Dean Lane – Natural adventures

7777. Dean Lane skate park (933)

Every once in a while I come across a piece of writing from a writer I don’t know, and just have to offer a nod of appreciation, saying to myself – ‘that is pretty good you know’. This piece by Sindo, is one of those.

Many visitors to Bristol don’t make it into the hollowed pages of Natural Adventures (I jest), but Sindo – who hails from Northern Italy – easily made the cut with this stunning chrome piece. Set on a purple cloud, the nicely presented letters with an interesting black/grey 3D drop shadow, is augmented with a scattering of blue marks which give additional life to the piece. Benvenuto a Bristol.

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I have recently been having a virtual conversation with Taboo, and it is great to have a bit more of a connection with the artist. Over the last couple of months, I have found a stack of old pieces by Taboo, and he has been painting quite regularly, so I have a lot of catching up to do with his work.

This is a perfect example of Taboo’s anti-style graffiti writing, and this might be a good time to offer a definition of what anti-style means:

A rebellious sub-genre that rejects traditional graffiti rules like legible letterforms, flow, and colour theory.

The pink letters here spell out TABOO, and, consistent with a lot of his writing, his letters have a midline running through them giving them a bit of a 3D lift. A nice piece that might be inaccessible to some, but is a fine work in my eyes.

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This outstanding scene was painted by Cheo as part of a recent first anniversary tribute paint jam to the departed Bristol graffiti writer Tickz (Dave Tanner). And what a magnificent piece to paint in his honour.

Cheo tells the most incredible stories in his outstanding cartoon pieces, and here I think we have a representation of Tickz as a spray can leaning up against a tree stump. Some lilies, lilies symbolize the restored innocence of the soul and the resurrection of the dead, are poking out on the far side of the tree root. A beautifully painted and poignant piece.

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Nol and Mul, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2026

Upfest brings with it all sorts of additional benefits, including what I like to call ‘extras’ where artists who have been invited to paint official Upfest walls, also leave behind a piece or two on Unofficial walls.

Here, Nol from the Netherlands and Mul from London? Or Newcastle? Have combined their talents to decorate the curved wall in Dean Lane skate park. The cheeky sticker on the left is by Nol, and the running heart by Mul. These two have collaborated before in Bristol, possibly during s previous Upfest festival.

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Awkward and Benjimagnetic, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2026

I’m not sure I have seen Benjimagnetic and Awkward collaborate since last year, but here they are in fine fettle, on the side wall of the swimming pool, tucked behind a bushy fence, well out of sight of most passers by.

The letters in this collaborative piece are by Benjimagnetic, and I can’t for the life of me read them. He normally writes 3 letters, so this is quite different. The cheeky, creepy red and yellow characters are by Awkward and augment the letters really well. A nicely integrated collaboration from the pair.

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Veks and Bandito, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2026

I have had a very challenging day. Super-busy at work. Laptop overheating and running extremely slowly, I’m overheating and running extremely slowly, and I have had to squeeze this post into a compressed lunch break. At least this post features a top combination collaboration by Veks and Bandito.

Veks has painted a classic b-boy character wearing the uniform of hoodie and baseball cap, and clutching a spray can. Beautifully presented is a timeless retro style. Perfect.

I haven’t seen anything by Bandito for years, so it was a very pleasant surprise indeed to see this piece in a tickz memorial wall paint jam. His slim letters are so characteristic of his work. The letters spell TICKZ and filled with horizontal colour bands that are beautifully blended. The slim yellow border finishes it of nicely.

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Dibz and Fade, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2026

This collaboration in Dean Lane from Dibz and Fade is as near to graffiti writing perfection as you are likely to see anywhere (in my view). The wildstyle lettering spells out DIBZ on the left and FADE on the right.

There is a superb metallic effect going on here, a little like the one I was explaining a few days ago by Hire, a stone’s throw away from this wall. The letters look like they are made of shiny chrome metal and reflecting the ground and sky – clever work. The writing is set on a purple splash with magnificent shadows, and the deep 3D drop shadow on the letters adds tons of perspective. Great collaboration perfectly executed.

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A huge spin-off benefit of Upfest is that some artists hang around the city for a few days and leave behind a few ‘extras’ in some of the spots that locals like to paint. In my view this is a great way to get better acquainted with artist’s work from outside Bristol.

One artist that left at least one ‘extra’ is Molar, based in Brighton. His name is more associated with his toothy character pieces, but it would seem that he is enjoying his writing that looks like letters taken out of newspapers and magazines and stuck to the wall independently resembling a collage. It is a very effective technique that is well carried out. Here his letters simply spell out ‘Do it’. More from Molar soon.

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Hire has been pushing all sorts of boundaries lately and varying his work considerably, including a character piece from a week or two back. In this superb piece of graffiti writing he spells out ODIAH, one of two words he tends to write.

What is really special about this piece is that it has a metallic appearance that is complete deception. The combination of blues and greys leaves the brain figuring out whether to look at those colours individually or to see what looks like a solid piece of reflecting metal. This is a technique used by many artists, perhaps the best being Fanakapan – see below to understand what I mean.

Fanakapan, Hawley Mews, Camden, September 2016

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The strong tradition of graffiti writing in Bristol, that first emerged in the 1980s, has been upheld by a handful of dedicated and talented artists, whose numbers have swelled thanks to their persistence. At the heart of this community is Turoe, who has created this lovely piece for Hemper, another in this merry band.

The letters spelling HEMS appear as a burst of colour on the black buffed wall, made all the more eye-catching thanks to the flames licking the perimeter of the piece. This is wildstyle graffiti writing at its best, and we are blessed in Bristol that some of the best in class call the city home.

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