I have always liked Ugar’s work which he consistently turns out to a high standard. I remember that I first saw his work in The Bearpit (RIP) as part of a collaboration with Kid Crayon in which he painted a dog, I think. Nearly everything else I have seen from him since has been graffiti writing. I’d love to see him do some character pieces again.
Ugar, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019
This is a nicely thought out piece that is largely contained in an orange backdrop, but is itself quite plain. Somehow the whole thing comes together well though. One of the things I like abut Ugar is that his letters are rarely uniform and so his writing often takes on quite an organic appearance. Can’t believe I have only met him once.
Looking at a single wall and how it changes over time.
1. Curved wall at Dean Lane, Bristol
Kid Crayon, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2017Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2017Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2017Biers, Dean Lane skatepark, Bristol, July 2017Luke Smile, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2017Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2018Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2018Ugar, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2018Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2018Slim Pickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2018Tom Miller, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018NEVERGIVEUP and Soge, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2018Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2018Stupid Stupid Meathole, Panskaribas and Rory MacRaild, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2019Stupid Stupid Meathole, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2019Inkie, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2019Face 1st and Daz Cat, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2019Hemper, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2019Lucy Danielle, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2020Decay, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2020Dtok, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020Turoe One, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 20203Dom and Sepr, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2020Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2020Pura Decadensia, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2021Ryder and T-Rex, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2021Flava136 and Veks, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2021Sake, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2021Tuco, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2021Werm (Eman) and Veee, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021Ceus, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2021Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2022Ceus, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2022Ceus, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022Ceus, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2022Face 1st, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2022Mote, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2022Ceus, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2022Amy Lee Jones, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2023#DFTE and Fishlock, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023Jee See, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023Werm and Daz Cat, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023Daz Cat, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023Sake, Dean Lane, Bristol, Dacember 2023Lee Roy, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2024Dibz, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, February 2024Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2024Noise, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2024Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2019Mr Crawls, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2024ESKA, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2024Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2024Haka, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2024ESKA, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2025
Slim pickings has been very busy during the late summer and early Autumn, and it seems that there is barely a week that goes by without a new TES at Dean Lane. This clean and tidy one in grey shades is really rather smart looking, and the curved line between the E and the S is there, a point of discussion on my last post on Slim Pickings’ work.
Slim Pickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019
I used to think that his pieces were all identical, but that is not the case, and he is constantly evolving the form of TES, perfecting it and then making subtle adjustments. Always good to see these beauties.
Tight is probably the best word to use when describing the work of Dibz. Always meticulously thought out, clean lines, perfect 3D shading, crisp fills and more often than not, fabulous colour choices. Dibz really pays attention to his pieces and each one is carefully constructed to produce a complete and stylish work.
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019
This one in Dean Lane is simply another example of just how accomplished the artist is, and what he lacks in quantity, he more than makes up for in quality. There is beauty in this, and I challenge even the most ardent critics of graffiti writing not to concede that this is a high quality piece. Nice one.
It feels like an absolute age (and it probably is) since I last posted anything from Jee See, and here on one of the ramps at Dean Lane he recently painrted this little collaboration piece with Pekoe. I think it might have been at the rescheduled DLH (Dean Lane Hardcore) event a couple of weekends back.
Jee See, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019
Jee See has written a rather nice 3D rendition of his moniker which adopts a whole load of very nicely done shadings, hatchings, drips, cracks and colour fades. So good to see him back in action.
Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019
Just to the right of Jee See’s writing is another one of Pekoe’s beautiful ladies in blue, a colour she often favours, and with a little tear beneath her eye – what does this tear tell us about the srtist? Is there some inherent sadness there? There is a clue in the top right of the piece which indicates that it is a tribute to Janet. Tribute pieces are often painted with a little extra love and have a poignancy to them.
Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019
I am so enjoying finding and appreciating Pekoe’s work which just seems to be on a steady improvement.
It always feels a little unusual finding a T-Rex piece in Dean Lane probably because she doesn’t paint here as often as in North Bristol, so coming across this rather nicely done piece of writing was a pleasant surprise.
T-Rex, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019
This piece oozes with confidence and competence. The letters are beautifully done, the character dinosaur with its cheeky grin, the leopard spot and giraffesque fills in the letters and the 3D blue shadowing are all masterfully created with what appears to be total ease. She really is a fabulous writer and we are lucky to have her brightening up the streets of Bristol.
I don’t think these two have stopped all summer, one collaboration after another keeping the walls at Dean Lane skate park lively. The No Frills duo are Slim Pickings on the left and Biers on the right.
Slim Pickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019
Slim Pickings usually paints the letters TES in pretty much exactly the same format every time he hits a wall, but this one is ever so slightly on a slant, like a little touch of italics has been incorporated. Also, I don’t think that the line through the E and S is Slim Pickings’ work, it just feels a little incongruous. Tidy work as usual.
Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019
On the right, Biers, who I call Biers because he used to write Biers, has written OYeah, which is what he writes these days, so I suppose I should call him OYeah, but I’m not going to because I call him Biers. No character this time, but it matters not, his writing is so full of character and movement that it is like a character in itself. These two work so well together. I wonder if they share the cost of the paint…
Readers of Natural Adventures will know that I am a monumental fan of the work of Laic217, and here is the latest collaboration with his often painting partner Cort in Dean Lane. I have to say though that this is not their best piece in my opinion. There is something not quite right about it. The two elements of the collaboration do not complement each other and I think these would be better as stand-alone pieces. Don’t get me wrong, this is still great work only not quite up to the usual high standard.
Cort, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019
The central Cort writing is book-ended by two rather dark characters by Laic217. Although we are used to seeing Cort write CORT, he has also taken to writing PADY this year – I’m not sure what has prompted this variation, but writers often do this probably just to swicth it up a bit.
Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019
On the left side is a post-apocalyptic character with a skeletal face and mask. The mask could be interpreted as a gas mask or spraying mask and the two seem to intertwine. It all feels a bit chilling and like something out of a Terminator movie.
Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019
On the right of Cort’s writing is another character in the same dark and depressing regalia wearing a full overhead gas mask. These two Laic217 characters speak of doom and convey a dystopian future in a chilling and convincing way. I would have liked to have seen these characters separated from Cort’s writing, which is at odds with them.
As part of the 3Dom birthday celebration paint jam down at Dean Lane Hemper painted this wonderful piece of writing on the curved wall that has played host to so many incredible pieces over the years.
Hemper, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019
The letters are bold and the colours blended from top to bottom are exceptional, but it is the texture of the piece and the drips melting down that show the true craftsmanship of this fabulous Bristol graffiti writer.
When you see some street art that is a little weird and creative in Bristol, it is likely to be the work of 3Dom or Sled One and if you are particularly lucky it might be a collaborative effort from both of them. This is one such collaboration and weird and creative it is too.
3 Dom and Sled One, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019
The mash up of Mr Potato Head and a balloon is not the sort of image that comes readily to mind, but seems to come with such ease from these two. I think that the division of labour of the work was 3Dom on the left and Sled One on the right, and maybe a couple of other bits shared out equally.
3 Dom and Sled One, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019
This piece, together with a whole bunch of other ones was all part of a late birthday jam for 3Dom, and looking at his Instagram feed, it looks like they all had a really great day – lucky for us really.
Natural adventures 