It might be the colour palette, I don’t know, but there is something about this piece that instantly grabs you and says ‘hey, I’m special’. Hire’s work will be a familiar to regular readers of Natural Adventures, and he is one of my favourite graffiti artists in Bristol, and I think that what he has done here is exceptional.
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
Three things stand out for me in this piece. The first is the colour selections for the letters and the background and the way they complement each other so well – very pleasing to the eye. The second is the almost imperceptible difference in colour shade used for the H and R, compared with the I and E of his name, so subtle and so clever. Finally, I think that the little squiggles surrounding the letters are brilliant and remind me of a visualisation of Brownian motion. Each of these elements lift the piece from being great to exceptional.
We see a lot of collaborations in Bristol, but most tend to be collaborative walls in which some elements of colour or design are shared by the artists. Occasionally, artists paint a piece that is what I would call a true collaboration, where the single piece is a fusion of their work. This piece by Mudra and Saor, or is it Saor and Mudra, is a perfect example of a fusion collaboration.
Mudra and Saor, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
The overall writing spells out SAOR, and at first glance I thought it was a Saor piece, but look a little closer, and you see the Mudra elements emerge, for example the @ symbol, the pixelated arrow and mask. The whole piece is sh sharp and tidy, and Saor has incorporated some fascinating textures, like the granite effect and night sky with a full moon. A superb piece of work from the NTS friends.
This outstanding piece by Dibz was painted alongside Werm and Veeez, both of whom are edging towards the ‘top table’ when it comes to collaborations. I have genuinely run out of things to say about Dibz and the quality and creativity of his work, and am tempted to not write too much more but simply let you enjoy this piece, which is so easy on the eye.
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023
Dibz’ confidence and talent allow the viewer to wonder at the detail of the piece in the knowledge that absolutely everything is perfectly finished. The addition of pixels and stars embroiders, what is already an outstanding piece of graffiti writing.
#DFTE is having a bit of a renaissance at the moment, creating some nice work in his unique and humorous philosophical style. In this piece, he has joined forces with Fishlock to create this vibrant collaboration on the famous curved wall in Dean Lane.
#DFTE and Fishlock, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
In nature, black and yellow colouring often denote danger, not so in this piece where #DFTE has written the phrase, ‘you are not alone’ – a comforting and caring message. The decorations around the writing is by Fishlock and carries several of her favoured motifs. This is an eye-catching piece from the pair, painted during a recent Bristol Mural Collective paint jam.
I remember quite clearly the first collaboration I saw between these two artists, and it was also the first time I encountered Hire’s work; it was in Armada place and had a vibrant pink background. That was in April 2017, and both artists have come a long way since then.
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023
To the left of the collaboration is a squat HIRE from Hire. There is a softening of the jagged edges he is known for, but other elements of this style are intact, such as the mid-line running through his letters. Two things help this piece stand out, the subtle flame coloured accent lines which give depth to the shadow and the solid white border, so very neat and tidy.
Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023
To the right, Laic217 continues his purple patch with this typical skeleton character. As ever, the folds in the fabric of the hoodie and baseball cap are trademark skills that the artist excels at. Interestingly, the skull has an ear, which adds to the intrigue. The piece is brought to life with the red skull badge on the cap, without which the piece simply wouldn’t shout so loudly. This is a fine collaborative wall from the Polish artists.
Laic217 and Hire, Armada Place, Bristol, April 2017
Lately, there has been a bit of a transformation in approach and style from Veeez (VZA), who has featured on Natural Adventures before, but with a rather different look. This stunning piece in Dean Lane is one of a recent series of character pieces and writing that takes the level of his work up a notch or two.
VZA (Veeez), Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023
The alien character in vibrant pink and green colours absolutely smacks you in the face, determined not to be ignored. The execution is beautifully done, with some nice shading in the fills to give depth. The black lines and border are crisp and tidy, and the adoption of a second turquoise border lifts the whole piece off the door on which it is painted. Great work from Veeez, with more to come soon.
Fade, Turoe and Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023
I have been droning on about how the amount of painting activity has increased over the last year or two in Bristol, but associated with this rise has been a commensurate increase in the number of collaborative walls, most of which have a short lifespan due to the high turnover. It is becoming more and more difficult to chronicle street/graffiti art, but I do my best.
Fade, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023
This triptych is by Fade, Turoe and Dibz. Starting with Fade on the left – I mentioned yesterday in my first Fade post on Natural Adventures, that we’d be seeing a lot more from the artist, and here is proof of that already. Fade’s work is really crisp, with nice solid fills and great thin black lines and thick black borders. I can’t read the letters in this piece, but it looks like a three letter sequence. This is classy work from someone who has only recently reacquainted himself with spray-painting after a long break.
Turoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023
In the middle section is a fascinating piece from Turoe, whose mastery of graffiti writing is second to none. The chrome letters, which spell TUROE or as Paul H points DIBZ (although I can read both), have a regularity and uniformity about them, and just the right amount of subtle decoration in the form of white spots. The letters contrast nicely with the diesel-blue bubbly background. Classy stuff.
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023
Finally, to the right, Dibz does what Dibz does. Reflecting Turoe’s choice of chrome on diesel-blue Dibz shows his utter class with wildstyle writing. I don’t know how he does it, but Dibz is painting incredibly regularly these days – maybe he has a bit more free time on his hands. The clouds accompanying all the pieces on the wall, I think, are by Fade, because they have that flatter look to them that his style has. A very nice collaborative wall.
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
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.
It has to be said that Werm has managed, in a relatively short space of time, to create and amplify his unique style on the Bristol scene. His work is constantly improving and developing, and he is starting to work on collaborative walls with some of the more established artists in the city.
Werm, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023
Werm is favouring a style at the moment which has extensive elaborations on the letters WERM that form the central portion of the piece, almost as though the letters are growing roots and shoots. He is also managing to fill his letters with nicely painted colour transitions, five in this instance. Werm was painting alongside the very experienced Turoe on this wall, and has picked up on a shared background of sky blue and some of the bricks of the wall picked out in a darker blue. A graffiti writer on the up.
It is fitting that my six hundredth post from Dean Lane should feature a stunning collaboration wall from Vozie and Bnie, two of my favourite writers at the moment. There is an awful lot to like about this colourful collaboration, and the colours and style remind me of the cartoon fairground scene in Mary Poppins or the Village from the TV series ‘the Prisoner’ – the psychedelic elements probably elicit those thoughts.
Vozie, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023
To the left Vozie does what she does, although in this version of her name, she has written VOSE, not VOZIE which we are more accustomed to seeing. Beautiful letters, beautiful fills and a fabulous drop shadow… there is little more to say.
Bnie, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023
To the right Bnie has replicated the colours, fills and shadow to make this a truly collaborative piece. As with Vozie’s half, Bnie has created beautiful letters, using beautiful fills and a fabulous drop shadow. This is an exceptional piece from the RBF girls, and a bit of a fave of mine so far this year.
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