5604. Dean Lane skate park (655)

Werm and Daz Cat, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023
Werm and Daz Cat, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023

Oooh. This is a lovely collaboration by Werm and Daz Cat in one of my favourite spots, the curved wall at Dean Lane. The writing/character combination utilises the slightly awkward space on the wall really well. It feels like a while since a good piece appeared here. Back in the day this wall was a bit of a premium wall, but recently it has been occupied by rather too many throw ups and frankly a lot of rubbish, so it was refreshing to come across this piece.

Werm, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023
Werm, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023

To the left on the lower bit of wall, Werm continues with his transition towards a different presentation of his letters which have been nicely thought out, offering a little bit of bilateral symmetry. With Werm, I feel like he experiments and then settles on a particular form before transitioning to the next until he feels he needs to change. A stop-start method that seems to work for him. Some other artists won’t change at all, while others make subtle or wholesale changes with each new piece they paint. This is the joy of the vast spectrum of artists in Bristol.

Daz Cat, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023
Daz Cat, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023

For me the star of the show is the Daz Cat cat and friends toasting marshmallows. I love these storytelling pieces by Daz Cat, he seems to capture something really special that you need to look at, interpret and enjoy. Quite what creatures the companions are I am not sure, but one looks most contented, the other a little concerned. The main character has an air of compassion and love. A brilliant piece, and it is always good to see Daz Cat painting these expansive scenes.

5602. Dean Lane skate park (654)

Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023
Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023

You might wonder why I have included this piece for a Halloween post. Well, regular readers will know that Laic217 specialises in painting skeletons and portraits of people with melting or distorted faces, and that to produce another one in that vein for Halloween would be a bit of a busman’s holiday. Instead, he has created a personal horror of a normal portrait of a young woman wearing a black puffer jacket. Woooooo, scary.

Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023
Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023

I was lucky enough to meet with Laic217 when visiting Dean Lane last weekend with Paul H, moments after he had finished painting this brilliant piece, and while he was doing an additional quick one, much more in line with what we’d expect. I had to ask him if the portrait was his – it was unsigned and not so obviously a Laic217 piece, although the shiny fabric was a bit of a tell-tale sign. Laic217 confirmed it was one of his, and explained the joke. Brilliant and funny, although I’m not sure that we can expect too many more of these ‘tame’ pieces from Laic217 – a bit of a one off I suspect.

5590. Dean Lane skate park (653)

Dibz and Fade, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023
Dibz and Fade, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023

I have pretty much said it all when it comes to collaborations between Dibz and Fade. How on earth they find the time, the energy, the inspiration and the money for paint I will never know, but that is why they do what they do and I do what I do, I suppose.

Dibz and Fade, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023
Dibz and Fade, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023

This is one of those collaboration fusion pieces where each artist has contributed to all parts of the piece, although Fade probably did most of the writing and Dibz the character. I had to do a little research, and found out that the character is from the 1977 film Wizards and is called Avatar. I am pleased with myself finding this out, especially when there isn’t much to go on. These guys are far from done, more to come soon.

5588. Dean Lane skate park (652)

Jevoissoul, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023
Jevoissoul, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023

Jevoissoul has hit the ground running and here he has painted a classic portrait piece complete with joint and stylised smoke, all painted in his Picassoesque cartoon style. He is brave too, there are no many new artists who would paint this wall so early on in their development, and to be fair, Jevoissoul has carried it off well.

Jevoissoul, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023
Jevoissoul, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023

When I met him a little while back, Jevoissoul told me that he has been drafting and sketching his characters for years and is very familiar with his material. The challenge for him has been to scale up his work and to adapt to using spray cans, both of which he has done admirably. I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot more of Jevoissoul over the coming months/years.

5576. Dean Lane skate park (651)

Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023
Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023

At one end of the long wall in Dean Lane, we can see Rusk doing what Rusk does best. It is a pity that he doesn’t paint as much as he used to, but his considered and meticulous approach to his writing is something that never changes.

Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023
Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023

There is nothing fussy or flashy about this writing, which spells out RUSK, but it is a high-class and beautifully neat piece of work. The winning combination of colours, green and orange, are magnificent, and the 3D drop shadow is excellent, with a vanishing point bottom centre of the piece. The writing definitely benefits from the grey buffed background and is finished with some nice green and yellow spots, although I am not convinced yellow was the right choice, although actually it might have been the perfect choice. It was a real treat to stumble upon this one.

5556. Dean Lane skate park (649)

Mudra, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023
Mudra, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023

This is not the easiest canvass on which to paint, but Mudra has more than coped, in fact he has excelled, with this piece, painted during a bit of a paint jam alongside Kosc, Nugmoose, Momma Nature and Peggy. I get the feeling that Mudra drew the short straw regarding wall space. What you can’t really tell from the pictures is that Mudra has painted on a low slope of about 20 degrees – back breaking stuff… even the dog thinks so.

Mudra, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023
Mudra, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023

The writing itself is another masterclass from Mudra, devoting a different design to each of the letters but somehow combining them seamlessly. In the middle is a little vehicle that looks a little bit like a Sinclair C5, but might be something else entirely. I like this piece a lot and have great admiration for the end result on a very tricky bit of concrete.

5554. Dean Lane skate park (648)

The Last One, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023
The Last One, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023

An important element of photographing and writing about street/graffiti art is keeping your eyes open at all times and noticing little differences or flashes of colour that might not have been there before. Having a keen eye and observing everything, which spills over into an appreciation for the built environment and architecture. This piece by The Last One, is a little tucked away and above the normal field of view, sitting on the roof of the swimming pool next to the skate park. It is also very difficult to photograph, unless you are strong and brave enough to climb up on to the flat roof.

The Last One, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023
The Last One, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023

This is the third piece I have posted by The Last One, and each of them has been an absolute beauty. His writing/character combinations are perfectly balanced and show off his skills with both. The chrome letters spell LAST, in his distinctive style and the cat character, which at first I thought was the Looney Tunes Sylvester Cat  but actually isn’t, is well presented. A little research tells me the cat is actually Penelope Pussycat. Looking forward to more visits from the incredibly talented The Last One.

5549. Dean Lane skate park (646)

Nugmoose, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023
Nugmoose, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023

Embarrassingly, it took quite a while for the penny to drop with this piece by Nugmoose. I haven’t seen much of his work this summer, and this piece wasn’t immediately as ‘alieny’ as most of his pieces… it had me baffled for an hour or two, and then the light bulb moment.

Nugmoose, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023
Nugmoose, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023

There are three basic elements to this piece, which come together very nicely. The white face in the centre of the piece and the cream/pink letters spelling out something in an alien language, both of which are quite flat and have solid fills. The third element, the green blobby organic matter, has both depth and movement and appears to be attracted to the writing/portrait, to embrace or consume it. Great to see Nugmoose decorating a wall after a bit of an absence.

5544. Dean Lane skate park (645)

Kosc, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023
Kosc, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023

Kosc seems to have slowed the pace right down recently, which probably reflects a busy time in his real life away from painting walls. It is great to see that there isn’t even the slightest drop in quality on his return, although in fairness, once an artist has reached a certain level, there is rarely a drop in quality unless constrained by time or paint.

Kosc, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023
Kosc, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023

The letters KOSC have an industrial, metallic sheet look, common to the artist’s pieces over the last couple of years, with occasional ‘rivets’ holding the sheet in place. Kosc has chosen some nice fills for the letters, some of which have spilled beyond the confines of the letters, giving the writing a slightly ethereal feel. Classy writing.

5541. Dean Lane skate park (664)

Andy Council, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023
Andy Council, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023

I am posting this piece by Andy Council out of sequence, having posted a piece he painted after this one, a week ago. You didn’t necessarily need to know that, but I feel better for being transparent and accurate.

Andy Council, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023
Andy Council, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023

I am not going to try and guess what kind of bird this is because I will probably get it wrong – I’ll leave you to decide for yourself. Andy Council’s ‘thing’ for gratings (or radiators) has come to the fore in this piece, with the upper part of the birds wings being made up of them. There is a strong mechanical/metallic look to the bird almost as if it is clockwork – you might expect to see a wind up key embedded somewhere. This is a clever way to occupy this low wall and expertly done in my view.