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.
Back in old Blighty, but what a disappointment – it has been windy and raining almost constantly since we landed at Heathrow yesterday. I knew we should have gone away for two weeks. The only thing I have missed is the dog, and a ready supply of street/graffiti art to keep me sane.
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023
This is a remarkable and clever piece from Dibz which has been painted to look like a tag drawn with a marker pen, and just to illustrate the point he has included a character hand with a pen to the right of the writing. The tag-style writing spells out Dibz One, and, as if we needed further evidence, demonstrates the depth of Dibz’ supreme skill.
Dibz and Fade with a Cheo bee, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
Dibz and Cheo have been at it again, with this outstanding collaboration in Dean Lane. Dibz has provided the writing and Cheo the wonderfully faithful Disney Donald Duck character. What is so clever about the piece is how Dibz has picked up on the lively character of Donald Duck in his writing, really bringing it to life.
Dibz and Fade with a Cheo bee, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
It is so pleasing to see Cheo getting out and painting walls again after what felt like a very long lay-off. In fact I am having some difficulty in keeping up with his work, but have to see that as a good thing really.
Fade with a Cheo bee, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
We head off to Assisi today, so that’s your lot I’m afraid from a hot and windy Italy.
UPDATE: in the comments, you will see that the Donald Duck is by Fade and not by Cheo, although the bee is still there from a former Cheo piece. All is not as it seems. Any credit above afforded to Cheo needs to be transferred over to Fade, who has been smashing it since his return to the UK.
I was a little lazy with photographing this magnificent fish piece by Hire, and decided to squish through the leaves of a thick hedge, rather than walk round the perimeter of the swimming pool area to get a clean shot.
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
Hire has cleverly disguised his writing BF into the body of a rather fierce looking fish, which isn’t a proper representation of a real creature, rather it is more of an archetypal fish, with an extra dorsal fin. I am always up for some fish graffiti’s although there is something about this one that makes me feel a little uneasy.
Is sitting in an ancient medieval monastery in Umbria, Italy, desperate to get out and join the others in the pool, so this will be a short one. #DFTE, continues to delight with his short phrases, written in his distinctive style which he is starting to adapt a little with some extras, in this case some monster drip work.
#DFTE, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
He asserts,’happiness is being confidently weird’. That might be a #DFTE philosophy, which would fit him perfectly. Sometimes it might be equally appropriate to consider being spontaneously weird or not weird at all to be happy. I do, however like his sentiment and it makes for a good wall message. Ta ta for now, off to the pool. Splash!
One of the things that I really like about Peggy’s floral works is that she likes to occupy little niches or modest walls, rather than commanding a large ‘in your face’ space. I think that these smaller spots lend themselves really well to her finely crafted designs, which she can adapt to the selected space, which is more difficult to do with writing or character pieces.
Peggy, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
I am not a big fan of brown and dark colours in street art, don’t ask me why, it is a personal taste thing, but in this case, Peggy has worked her magic on me and I like what she has done. Her floral pattern, naturally, has an eye at the centre, keeping watch over the skate park. Lovely work from Peggy, who perhaps ought to have a gallery on Natural Adventures – watch this space.
Mudra, Kosc and Saor, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
This is an absolute epic piece that didn’t last nearly as long as it deserved, and the artists who over painted it should have, in my view, been a little bit more respectful, however everyone knows it is a jungle out there. The Wild West triptych is by Mudra, Kosc and Saor, all of NTS crew.
Mudra, Kosc and Saor, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
I managed to catch up with the artists while they were painting the piece, and watched as they went about it. There was a lot of planning involved, and they managed to get the proportions right to take out the whole wall in magnificent style.
Mudra, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
To the left, and adopting the collaboration colour scheme, Mudra has written his name in reverse, I mean why not? The letters, in a block style, with each having a different design, a la SkyHigh look like a jumble of rocks in front of a saloon, on which Kosc and Mudra have left tags.
Kosc, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
In the centre Kosc has painted a wonderful generic western portrait piece, pointing a smoking six-shooter at the viewer. I asked him if it was anyone in particular, and he said that it wasn’t, which saved me having to guess when writing it up.
Kosc, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
Completing the triptych, Saor has painted yet another tight, highly graphic set of letters, which closely resemble Epok’s style of writing, but with his own unique stamp. On the buildings on this side, the crew name NTS and a Saor tag adorn the facade. The piece is so clean, and the colours perfectly matched – his work is stepping up to a higher level, without doubt. this is such an impressive epic piece which it is unusual to see outside of a festival, so the boys did really well. Bravo!
Mudra, Kosc and Saor, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
One of the first street artists/graffiti writers I met, way back, was Jee See, while he was painting a column under the M32 motorway. He was really happy to talk about his work and was very welcoming, giving me the confidence to keep going with my blog.
Jee See, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
This ‘seismic’ piece on the famous curved wall in Dean Lane makes me laugh, because it illustrates the importance of bringing a ladder or finding something to stand on when painting tall walls. Jee See’s familiar block letters with 3D drop shadows diverging halfway through the piece have been a steady feature of the street art scene for some years, although he doesn’t appear to paint all that often these days. The piece presents well, with white letters on a black background – nice and simple.
