Although he doesn’t paint anywhere near as often as he used to, Mr Draws is an important regular on the Bristol scene and his ‘DRAW’ letters are an essential staple for anyone who enjoys graffiti writing in the city.
Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2022
This photograph is proof that we do occasionally get a bit of snow in Bristol, and although this snow event didn’t amount to much, it was bloody cold for about a week or so. We have returned to a climate changed warm period now though. Coincidentally Mr Draws’ piece has a wintery flavour to it, and it works rather nicely with the snowy foreground. This is a nicely executed and finished piece from Mr Draws.
Constantly out there in the background, rarely taking centre stage, is the magnificent Trafficity with his incredibly consistent form of letters spelling out ZIOM. This time, the PAD crew member ha painted on the swimming pool wall behind the railings.
Trafficity, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2022
Every time I see Trafficity’s work, I wonder if there is an extra line of letters running across the top, in this case the purple section, or whether it is just an artefact of his letter styling. I guess that I’ll just have to ask him next time I see him, although because He doesn’t paint all that frequently, it might be some time before that happens. It is always great to see his work.
Another classy piece from Saor alongside his NTS friends on the long wall at Dean Lane. His work is so on-point, always neat and tidy. He achieves this without the comfort of borders, which means that all of his lines have to be cut-in perfectly, which is a terrific skill.
Saor, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2022
The blues and yellows on a grey background work very well and are in line with the colour scheme for the whole collaborative wall. The stylised letters SAOR give way to some animation in the middle of the piece, with elements of a smiley face. This is an outstanding piece, which, to be fair, is consistent with most of his work.
I am rather hoping that Peggy will become a regular on the pages of Natural Adventures, because I really like her floral designs and her use of space in the spots she paints, bringing a touch of class and joy along with her.
Peggy, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2022
Peggy has used the space on the side of this skate ramp really cleverly, and produced a stunning array of leaves and flowers with decorative swirls. There is something a little similar in her style to Alex Lucas, certainly in the subject matter. I’m really looking forward to seeing much more from this rising star.
What a fine and colourful monster character from Mote on the swimming pool wall at Dean Lane. Once again we see Mote spreading his wings both in terms of location and design of his work.
Mote, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2022
This is arguably Mote’s most colourful piece yet, which is some achievement for an artist who is fond of his colours. Unfortunately the piece has been a little tagged, although not too much to the detriment of the overall impact it has. Although I fully understand where tagging sits in the overall spectrum of street/graffiti art, I do sometimes question what sort of empty minds get kicks out of it. Probably showing my age there. A nice vibrant piece from Mote.
Just when you’ve forgotten all about him, Stiff turns up with another interesting piece, this one tucked away on the swimming pool wall behind the fence. Although not a green monster this time, the robot character does align with his ‘other world’ theme that he is so fond of.
Stiff, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2022
Stiff has prepped his wall well, which I like, in a dark blue, almost glossy colour which brings out the character’s red really well. The robot itself is nicely done, and is rounded off perfectly with a plasma bolt running through its head. A nice piece and reminder of the vast pool of talent we have in Bristol.
Face 1st and Chill, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2022
Face 1st and Chill appear to be collaborating quite a lot at the moment, and it is a joy to behold. In this piece the collaboration takes the form of a merger of pieces, rather than simply painting adjacent spaces on a wall.
Face 1st and Chill, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2022
The frame of the piece, set on a pink backdrop, is the letters FACE in chrome from Face 1st, something we are familiar with seeing. What is different in this instance is that the A of FACE, instead of being one of Face 1st’s laughing girls is a fine cartoon character face from Chill. You can’t help but feel a sense of joy emanating from their work, and their friendship shines through in the collaboration. More to come from these two.
Anyone who regularly visits Bristol’s graffiti spots, can’t have failed to notice these lovely decorative floral pieces making an appearance in recent weeks. If the highly designed and beautifully presented piece resembles a transfer, that is no real surprise, as the artist, Peggy (@misspeggybrown) creates wonderful henna work… just check out her Instagram feed.
Peggy, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2022
Set on a black background, the blue stems and pink flowers are expertly painted, beautifully proportioned with crisp fills and edges. I don’t know how long Peggy has been spraying walls for, but this is a highly accomplished effort and a joy to look at. Expect more of her work to be appearing soon on Natural Adventures.
In case you missed it, Face 1st is one of my favourite artists in Bristol. I try to post all his work that I come across, but it is an uphill struggle, so I do what I can. This one is on the famous curved wall at Dean Lane.
Face 1st, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2022
This is a stock sure thing from Face 1st, with a laughing girl’s face surrounded with FACE hair. In gold and yellow on a sky-blue background, the piece stands out, and there are some additional drips and bubbles to keep the interest. I haven’t seen any of the PWA crew for a long while, but next time I do, I will have to ask them about the significance of the gemstone, which appears in so much of their work.
Dibz and Acer One, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2022
Two of the greats of the contemporary street art scene in Bristol, Dibz and Acer One, have come together to create this magnificent collaborative wall in Deal Lane. You could hardly get two more contrasting styles of writing side-by-side – perhaps the inclusion of someone like Stivs or Mudra might just do it.
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2022
Set on a buffed duck-egg blue wall, Dibz has painted one of his outstanding wildstyle pieces, which would normally spell DIBZ, but in this case it says EVIE. Using the tried and tested pink and blue (lilac) combination for the letters, Dibz has contrasted it with little yellow/orange squares, which personally speaking, I don’t think work very well with the background wall colour, and leaves me feeling a little queezy.
Acer One, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2022
To the right, Acer One, who I was fortunate enough to have a long chat with yesterday in the tunnel, has also written something different. The name TOBY is the focus of this piece, which was a birthday tribute piece for his son. What better present could a person wish for? Some great colours in the letters, and the customary double shadow together create an amazing 3D effect, with the letters really standing out from the wall. Happy belated birthday, Toby.
