4109. Dean Lane skate park (444)

One of the most enjoyable thing about chronicling street art and graffiti is that every day has the potential to bring with it surprises. Those surprises are like gifts, presents from the artists to anyone who cares to enjoy their work. This lovely collaboration from Ros(z)alita and 3F fino was part of a larger collaboration that included Tao.create, but I am reserving her piece for a later date.

Rosalita and 3F Fino, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021
Rosalita and 3F fino, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021

This is as special as it is unexpected, and although these two have collaborated before, I think that this is so nicely done and combines their styles and preferred subject matter really well.

Rosalita, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021
Rosalita, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021

On the left is another carnival face from Rosalita (who now spells it Rozalita, hence the discrepancy in the body of this text), where the makeup this time is much more in the style of a Venetian masquerade mask. The frilled collar adds to the clown element of the piece. Beautiful.

3F Fino, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021
3F fino, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021

To the right, a slightly more edgy character by 3F fino is apparently spraying the clown. I often wonder with pieces like this whether they are self-portraits, or at least based on self. There are some nice elements to this cartoon-style character and his cans, and the clothes and face mask all add to the ensemble.

All in all a nice, large and vibrant collaboration from these two.

4101. Dean Lane skate park (442)

Dibz is an immensely talented graffiti writer and whose status is in the highest echelons of writers in Bristol and, I dare say, the UK. He manages to turn out beautifully designed piece after piece, never letting his standards drop, and the creativity of his designs and outstanding colour palettes is of the highest order.

Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2021
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2021

This piece in Dean Lane is extra special because it is a birthday celebration for his mother, which is really touching. For this piece, he has really gone to town, with all the elements coming together perfectly. Great design, superb colours, tight lines, beautifully crafted fills and 3D shadows. In short this is an outstanding piece, and about as good as it gets.

4095. Dean Lane skate park (441)

One of the most enjoyable aspects of following the street art scene in Bristol over recent years has been the emergence of dozens and dozens of new artists, genres and movements. Among the most interesting has been the Bristol Womxn Mural Collective that seems to be growing with some pace, and holds regular paint jams at various different spots around Bristol. Watching studio artists transition their artistry onto walls is a fascinating experience and adds some intriguing, new and fresh pieces to the spectrum of street art in the city.

Raquel Blazquez, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021
Raquel Blazquez, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021

This small piece by Raquel Blazquez is tucked under one of the ramps in the skate park, which presents a cosy space for artists. The portrait of a woman is colourful and has a certain presence generated by the expression of the subject’s face. The piece has all the hallmarks of a fine artist (lots of detail and colour shadings) adapting to a street canvass. Lovely work and I hope to see more.

4092. Dean Lane skate park (441)

I met Hire in Dean Lane the day before he painted this beauty, and he was basically sizing up the wall looking where would be best to paint his new work. I hadn’t seen him for quite some time, but he remembered me and even remembered my name, which felt good, and we chewed the fat for a little while, before I had to dash.

Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021

I like, and have always liked, Hire’s work. His graffiti writing has a distinctive jagged appearance of edges and shapes that remind me of medieval weapons and blades. The letters are sophisticated, spelling HIRE, and the colour transitions beautifully worked, with a bright band running horizontally through the piece. So good to see both the artist and his new piece.

4085. Dean Lane skate park (440)

Until earlier this year, I had never come across Veee. His art just wasn’t a thing in Bristol, not that you’d know it now, it seems that there are dozens of his little pieces dotted all around the city, and this is one of the more recent ones from Dean Lane.

Veee, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021
Veee, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021

This small flat wall is the perfect size for Veee’s work and his ‘face’, made up of symbols, fits the space really well. Bright and colourful, Veee’s work is definitely becoming part of the furniture, and I think that he must have moved to Bristol for there to be so much of it. Watch this space for more from this artist.

4072. Dean Lane skate park (439)

A week ago, the Bristol Womxn Mural Collective got really busy down in Dean Lane, and there was barely a wall untouched by their work. The BWMC has become a powerful group bringing women into the street art scene in a safe and supportive environment. We, the citizens, are the beneficiaries of this movement.

Yoliws, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021
Yoliws, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021

Some of the work contains political or social comment such as this lovely piece by Yoliws. Her assertion ‘everyone deserves to walk the streets in peace’ is absolutely bang on, and is a commendable theme. To the left are some typical inappropriate and utterly unwelcome phrases, sadly still too often heard. Yoliws has illustrated the piece with one of her fabulous characters standing up to the comments. Enough is enough!

I love this piece on so many levels.

4070. Dean Lane skate park (439)

It looks like Zake has been taken under the wing of PWA (Pirate Wall Art crew) recently, at least he seems to be painting a lot alongside Face 1st, Soap and Nightwayss. This is a superb and fun collaboration between Face 1st, Soap and Zake, and plays to their collective strengths.

Soap, Face 1st and Zake, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021
Soap, Face 1st and Zake, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021

I like this collaboration, because it is a merger of all three artists, with the outer two smiling girls from Face 1st, the laughing scull/mouths from Soap and the jolly centrepiece from Zake. All of these characters set on a boiling bubble splash of orange, red and pink. A joyful and fun collaboration, which I don’t think lasted too long – nothing much does on this wall these days.

4069. Dean Lane skate park (438)

On the big wall at Dean Lane is this wonderful collaborative piece from Etza and Chill, which absolutely demands to be looked at, there is no chance of passing it and not noticing it.

Etza, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021
Etza, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021

The bright pink background is the perfect setting for the black and white characters. On the left is a piece by Etza, whose work I’ve not come across before. It will not surprise you to know that both of these artists are tattooists, and it shines through in these pieces. The skull design with a frog perched on top is beautifully worked, and a great advert for Etza’s skilful work.

Chill, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021
Chill, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021

To the right is a stunner from Chill, whose work I have recently featured on Natural Adventures a couple of times. The cartoon man looks like he has just been lifted from a kid’s comic of the 1970s and is full of character and fine detail. A magnificent piece.

This collaboration falls into that category where adjacent pieces have adopted the same colour scheme but each is a separate design, particular to the artist that painted it. Great to see, and just about still there when I looked yesterday.

4060. Dean Lane skate park (437)

Regular readers of Natural Adventures will know that I am really enjoying the work of Maybe . His small murals are improving all the time and he is starting to make his mark in spots all over Bristol, spreading out from his ‘safe space’ under Brunel Way.

Maybe, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021
Maybe, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021

This first piece on a ramp at Dean Lane skate park might just be my favourite yet from Maybe. The colours are superb, and the blends from dark to light in each colour tone are exceptional. Calm and pleasing, it has the appearance of an Eastern European children’s cartoon that were so much a thing in the 1970s and 1980s about it.

Maybe, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2021
Maybe, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2021

The other two pieces in Dean Lane are small Yin and Yang badges composed of interlocking faces, which is the ‘trademark’ of Maybe. Some really great creative stuff here, and he just keeps on producing.

Maybe, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2021
Maybe, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2021

4058. Dean Lane skate park (436)

I posted a piece by Biers last week, that was actually painted after this one in Dean Lane, both representing a bit of a come back from this No Frills artist. Thanks to Paul H, I now know that Biers is writing WD40, it would have taken me a long time to work that out on my own.

Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2021
Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2021

This piece comes with a little bit of text saying: “I can’t wait to feel the weight of nothing on my shoulders” – a message that certainly chimes for me. The letters/character combination is tight as always, and the ‘0’ lends itself to all sorts of character opportunities which Biers has grabbed in this instance. It is so good to see his work appearing again.