reality piece he has done recently.

Cheo, Raleigh Road, Bristol, August 2020
Cheo, Raleigh Road, Bristol, August 2020

The crisp piece shows a character fusion with a television set – a proper old one like we grew up with… It is called ‘Retro Flow’ and is the first time Cheo has worked with augmented reality. It is so good to see something on the street from Cheo after such a long break, looking forward to more soon.

2616. Gas Ferry Road

It took me a little while to find this magnificent piece by Cheo. I knew roughly the area where it had been painted but because it was a new wall in a light industrial area I had to use my intuition to find it. The mural is on a building near the Aardman productions (Wallace and Gromit) Bristol office and was painted to celebrate thirty years of this hapless pair.

Cheo, Gas Ferry Road, Bristol, November 2019
Cheo, Gas Ferry Road, Bristol, November 2019

Cheo has shown his extraordinary skill by incorporating the extractor fans on the side of the building into the piece as an integral part of the ‘celebrate o’tron’. You also have to love the idea of old socks feeding the machinery. Cheo has produced many works in Bristol in partnership with Aardman many of which are still alive and kicking.

Cheo, Gas Ferry Road, Bristol, November 2019
Cheo, Gas Ferry Road, Bristol, November 2019

There is something very wholesome about this piece and represents the Wallace and Gromit brand beautifully and responsibly. Definitely one for all the family to enjoy, and just around the corner from the SS Great Britain.

2352. Elton Road

Being in the right place at the right time is a tenet that chimes for street art hunters, and finding this Cheo piece on a yellow van as I hopped off my bus on the way home from work, is a great example of that.

Cheo, Elton Road, Bristol, July 2019
Cheo, Elton Road, Bristol, July 2019

I have never seen this van before, although I expect I’ll keep on seeing it now (that is the way of things) and the bee motif used by Cheo works so very well here. It is a subtle piece of van art, not too showy and only on this one wing of the van. Mobile street art at its best.

Cheo

A gallery of wonderful character pieces and graffiti writing by Bristol’s awesome Cheo.

All photographs taken by Scooj.

Cheo, Gas Ferry Road, Bristol, November 2019
Cheo, Gas Ferry Road, Bristol, November 2019
Cheo, Gas Ferry Road, Bristol, November 2019
Cheo, Gas Ferry Road, Bristol, November 2019
Cheo, Elton Road, Bristol, July 2019
Cheo, Elton Road, Bristol, July 2019
Cheo, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2019
Cheo, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2019
3Dom and Cheo, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2019
3Dom and Cheo, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2019
Cheo, Norfolk Place, Bristol, April 2017
Cheo, Norfolk Place, Bristol, April 2017
Cheo, Norfolk Place, Bristol, April 2017
Cheo, Norfolk Place, Bristol, April 2017
Silent Hobo and Cheo, We the Curious, Bristol, November 2018
Silent Hobo and Cheo, We the Curious, Bristol, November 2018
Cheo, Upfest, Bristol, October 2018
Cheo, Upfest, Bristol, October 2018
Cheo, Raleigh Road, Bristol, September 2018
Cheo, Raleigh Road, Bristol, September 2018
Cheo, Raleigh Road, Bristol, September 2018
Cheo, Raleigh Road, Bristol, September 2018
Cheo, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2018
Cheo, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2018
Cheo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Cheo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Cheo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Cheo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Dibz and Cheo, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2018
Dibz and Cheo, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2018
Cheo, West Street, Bristol, April 2018
Cheo, West Street, Bristol, April 2018
Cheo, Old Bread Street, Bristol, September 2016
Cheo, Old Bread Street, Bristol, September 2016
Cheo and Inkie, North Street, Bristol, January 2016
Cheo and Inkie, North Street, Bristol, January 2016
Cheo, Raleigh Road, Bristol, April 2016
Cheo, Raleigh Road, Bristol, April 2016
Cheo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Cheo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Cheo, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2017
Cheo, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2017
Cheo, Raleigh Road, Bristol, October 2017
Cheo, Raleigh Road, Bristol, October 2017
Soker, Cheo and Deamze, Church Road, Bristol, September 2017
Soker, Cheo and Deamze, Church Road, Bristol, September 2017
Soker, Cheo and Deamze, Church Road, Bristol, September 2017
Soker, Cheo and Deamze, Church Road, Bristol, September 2017
Cheo, Church Road, Bristol, September 2017
Cheo, North Street Green, Bristol, August 2017
Cheo, North Street Green, Bristol, August 2017
Cheo and Soker, Bond Street, Bristol, June 2017
Cheo and Soker, Bond Street, Bristol, June 2017
Cheo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Cheo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
Cheo, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017
Cheo, Stokes Croft, Bristol, July 2017
Cheo, Raleigh Road Bristol, June 2017
Cheo, Raleigh Road Bristol, June 2017
Cheo, Raleigh Road, Bristol, May 2017
Cheo, Raleigh Road, Bristol, May 2017
Jody and Cheo, North Street, Bristol, April 2017
Jody and Cheo, North Street, Bristol, April 2017
Cheo, Raleigh Road, Bristol, March 2017
Cheo, Raleigh Road, Bristol, March 2017
Cheo, Church Road, Bristol, March 2017
Cheo, Church Road, Bristol, March 2017
Cheo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Cheo, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016
Cheo, Raleigh Road, Bristol, June 2016
Cheo, Raleigh Road, Bristol, June 2016
Cheo Silent Hobo and Deamze, Frogmore Street, Bristol, July 2015
Cheo Silent Hobo and Deamze, Frogmore Street, Bristol, July 2015
Cheo, North Street, Bristol, February 2016
Cheo, North Street, Bristol, February 2016
Soker and Cheo, New John Street, Bristol, September 2015
Soker and Cheo, New John Street, Bristol, September 2015
Cheo, Shaun the Sheep, Broad Quay, Bristol, July 2015
Cheo, Shaun the Sheep, Broad Quay, Bristol, July 2015
Cheo, Broad Quay, Bristol, July 2015
Cheo, Wallace and Gromit, Broad Quay, Bristol, July 2015
Cheo, North Street Green, Bristol, April 2016
Cheo, North Street Green, Bristol, April 2016
Cheo, Redland Station, Bristol, July 2015
Cheo, Redland Station, Bristol, July 2015
Cheo, Millennium Parade, Bristol, December 2015
Cheo, Millennium Parade, Bristol, December 2015
Cheo, Millennium Parade, Bristol, December 2015
Cheo, the Lakota, Moon Street, Bristol
Cheo, the Lakota, Moon Street, Bristol
Cheo, Hepburn Road, Bristol
Cheo at Portishead swimming pool