It is interesting how much a wall can change in a short space of time. In the last month, this wall has changed at least four times. This incarnation was a practice run by Jee See, whose Instagram handle is Goshiku Chavu (G C…get it?) which means ‘thank you’ in Japanese…I think) for a piece that he created here a day or two later (and which I have missed I think).
Top Cat by ?, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018
In this piece he has painted probably the lagrest ‘Seismic’ I have seen from him. Now, I’m not too sure what the Top Cat thing is all about, but I love him to bits. I don’t think that Jee See created him, it just isn’t his style, and it isn’t clear which was here first.
Top Cat by ?, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018
I don’t even know who the TC is by, there is no signature and there are several artists in Bristol capable of creating cartoon characters of this quality. The whole thing is rather nice, a little bit weird and now utterly gone.
Not too long after Kid Crayon painted his 420 piece (which included a tribute for my dad ‘RIP Gledders’) this collaboration between NEVERGIVEUP and Ugar went up across the bottom half of the wall.
Nevergiveup and Ugar, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018
I think this might be the first time this pairing have worked together, although I know Kid Crayon and Ugar have worked together before. Well this is a rather attractive collaboration with some writing from Ugar bookended by NEVERGIVEP’s rather cute bunnies.
Nevergiveup and Ugar, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018
The writing from Ugar (which spells out UGAR) is typically ornate and the fill he has used is in a style that immediately identifies the artist. Not many other artists in Bristol use the same kind of patterns, he really has a unique style.Of course the bunnies are fun and nicely done, balancing the piece nicely. I don’t think I will ever tire of NEVERGIVEUP’s rabbits.
There are a couple of Basketball courts next to the Dean Lane skate park, and adjacent to them is this container, which I haven’t really paid much attention to. I decided to take a look and there on the side is a rather nice burner from Soge.
Soge, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018
The uneven surface of the container must make it difficult to work with, but I think he has done a fair job. I am used to seeing something a little more intricate from Soge, so this is a refreshing change. Perhaps not the best burner in the world, but nice to see nonetheless.
So this is yet another Bristol street artist new to the pages of this blog. I am certain I have seen some of his work in the past, but only recently found out who he is, which is strange, because his signature (as these things go) is reasonably clear – Kool Hand. He seems to have had a little bit of a blitz in Bristol lately, so expect more to come.
Kool Hand, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018
I very much like the crispness of the piece, a deliberate backwash of white paint and well proportioned orange ape (an orangutan?) with large teeth all topped off with a baseball cap. Somehow it just works. It feels like logo territory, five colours, clean lines…the whole thing lends itself to being printed.
Another first…there seem to be an awful lot of artists making their debut on my blog recently, I don’t know whether there is a new intake of artists in Bristol or whether I have just started to notice them more (probably a bit of both). Actually this is not the first work I have seen from Stupid Stupid Meathole, but it is the first one since I knew who he was. Keep your eyes peeled for more from the archive.
Stupid Stupid Meathole, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018
Firstly, I love this artist’s name even it if is a little long-winded, secondly, I really like his monsters and his rather unconventional style. This piece I think is called ‘wet fart’ (which makes me chortle in a childish way) and taking a closer look, you can see why. I look forward to more peaces in Dean Lane from Stupid Stupid Meathole.
I haven’t posted much from Hire for a while, and sadly I got to this one just a few moments too late it looks like. It is a real shame that some idiot has run a white line through this piece, and the beautiful Sikoh and Dibz piece next to it. Arturo has little to be proud of in my view.
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018
The amazing thing about this piece is that it is not a collaboration, the whole thing is by Hire, the Gothic influenced writing on the left and the dayglo bunny on the right. I like the way he has put these pieces side by side with their contrasting backgrounds. The colours used for the writing would make Decay very happy (he uses exactly this palette form most of his work). And, just in case you weren’t sure, the bunny helps us out with the location of the piece. Fine work.
On the lovely curved wall of Dean Lane skate park, this bright and cheery piece by Mr Draws was sprayed on 20 April to mark the 420 campaign. Regulars will know that I have long enjoyed the work of Mr Draws, and although his freestyle is not to everyone’s taste, it works for me.
Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2018
Mr Draws is going through one of his incredibly productive phases at the moment and I simply can’t keep up…there is too much in Bristol to cover in two posts per day, let alone all my other material from New York, Barcelona and London. I’ll do my best to keep it all coming.
Ugar is becoming something of a regular down at Dean Lane skate park, and his writing really stands out due to his unusual and irregular letters but particularly because of the fill style he uses.
Ugar, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2018
I am building up quite a good photographic collection of his work and I am enjoying watching his development as an artist. This is small but perfectly formed, a nice piece.
Ooh, what a lovely collaboration between Dibz and Sikoh from a couple of weeks back on 20 April 2018. This collaboration has a wonderful nighttime quality about it, set on a dark blue ‘sky’ background.
Dibz and Sikoh, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2018
I have posted several pieces by Dibz on this site in the past and commensurate with those, this one is clean and sharp and offers lovely complex lettering. It was great to be there when he started the piece to see how he goes about his work.
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2018
As wildstyle burners go, you would have to hunt high and low to find more tidy works, he really is meticulous in his execution. What I like about this is that the deep borders have a vanishing point somewhere below the piece, which is technically more difficult than having a shadow going in the same direction.
Sikoh, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2018
Now Sikoh I have heard of before, but I haven’t knowingly seen any of his work before. Judging from this awesome piece and equally awesome Instagram feed he is an artist of the highest callibre. This piece is called ‘Plague Doctor’ and probably presses every possible button I have. A perfect piece in pretty much every way.
Sikoh, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2018
He doesn’t give away too much on his social media profiles, but I tracked down his profile from the 2017 Upfest programme, although in my pictures I haven’t yet found his piece…time to search harder (just done some homework…I don’t have it, he sprayed his piece at the Hare pub). His profile is as follows:
‘Sikoh is a graffiti writer from Glastonbury with a preference for sharp, flowing 3D letters and semi- Bboy characters. One part of IGK- an international crew, local Bristol crew- PWA and one quarter of Glastonbury’s MOA. Sikoh has been painting since 2013. Much of his commissioned works have been within the UK hiphop scene, for artists such as- Leaf Dog, Smellington Piff and Jack Jetson.’
It’s that man Touc again, this time he has brought his little ray of sunsuine toucan to Dean Lane, a perfect roost for such a bird. There is something very endearing about this elaborate tag, and I am looking forward to finding and snapping up as many as possible.
Touc, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2018
Of course, the first two I have posted are in the two most obvious locations, The Bearpit and Dean Lane. I have found one or two others which I will share in due course. Happy Toucan.
Natural adventures 