Tag: Dean Lane

3253. Dean Lane skate park (356)

Immediately after lockdown, Laic217 was on fire. I am guessing that he was not working and so was able to paint the streets without restraint. In recent weeks he has slowed down considerably, so it was great to see this quick one on one of the ramps in the skate park.

Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2020
Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2020

This stop-start nature of activity from street artists is common and probably reflects the employment model they adopt. Self-employed artists seem to have a bit more flexibility around when they can paint where as those with 9-5 jobs probably find it all a little more challenging. Of course coronavirus and Furlough have played havoc with these regimes.

The piece itself is straightforward, a skull with a woolly hat bearing the letters PAD, a crew name. Even in these quick pieces, Laic217 still manages to achieve a high standard of artwork. I hope he gets some leave soon, I am suffering from withdrawal symptoms.

3209. Dean Lane skate park (355)

I last met Jee See during a mini paint jam under Brunel Way back on a sunny summer’s day, and he had already completed his column piece and was just chilling and chewing the fat with friends. I haven’t seen any of his work since then until a week or two ago.

Jee See, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2020
Jee See, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2020

Jee See presents us with one of his ‘seismic’ pieces which has a political strand to it with the accompanying message of ‘Underclass rising’. It is nicely sprayed and planted over the top of an existing graffiti piece which makes the whole thing quite busy.

Unfortunately the piece has been dogged, probably by a kid with an almost empty discarded spraycan (it happens a lot). It is a pity, but it goes with the territory. My message – artists…take your empty cans home and dispose of them properly.

3206. Dean Lane skate park (354)

Well, what can I say about this really classy piece of graffiti writing from Hire? It is out of the top drawer that is for sure and it demonstrates clearly the benefit of prepping a wall properly to create a big impact.

Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2020
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2020

The last piece I saw by the artist was a real departure from what we are used to and I have to say that I am comforted by this triumphant return. The midnight blues and blacks work well together and the sharp letters spell out the artist’s name. This is simple (although not really) and beautiful and I think might be my favourite piece by him ever. Bravo!

3193. Dean Lane skate park (353)

Phour, an artist that I only encountered for the first time this summer, has been hitting the walls quite hard this year and there aren’t many spots around the city that haven’t had his letters displayed in all their glory.

Phour, Dean Lane, Bristol September 2020
Phour, Dean Lane, Bristol September 2020

This piece, behind the swimming pool railing at Dean Lane, shows what Phour is capable of. Some really nice crisp letters with a three-colour horizontal fill, the central red stripe with loads of little red spots around it. There are further purple decorations reading across to the top and bottom stripes. The whole thing set on a green splat background. I’m not entirely certain about that green with the other colours, it just doesn’t quite feel right. A top quality piece from Phour.

3176. Dean Lane skate park (352)

I don’t know very much at all about Dream Safari, the artist who painted this Einstein piece at Dean Lane. From his Instagram account I know that he specialises in characters and portrait murals, but beyond that I don’t know much more other than it took him six hours to get to Bristol to paint this, so obviously not local then.

Dream Safari, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2020
Dream Safari, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2020

Einstein is being a naughty chap with a tab of something on his tongue. At this point I have to confess my ignorance about recreational drugs, so am unable to say too much more about what is going on here. The portrait is nicely worked in grey scale, apart from the obvious splashes of colour. Great to see visiting artists as always.

3175. Dean Lane skate park (351)

This superb collaboration from Dibz and Shade One was a precursor to their Cheltenham Paint Festival collaboration in the Honeybourne Line tunnel  painted last weekend. Unfortunately I didn’t get to see the finished Cheltenham piece, but was privileged to watch the pair working together.

Dibz and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2020
Dibz and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2020

This Dean Lane Piece is truly outstanding, and the quality of design and execution is of the highest order. I particularly like the blue bubbles, the largest of which provides the background for Shade One’s character on the right. What you see here is a near-perfect work from two very talented artists.

Dibz and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2020
Dibz and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2020

3168. Dean Lane skate park (350)

I don’t know the artist Mr Hoops who painted this banging burner in Dean Lane, but if I were to liken it to anything it looks like a mash up in style of Soker and Hemper, both of whom I initially thought might have been behind the piece when I first saw it. So what I am basically saying is that I think it is very good indeed.

Mr Hoops, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2020
Mr Hoops, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2020

The letters spell out hope, something we can all relate to in these crazy times. Some great letter shapes and vibrant colours on a dark background and the inclusion of a magic hat combine to make this a most enjoyable piece to look at.  I don’t think it lasted too long, but the light that burns twice as bright burns half as long.

The letters

3160. Dean Lane skate park (349)

Bandito is another rather underrepresented graffiti writer in the pages of Natural Adventures, with this being only the third piece by him that I have posted. I have more photographs of his work in my archives and will need to dig them out… maybe if we have another period of lock down.

Bandito, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2020
Bandito, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2020

This is a small but beautifully painted piece of graffiti writing that sits on top of a burner, with colours that complement it rather well. I am a little uncertain, but I think that the writing spells out EASE(E) in thin lettering with a deep 3D shadow. The blue outline is actually the background too and can be seen in the holes in some of the letters. Easy (see what I did there?) on the eye this one.

3159. Dean Lane skate park (348)

Soker never disappoints. His graffiti writing is always of the highest possible quality and he sets a very high bar for other writers in Bristol to aspire to. This is a super little piece alongside Inkie in Dean Lane from a week or two back.

Soker, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2020
Soker, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2020

The letters are filled with three slightly different shades of blue with some nice bubbles running through the middle. There is some partial 3D shading in yellow with a vanishing point behind the piece and the whole thing is set off perfectly with some red decorations around the perimeter. Clean and crisp, a great example of great writing.

3158. Dean Lane skate park (347)

I really like this recent piece by Nightwayss in Dean Lane. The only downside is that it is painted on the wall that is tricky to photograph, which is why these pictures are on an angle. There is more to this piece, but I have treated them as two separate pieces and the other side will follow.

Nightwayss, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2020
Nightwayss, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2020

So here we have a giant blue monkey riding on an orange bus, and why not. The monkey in many of Nightwayss’ pieces isn’t always quite so obvious, but here it is the star of the show. I love the style of the piece and the bus in particular is notable for its wheels and the white reflections on the windows. This is a really wonderful piece from a talented artist.