Tag: Dean Lane

1721. Dean Lane skate park (164)

When I first saw this remarkable piece on Instagram I knew I had to get down to Dean Lane as soon as possible to see it before it got buffed or dogged. It is by the brilliant SkyHigh, who was obviously on a flying trip to Bristol.

SkyHigh, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2018
SkyHigh, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2018

SkyHigh’s works can probably best be described as writing out his name in a mash-up of different block letter styles and colours. To some it might look messy, but to others this is a considered and stunning way to put a piece together. I love his work, and this is one of those pieces that looks great in a photograph…and even better in the flesh. I was pleased to have been able to see it. Top work. Nice little tribute to CKone and nod to his painting pal Roo.

1719. Dean Lane skate park (163)

He keeps spraying them and I keep posting them. This is yet another ‘TES’ from Slim Pickings using a rather bright colour palette of purple and light blue, which seems to work rather well.

Slim Pickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2018
Slim Pickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2018

I like his work, the repetition and precision, striving for perfection. I like his colour selections looking for contrast or complememtary shades, always thinking. It is probably about time I saw another one of these.

1718. Dean Lane skate park (162)

What a lovely surprise this was in Dean Lane, a small piece from Skor85 squeezed in between some other works on the long wall. I haven’t seen anything from her in quite a while, so it was good to stumble across this one.

Skor 85, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2018
Skor 85, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2018

An interesting perspective of a dog in which the bare teeth are somehow brought into sharp focus by the blood-red background. A slightly scary piece, but really nicely presented. I like Skor85’s work very much – there is an ‘other worldly’ feel to it all…dreams and nightmares.

1704. Dean Lane skate park (161)

Following on immediately from my last post is this collaboration in Dean Lane between Laic217 and Cort. You should be able to spot immediately the similarity of the Laic217 character here and the one he sprayed in Moon Street a few days earlier. This time the piece is complete with teeth and spray can.

Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2018
Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2018

I love this character and for me is reminiscent of the absurd ‘Far Side’ characters dreamed up by cartoonist Gary Larson. There is a lot to admire here, and the special detail of a Nirvana t-shirt with a spaced-out smiley just highlights how good this piece is.

Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2018
Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2018

I also am increasingly enjoying the work of Laic217’s painting partner, Cort, and although his style might take a little getting used to, it is good work. I am beginning to wonder if Cort and Corupt might be the same artist, as they share many characteristics, but I have nothing to confirm this idea. I’ll have to investigate. A fine collaboration.

Cort, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2018
Cort, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2018

1701. Dean Lane skate park (160)

It is always nice to go to a regular haunt, in this case Dean Lane, and find something completely unexpected. It feels like getting a present or something like that and on this occasion the treat was from Cheo. I especially like this because Cheo can pretty much choose any wall he likes but will still come back to Deaner and slap up a high quality piece.

Cheo, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2018
Cheo, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2018

All the elements you would expect from Cheo – crystal clean lines, solid fills and clever shadows on a character brandishing a spracan all topped off with a trademark bee. A nice treat on a lunchtime walk.

1699. Dean Lane skate park (159)

A fabulous piece by one of Bristol’s finest graffiti writers, with a little addition by 3Dom, who seems to be rather busy on the streets just now. I got rather lucky with this piece, because I saw Soker just as he was sketching the piece out, over the top of a Mr Draws piece I had come to look at. I then had to go, and took a break for a week away on holiday. Luckily the piece was fully intact and untouched when I got back – respect to those taggers who decided to leave this one alone.

Soker and 3Dom, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2018
Soker and 3Dom, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2018

Soker is on something of a roll this summer, and his work appears to be as popular as ever. I posted his Simpsons Upfest piece on my Instagram account and it received more likes than any other piece I have ever posted by a factor of about 3.

Soker and 3Dom, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2018
Soker and 3Dom, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2018

I love the colour selections he has made for this piece, the blue and purple contrasting brilliantly with the chrome writing. There is so much to like here, and even if you are not a fan of burners and writing, surely this must generate some excitement – the quality shines through.

