Tag: Dean Lane

4607. Dean Lane skate park (513)

It is so obvious that most street artists do what they do because they love doing it. It is as simple as that. This is perfectly demonstrated by a scattering of small pieces by Andy Council recently in the Dean Lane and Brunel Way spots.

Andy Council, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2022
Andy Council, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2022

Andy Council has had a long fascination with prehistoric creatures, he even incorporates an ammonite into his signature. His dinosaurs and other creatures can be found all over the city, but these are small, fleeting, fun pieces painted for the sheer hell of it.

Andy Council, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2022
Andy Council, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2022

I think that the creatures are trilobites or at least related to them and seem to blend in so well in all of the locations selected, it is as if they were always meant to be there in this urban ecosystem.

Andy Council, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2022
Andy Council, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2022

Beautifully observed and nicely painted, these four pieces (there may have been some others that I missed) add colour and interest to our great city. Thank you Andy Council.

4598. Dean Lane skate park (512)

I have encountered a small dilemma, it happens quite a lot in the world of documenting street art. Flava136 is making a deliberate move towards refreshing his moniker to Saor. Part of me feels that I should follow his lead, but the other part of me feels like it will simply muck up all my tagging and labelling which is a nightmare for archiving, searching etc. So as you will see I have decided to stick with Flava136, even though it is now Saor.

Flava136, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2022
Flava136, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2022

The name is somewhat irrelevant when it comes to his artwork, which is always presented to the highest possible standards. The piece is horizontally bisected with different colour transitions either side of the line. We also see a return of the toothy monster character, which is becoming a less central part of his work these days. This is yet another sharp, on-point piece from an outstanding artist.

4581. Dean Lane skate park (511)

It doesn’t seem to matter what Kosc does, he always does it with class. This superb piece of writing, part of an NTS collaborative wall, spells out Kosc, and is really top notch stuff.

Kosc, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2022
Kosc, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2022

This is classic wildstyle writing with a contemporary feel to it. The design is reasonably complex, but the elements perfectly clean and tidy. The horizontal colour transitions through the letters are expertly done, and the whole thing benefits from being painted on a well prepped wall. More great work from Kosc.

4573. Dean Lane skate park (510)

In my view, street art and graffiti writing always look nicer on a buffed wall, although I’m sure that some purists would probably disagree with that. In this instance I think it holds true, and Mudra’s graffiti writing is presented beautifully.

Mudra, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2022
Mudra, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2022

Mudra has found a new level recently, and is constantly developing his letters, incorporating characters and looking at new shapes and designs. His work is along the lines of other artists whose letters each have a separate look and feel, the master of which is SkyHigh. I am definitely enjoying observing Mudra’s work develop.

4566. Dean Lane skate park (509)

You don’t get to see pieces by SPZero76, outside of festivals or commissions, as often as a few years ago, so stumbling across one was both a rare and joyful occasion. This recent piece was part of a collaborative wall, marking the first anniversary of the death of producer and rapper MF Doom.

SPZero76, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022
SPZero76, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022

SPZero76’s take on this anniversary was to paint a cartoon-style version of Marvel villain Dr Octopus asking ‘what’s a Doom?’. This is a hilarious piece and perfectly painted, sharp and clean, and just the kind of thing we are so privileged to see in Bristol. It would be great to see more of these casual pieces about the place from SPZero76.

4565. Dean Lane skate park (508)

Visiting artists are always welcome in Bristol, and how nice it is to see a calligraffiti artist to add to the talents of Stivs and Todoaciem. There is something appealing about writing beautiful letters in beautiful fonts, with accuracy and attention to detail, and Elroy has done a particularly fine job here.

Elroy, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022
Elroy, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022

The letters are nicely proportioned, although I wonder if the ‘r’ and ‘o’ could be a little closer to each other. The addition of a twisted rope and a framed pink background add a crispness to the whole piece. I would love to see more from this sign-writer murallist.

4550. Dean Lane skate park (506)

A quick one today – there is a lot going on in the real world – it is not every day that the worst Prime Minister ever resigns, and it felt for a little while late night that he never would.

Zake has been on fire this year, and due to his productivity rate, some of his pieces have been painted over by the time I have got to them. I got to this one in time, at least.

Zake, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022
Zake, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022

This piece is a fairly typical Zake face with all the fabulous touches he brings to the shadows of the face, giving the whole thing depth and a 3D quality. I suspect that this was rather a ‘quick one’ but nicely finished nonetheless.

4549. Dean Lane skate park (505)

Anyone who reads these posts regularly will know that I consider Dibz to be one of the best wildstyle writers, in Bristol and indeed in the country. In this outstanding piece in Dean Lane he has combined his talents with the elusive Ulow, who treats us to his talents from time to time.

Ulow and Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022
Ulow and Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022

The letters, in a dazzling transition from yellow to dark red, spell out DIBZ. The letters are so clean and crisp, and the fades between shades so seamless, there are few words that can describe the expertise on show. Just to cap it all, the pink highlights at the bottom of some of the letters create the most fantastic 3D effect of reflected light. Just brilliant.

Ulow, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022
Ulow, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022

The character, I am guessing it is Wolverine, is by Ulow, and demonstrates his fantastic shading skills that give his pieces a soft, rounded appearance, almost organic. Ulow is definitely an artist whose street art work I’d like to see more of.

4544. Dean Lane skate park (504)

I have an unwritten rule about taking pictures of street art, and it that one should always take a picture when you have the opportunity, even if the light is bad, or there are obstructions, because when you return to the spot, for a cleaner shot, it might have been overpainted. These photographs of a recent Stiff piece in Dean Lane have dappled sunlight across them, but they are the only pictures I have, it didn’t last long and wasn’t there when I went back.

Stiff, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022
Stiff, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022

I was lucky enough to meet Stiff for the first time just over a week ago, while he was painting with the Bristol Womxn Mural Collective in Cumberland Basin, and he confirmed to me that he enjoys painting monsters and using the colour green. Stiff doesn’t paint very often, so the chances of meeting him are rather slight. This piece, like his others, is creative, fun and monsterish, and painted with a lightness of touch that is without pretension. Another one for the collection of beasts.

4535. Dean Lane skate park (503)

Once again, the famous curved wall in Dean Lane gets a makeover by Ceus, who seems to have really taken to Dean Lane for his artwork. It will be interesting to see if he will start to spread his wings (literally-metaphorically-artistically), further afield and starts spreading his talent along the M32 or in the tunnel etc.

Ceus, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022
Ceus, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022

You can be sure that when Ceus paints, he will be turning up the dial on his colour selections and creating a piece of beauty. His letters spell out Ceus and feature the pair of wings we see in much of his work. It would be quite interesting to introduce Ceus to Tom Miller and Paul Monsters… what an explosion of colour that would be.