Tag: Deamze

1902.M32 Spot (36)

This Deamze burner photobombed a recent post of a Silent Hobo column, but in my view deserves a post all of its own. This writing is one of the forms that Deamze uses in his work. It is much simpler than his wildstyle work, but still has a clean and sharp look to it.

Deamze, M32 spot, Bristol, November 2018
Deamze, M32 spot, Bristol, November 2018

The colours and drift of shading work really nicely and the whole thing stands out and looks so fresh. You could give a hundred artists a can and a wall and ask them to recreate this, but none would be as good. At the top of his game.

 

 

1869. M32 roundabout J3 (107)

Sometimes words aren’t really enough to describe how good a piece of graffiti writing is, and this is a case in point. This is Deamze’s contribution to the recent paint jam by ASK and friends on the M32 roundabout, and it really leaves me speechless.

Deamze, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2018
Deamze, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2018

There is so much to like about this piece over and above the technical execution, for example the exquisite colour selections that match the other works on this wall, but not only that, the way Deamze uses the colours, especially the greens, lifts the piece from the wall. The leafy design within his letters is also really beautiful. In all this is a masterful piece.

1863. New Stadium Road (10)

Back in one of his favourite spots, Deamze is at it again with one of his wildstyle writing plus cartoon combos.On this occasion no amount of research is going to help me identify the cartoon character. It is one of those that you either know or you don’t.

Deamze, New Stadium Road, Bristol, October 2018
Deamze, New Stadium Road, Bristol, October 2018

These pieces seem to come so easily to Deamze, and yet I’m sure there is a lot of hard work that goes into producing each one, especially as his lines are so sharp and precise. I wonder if after so much practice Deamze can simply freestyle these or whether he follows a plan – as I’ve not yet met him (I think we have different biological clocks) I’ve never been able to ask him. One day maybe.

1837. Waterloo Place (4)

Deamze comes up trumps again with this spectacular piece of wildstyle writing that was sprayed next to the piece by Kleiner Shames I posted a little while back on the wall at the back of the Sofa Project. This wall is just magnificent and both artists have used the same colour schemes but presented their personal styles, so strictly speaking this was working at the same time together, but not necessarily a collaboration.

Deamze, Waterloo Place, Bristol, October 2018
Deamze, Waterloo Place, Bristol, October 2018

Unusually, this is a piece without a cartoon character and has a little more gravitas for it. It almost feels more like a study…a serious piece of graffiti writing turned out impeccably with crisp lines and clean edges, strong solid fills and complex design. Even if not a fan of writing, one can marvel at the technical ability of the artist. I love this and its partner piece. Brilliant.

Kleiner Shames, Waterloo Place, Bristol, October 2018
Kleiner Shames, Waterloo Place, Bristol, October 2018

1804. New Stadium Road (9)

Top Cat, the most effectual Top Cat…

One of the most enjoyable cartoons of my youth was Top Cat, and seeing this piece by Deamze sent me into a long and deep reminiscence, which culminated in watching quite a bit of Top Cat on the Interweb. I was saddened to see the updated productions, which really weren’t a patch on the originals.

Deamze, New Stadium Road, Bristol, October 2018
Deamze, New Stadium Road, Bristol, October 2018

The chrome sets this piece off really well and the dustbin looks perfect, especially in this rather grubby setting. Deamze’s writing is in his really tight angular style, bookended by the bin and TC himself.

Deamze, New Stadium Road, Bristol, October 2018
Deamze, New Stadium Road, Bristol, October 2018

The character is nicely sprayed, as you would expect, but is difficult to capture on film due to the glare glancing into the tunnel. The pieces in here are always hard to photograph. I guess it is best to come here on an overcast early evening. Great nostalgic piece from Deamze.