Soker and 3Dom, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2018
Soker and 3Dom, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2018

The whole thing is capped off briliantly by the addition of a face to the letter ‘O’ by 3Dom, bringing the whole thing alive and giving it incredible personality. The face almost looks like a transfer that has been rubbed onto the writing. A quality collaboration. Bravo.

1693. Dean Lane skate park (158)

I have said many times on this blog that I really don’t like to write a post about a piece unless I know who the artist is. Occasionally I make exceptions, usually when I rather like the piece and probably have no way of ever identifying its creator. This is one such example.

Unknown artist, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2018
Unknown artist, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2018

This is a wonderfully cryptic wildstyle piece…so cryptic indeed that I cannot decypher it. The artist is definitely a visitor to Bristol, and sprayed this long wall in Dean Lane, which is something of a honeypot for visitors, because it is a well known ‘legal’ wall.

If you take a good look at this piece, it it beautifully worked, with carefully thought out fills and intricate detail. The overall styling and red circle in the middle remind me a little of Bristol artist Shab’s work, it has that abstract feel to it. A nice piece.

1692. Dean Lane skate park (157)

One of the many spin-off benefits of Upfest is that for some days before and for some days after the festival artists from beyond Bristol leave behind some little extras or souvenirs of their visit. This is one such treat by Katrina Kolk. I actually found out about the artist while researching the Feek post immediately before this one and reading the Dean Lane facebook page which had some images of Katrina Kolk working on this piece.

Katrina Kolk, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2018
Katrina Kolk, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2018

Katrina Kolk is an Estonian artist who trained at the Tartu Art College and she has a WordPress website which includes a short biography and some of her work. This piece features a unicorn set on a patchwork of colour and abstract shapes. Being on a skate ramp, it is not the easiest to photograph, but her style comes across loud and clear. There is something joyful and free about this piece (and not just because it has a unicorn) which stands out in the skate park. Something fresh and different.

1691. Dean Lane skate park (156)

Each year in August there is an event held in Dean Lane skate park called DLH, or Dean Lane Hardcore. It is a fairly crazy affair with skaters, wild music and a lot of booze. Before the event, streetartists come down and do a bit of decorating on the ramps and walls, which ends up looking pretty good on the videos.

Feek, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2018
Feek, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2018

For at least the last two years, and probably longer than that, Feek has taken on the large ramp at the bottom of the park and given it an extreme makeover. I made it to Dean Lane while he was working on the piece, but he disappeared and I never got to meet him which is a pity.

Feek, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2018
Feek, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2018

The monster glaring out of the ramp is brilliantly done and suits the event perfectly his previous years piece was not dissimilar. All good work. Unfortunately, I think this year’s DLH was a bit of a wash out…you can’t skate in the rain.

Feek, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2017
Feek, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2017

1680. Dean Lane skate park (155)

Just as Upfest was waking up to the Saturday morning influx of visitors, I took a look in Dean Lane to see what was happening, because it is usually pretty busy down there during the festival. I took shelter from a downpour with a couple of artists who worked on this lose collaboration.

Unity, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2018
Unity, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2018

On the left was a half finished piece by Unity, an artist from Cardiff. I very much liked what I saw, but regrettably it had been painted over by the time I came back to see it at the end of the day. I had a great chat with her while we waited for the rain to abate and discovered that I probably have one or two of her older pieces in my archive…time to dig them out.

Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2018
Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2018

The middle section was by Rusk who had already finished and left the scene – maybe to work on his ‘official’ piece in South Street park. This quick one was of the high quality you expect from Rusk – he never disappoints.

Cyst, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2018
Cyst, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2018

Finally, on the right of the collaboration was a piece by Cyst, from Cheshire. I was pleased to have been able to meet him, because it can be difficult sometime to identify work from visiting graff writers. All three pieces were very short-lived, but that is what you expect in Dean Lane, especially so during Upfest. Nice collaboration