Tag: Dean Lane

4378. Dean Lane skate park (480)

After a very quiet lockdown period, there seems to have been no stopping Biers, who now writes WD40, from decorating walls all over the city. This piece from a couple of weeks back is on one of the best known walls in Bristol, and a particular favourite of mine – I have even done a special gallery of it, that needs updating.

Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2022
Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2022

In this lively piece, Biers takes something of a self-deprecatory look and critique of his own work that is not entirely complimentary. I would beg to differ with his analysis, as I think it is a rather tidy piece with loads of activity and movement, and the character with the speech bubble is nicely done too. Don’t be so hard on yourself Biers.

4362. Dean Lane skate park (479)

We don’t seem all that often, but when he visits a wall, he always leaves an impression, because his work is rather unique. I am talking about Stif who paints his rather surreal pieces from time to time in Dean Lane or sometimes Brunel Way. With this particular piece it was a case of blink and you’ll miss it, because it didn’t last long at all.

Stif, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2022
Stif, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2022

Stif tends to paint on a black background which contrasts with the bold colours that he uses. This piece looks like it is a monster breaking out of a red parcel, and it might be a simple as that, I can’t really find a story or narrative underpinning the piece. It is rather eccentric and very memorable, and definitely worthy of posting on Natural Adventures.

4359. Dean Lane skate park (478)

Photographing street art and graffiti isn’t just about the big pieces, the obvious ‘in your face’ high end work. It is about capturing the full spectrum of work and the full spectrum of styles, content, ability and so on. Finding a couple of little gems, like these from Zake, exemplifies the joys of finding and cataloging street art.

Zake, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022

Zake is normally known for his bright and expressive stylised faces, full of light and shade to exaggerate the contours of the features. In these two small pieces in Dean Lane, Zake gives us something more like a study, or something you might find in a black book rather than on a wall. It is not only the beauty of these works, but their rarity that is part of their attraction.

Zake, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022
Zake, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022

I guess that they were both painted in the same session judging from the colour palette. A male and female portrait in subtle tones. Two fine pieces adding to the rich portfolio that the artist has to offer, and something a little different for the viewer.

4349. Dean Lane skate park (477)

I have always and will always love the work of Hire. Hire is one of a large contingent of Polish artists in Bristol, each one bringing something rather special to our city, and becoming part of its rich cultural heritage.

Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022

This is a beautiful piece of writing set on a deep rich red background, giving it something of a sumptuous feel. I have to confess that I am not quite sure what the repeating pattern of letters says, I am used to picking out the letters HIRE or BF, but this is a bit of a mystery. As an exercise in repetition is is a stunner, and you might have a bit of fun playing ‘spot the difference’ between the three sections. Fine work from Hire.

4330. Dean Lane skate park (476)

I am coming to the conclusion that I have already said as much as I can about the work of brilliant graffiti writer Dibz. I have run out of superlatives, something that actually happened years ago. Dibz is an artist that I like to try and post every time that I photograph his work, because it demonstrates the high end of graffiti writing in the city, but this frequency makes it difficult to write anything interesting or original.

Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022

This is one of the best walls in the whole of Bristol and one which Dibz favours. His wall preparation has paid off, with the grey-blue backwash providing a perfect neutral setting for the antics of Disney’s Merlin and his owl from the cartoon film The Sword in the Stone – a film I have never seen.

Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022

The writing is outstanding, the colour transitions perfect, the spray cans inspired and the characters crisp, sharp and engaging. This is a masterclass from one of Bristol’s very best.

4327. Dean Lane skate park (475)

There are all sorts of conventions in the world of graffiti and street art, and broadly speaking most artists remain within the boundaries, albeit on a vast spectrum. There are some artists who seem to linger on the fringes of convention, either through their content or style, and I would class Taboo as one of those.

Taboo, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022
Taboo, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022

Although Taboo’s writing and character combinations are reasonably conventional, his lettering style and incorporation of characters is not, and this is what sets him apart from other artists. In this piece ‘reality is not enough’ his unusual letters, spelling out ‘Taboo’ in chrome, serve as a backdrop to a C. S. Lewis character from Alice in Wonderland, the caterpillar puffing on a hookah. This is wonderful hallucinogenic stuff, and I am rather sure that the author would probably approve.

4314. Dean Lane skate park (474)

This was something of a red-letter day for me, turning up at Dean Lane to find Mudra painting alongside Kosc and Flava136 (who has now changed his moniker to Saor). Unfortunately, Flava136’s piece had been painted over by the time I returned to get pictures of the completed works, but Mudra and Kosc’s were intact.

Mudra, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2022
Mudra, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2022

Mudra is an artist who, although he has only been painting in Bristol for a couple of years, has firmly established himself in the city and is definitely going from strength to strength. With each of his pieces, his confidence and dynamism grows, and I am thoroughly enjoying the ride.

Mudra, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022
Mudra, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022

This is a curious piece that, for once, doesn’t spell out Mudra, but instead incorporates the letters NTS, a crew name (I don’t yet know what it stands for). There is a typically stylised Mudra face with a giveaway coloured nose and for some utterly unknown reason a bird perching at a bird box. Great to see and great fun.

4308. Dean Lane skate park (473)

Cort is a quiet, unassuming, Polish artist who has been writing in Bristol for several years now, but he is an artist I have only met on one or two occasions. Although he has finished this piece in Dean Lane by the time I arrived, he was still in the area chilling. I did manage to exchange a few words, but I’m not entirely certain he enjoys conversation about his art, and he comes across as rather modest.

Cort, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2022
Cort, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2022

I happen to think that this is one of his finest pieces to date, and there have been an awful lot to choose from, and it also demonstrates what a good character artist he is too, although he rarely paints characters. The colour selections are attractive and there is good balance between the character and the writing, with a clever bordered box drawing all the elements together.

Cort, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022
Cort, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022

The character is really nicely painted in a semi-abstract form, including a Mickey Mouse hand. The character is smoking a joint, a theme commonly used in street art, which chimes with the ‘edgy’ or rebellious nature of the art form. Cort also spells out the crew name (PAD) for us, which in full is Paint and Destroy. This piece raises the bar for Cort, and I will be looking out for more characters from him.

4293. Dean Lane skate park (472)

For a little while Varo was a quite quiet, but over the winter and into spring he has become very busy indeed, often pairing up with compatriot and painting friend Zake. It seems that everywhere I go at the moment, I see a new throw up or bull head, but with this piece down in the skate park, he has really raised the bar, in my view.

Varo, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022
Varo, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022

There are actually two Varo pieces on view here, the upper one has been there for a while and is a classic piece of Varo writing, but the new piece below it is a beauty. A clever symmetrical design spelling VARO, with the vague appearance of a bull with horns and a little halo. The colour blending has worked really well between the pink and peachy colours, and the whole thing has a sumptuous deep 3D shadow in red. A fine offering from Varo.

Varo, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022
Varo, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2022

4290. Dean Lane skate park (471)

Although I was very pleased to see this piece from the revitalised Biers, I was at the same time gutted to find that he had sprayed over a magnificent Ceus piece that I saw as a work in progress (WIP) but never got to see in its final form. Such a pity as it was really rather magnificent. The law of the jungle!

Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2022
Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2022

Biers, who currently writes WD40 has created a piece with his always recognisable lettering style and a fabulous lollipop-sucking Kojak character. Some of the older readers among you will remember this ‘must watch’ cop series starring Telly Savalas, which was a tv highlight for my family when I was a kid. Who loves ya baby?