1774. Hill Street (2)

Every now and again I like to treat myself to a nice sandwich or sausage roll at Pinkmans on Park Street for my lunch and it is a real treat, because the prices are what you’d expect from such a highly rated bakery (Sunday Times top 25 bakery in the UK). To get there I can either go up Park Street itself or up the much quieter parallel Hill Street.

Deamze, Hill Street, Bristol, October 2018
Deamze, Hill Street, Bristol, October 2018

Halfway up Hill street, which provides the back entrances for all the retail shops and eateries, is a small car park which is a rather special little street art spot that few people know about. Turnover here is very low indeed and tagging rare. There was a wonderful Kleiner Shames mural here but it has finally given way to this extraordinarily brilliant piece from Deamze. I really like it that Deamze has done a little nod of recognition to the artistry of Kleiner Shames with the inclusion of the word Fois (KS’s wildstyle word).

Deamze, Hill Street, Bristol, October 2018
Deamze, Hill Street, Bristol, October 2018

In this piece Deamze has surrounded his wildstyle writing with a cartoon space scene from Marvin the Martian, and I have to confess to having to look this up because he is not a cartoon character I am familiar with. As one would expect from Deamze, this is a beautifully conceived and executed piece that is most welcome on this special wall. Now onwards to Pinkmans.

1694. M32 cycle path (18)

Although this piece by Deamze looks really simple, it is actually a really classy bit of writing. The block letters each cast a shadow over the letter to their right, giving the whole thing a 3D effect. Deamze has used only a few colours and shades to create this burner – I can count three greens and possibly four greys.

Deamze, M32 cycle path, Bristol, August 2018
Deamze, M32 cycle path, Bristol, August 2018

The spot is one that Deamze alone seems to inhabit. I suspect that out of respect, other artists always leave this spot for Deamze. It would be interesting to see what would happen if another artist painted here.

1653. New Stadium Road (6)

Another day, another Deamze piece…his work rate is really phenomenal and the quality of his designs and their execution is unparalleled. It is easy to become blazé about his work, because his standard is so consistent, but if you take a good look at this piece, there is so much to admire.

Deamze, New Stadium Road, Bristol, August 2018
Deamze, New Stadium Road, Bristol, August 2018

The colour selection works well with yellow tones set on a blue background. There is a lot of intricacy to the interlocking letters and precision in the shapes. Yet another outstanding example of this incredible talent.

1635. New Stadium Road (5)

This spot is always impossible to photograph – I think the only solution is to come down at dusk and use a flash, and if I am honest I’m not sure I am fanatical enough to do that. The piece is, of course, by Deamze and shows off his angular puzzle-like wildstyle writing really well.

Deamze, New Stadium Road, Bristol, July 2018
Deamze, New Stadium Road, Bristol, July 2018

As is often the case, I am not at all sure who the character is, and think it might possibly be a figment of his fertile imagination. It feels strange, but of all the most productive Bristol artists painting at the moment, I still have yet to meet Deamze – our paths just haven’t crossed. I have a feeling he likes to keep himself to himself. Yet another consistently good piece.

1626. Devon Road (7)

Oh I just love it when I make new finds when I am actually looking for something completely different and stumble upon something like this. I was driving round Easton hunting down Andrew Burns Colwill’s new mural when I drove up Devon Road – a funny road that has a dog-leg layout, one part of which is a back street and the other a fairly busy main road.

Deamze, Devon Road, Bristol, July 2018
Deamze, Devon Road, Bristol, July 2018

This is of course by Deamze, and I just don’t know how it fell outside my radar, but I am glad I found it nonetheless. Even better is that I know who the character references are which can’t be said for a lot of the 80s and 90s cartoon characters that Deamze uses.

Deamze, Devon Road, Bristol, July 2018
Deamze, Devon Road, Bristol, July 2018

The character is the robot Bender from the TV series by Matt Groening (creator of the Simpsons – who have featured big time at Upfest 2018). It is all very good, and Deamze’s wildstyle writing is exceptional as always. I love the freshness of this piece.