There is such a vast spectrum of types, methods and styles of street and graffiti art in Bristol, and there is room for everyone, which makes it one of the most exciting venues in the world for urban art. All artists are welcome and nobody is overlooked. Enn Kay (NAK) burst onto the scene from nowhere about two to three years ago and has been improving along the way with each piece.
Enn Kay, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2023
This is a lovely character/letters piece featuring Squidward from SpongeBob SquarePants, beautifully recreated by Enn Kay, alongside the letters NAK. The whole thing is beautifully clean and tight – a top quality artwork from an artist on the up.
This wall, although part of the Dean Lane ‘furniture’ was only bricked up and made into one solid wall earlier this year, so in its current form it is a fairly new wall which was first painted by Haka (if my memory serves me correctly). It has now become a popular wall for large pieces of graffiti writing, and this is the turn of Mr Draws.
Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2023
Mr Draws has been and will always be one of the foundations of Natural Adventures, along with other artists like Face 1st, whose work is consistent, regular and enduring – the heartbeats of Bristol street art. In this tidy piece, the letters are beautifully painted, each one merging into the next, and the fills, with horizontal layers work nicely through the letters. The little white accent lines create a 3D effect, which along with the black drop shadow lift the writing off the wall. Set on a blue patterned background, the piece is another fine contribution from Mr Draws.
Cort is another ever-present writer in Bristol who, year in year out, turns out his peculiar brand of writing on a regular basis, always there in the background, never any fuss. I have met Cort on several occasions, and he is way too modest about his work, and reluctant to say very much too, which is fine, not all people feel the need to chat.
This piece in Dean Lane, is so typical of Cort’s work, with his unusual letter font, combining curvy shaped letters with straight angular ones. His colours are also quite peculiar to the artist, and the stand-out element is probably the red patterning on the grey level of the fill. It is the simplicity, nothing too busy, and the unique style that I enjoy most about this pice. Cort is probably one of the most under-represented artists on Natural Adventures, and I ought to post more of his pieces than I do.
I bumped into Klashwhensober yesterday, the first time for a couple of months, and talked to him about these recent pieces from Dean Lane, and he told me that all three had been tagged, which is a bit disappointing, but at least I managed to get clean shots of them.
Klashwhensober, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2023
The blue and red split piece is another example of how Klashwhensober’s work has gone up a level recently. The two colours contrast really well, and the fill patterns reflect one another perfectly. Klashwhensober has also put in some shading on the letters to add a bit of depth. Where the colours meet, the letters appear to crumble into fragments. This is a fun and accomplished piece, and alongside his other two works demonstrates his versatility.
Klashwhensober, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2023
Although I am not certain, I think that all three pieces were painted in a very short space of time, perhaps in the same day. This second piece, in chrome, again spelling SOBER, is much flatter than the first one. Without the decoration the piece would be in danger of being a bit plain, but Klahwhensober doesn’t do plain, so he has added some purple cloudy frills and a wispy red ribbon running through the letters.
Klashwhensober, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2023
Finally, an orangee throw up completes the set, and although obviously a quick one, it is still finished nicely. I imagine that he was running low on orange paint, as it is fairly transparent in places. Altogether, a good display of the talent on offer from the always prolific Klahwhensober.
There has been a noticeable uptick in the quality of Klashwhensober’s work recently, and it feels like he has reached a new level. He is certainly broadening his horizons with letter styles and the introduction of ever-more sophisticated characters accompanying his letters.
Klashwhensober, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2023
In this recent piece from Dean Lane, Klashwhensober has gone for a simpler, smoother letter style which is very tidily finished. The fills of turquoise and orange blend well and are an eye-catching combination. The three little toadstools with faces on the right are a curious addition to the piece. Great work from Klashwhensober.
Since the appearance of the Bristol Mural Collective, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of artistic murals by fine artists, illustrators and designers who have transferred their skills from the studio to the streets and the overall impact has been to broaden further the incredible diversity of street art we have in Bristol. This unusual piece by Sarah Trotter is a great example of the kind of work that has been unleashed.
Sarah Trotter, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023
The piece, Love like a Lobster, is very well described by the artist on her Instagram feed, and I recommend that you read what she has to say about the piece. The hand on the left is tenderly dancing with the lobster on the right, in a beautiful feast of colour and movement. I like the way that Sarah Trotter has really thought about the piece and the surroundings, including paying attention to the textures on the wall. There is a great more depth to the piece than first meets the eye. I’ll be looking out for more street art from Sarah Trotter.
So far this summer, there have been some magnificent collaborations, occupying large walls, some from the NTS crew, but others that appear to have been stimulated by the return of Fade to Bristol. Fade is clearly an artist who enjoys collaborating. This outstanding wall is by Dibz, VZA (Veeez) and Fade.
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023
Dibz and Fade have done that thing where they write each other’s name, which, for anyone unfamiliar with their styles could be confusing. Even when writing letters other than DIBZ, Dibz’ style and sharp finish gives him away every time, no signature required. I like the subtle colour transition in the letter fill from blue to red scanning left to right.
VZA, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023
The centrepiece is by VZA and features an incredible lay sharp and vibrant alien character that is simply constructed and beautifully executed, making it very easy on the eye. The bright colours make it very difficult to ignore, and it rather steals the show in this collaboration.
Fade, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023
To the right, Fade has written DIBZ in colours and a letter style that remind me a little of Scooby Doo, don’t ask me why. Fade seems to enjoy painting characters and backgrounds almost as much as letters, and here he has included some lovely rolling hills and a couple of trees, which he is adding the finishing touches to.
We are spoilt in Bristol to be able to see so many extraordinary and ephemeral pieces of art, and part of the purpose of this blog is to record and share these amazing works for a wider audience that they surely deserve.
Since first encountering Raid earlier this year, he has been one of the most productive forces on the streets of Bristol, and right now, that is some achievement. I have met the artist on a couple of occasions, and he seems to be a really decent bloke, he also told me how he is enjoying playing with his letters, trying new ideas, but with the same general style.
Raid, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2023
These pinky-purple letters on a light pink background are easy on the eye. His fills have been very nicely executed and provide plenty of interest, and the turquoise/white sparks running through the piece add a detail that rounds the whole thing off nicely. More in the pipeline from Raid.
From Bacerlona, an artist whose work I have definitely seen and captured before, makes his Natural Adventures debut with this assured and vibrant piece of graffiti writing down at Dean Lane. The Spanish artist is one of several who meet up at weekends under the loose crew name of Sunday Lovers.
From Bacerlona, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
I haven’t yet worked out what the letters spell, but they are similar in style, to a certain extent, to those painted by Claro_que_sssnoh, in particular the arrows and rows of diminishing spots. The piece is joyful and leaps off the wall, with plenty of detail and different shapes to feast upon. I have to say that I really like this piece and need to be more mindful of posting his work, perhaps going back through my archives and digging some of it out.
Although totally unplanned, I have managed to post two consecutive pieces from the same wall. The previous one was by Dibz, with his tag-style graffiti, and this one from Todoaciem is a delightful calligraffiti script piece, which is really rather unusual.
Todoaciem, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
Todoaciem and Stivs probably jointly hold the crown for calligraffiti in Bristol, and you can understand why. This piece takes the regular standard form of calligraffiti to a new level by introducing a script-style font and the result is really effective. Painted on a blue and green bubble background, the whole thing is a delicious feast for the eye.
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