1520. Dean Lane skate park (129)

As so often happens in this game, I go in search of one thing and find something else. I had seen a post on Instagram of a beautiful new collaboration by Face 1st and Tasha Bee in Dean Lane, quite unusual, because it is not a spot that Face 1st regularly paints and their collaborations seem to be a bit of a new thing at the moment. When I got there, it had already been overpainted.

Elvs, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018
Elvs, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018

The good news is that the piece covering it is by Elvs, whose work is always of a brilliant standard. In this work he has chosen some dark and subtle colours to create his unique writing. You should be able to read the word ‘ELVS’ as well as some additional characters, in what looks like Japanese to me. I’m not sure what it says.

Elvs, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018
Elvs, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018

The tragedy of Dean Lane (but also the thing that makes it so special) is the transient nature of the work there – blink and you miss it. I was sorry not to see the PWA collaboration, but at least I was rewarded with this superb Elvs burner.

1513. Dean Lane skate park (128)

2018 has certainly been the year of introductions, with a whole host of street/graffiti artists new to these pages, and here is yet another one. I have no idea if Wink is a newcomer or if I have just had my eyes closed, but there are a lot of Wink burners out there, and I have to say I am rather taken with them.

Wink, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018
Wink, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2018

Here are a couple of examples from Dean Lane – they were pretty much next to each other. I have more to post and in the mean time I will try to find out something about Wink.

1497. Dean Lane skate park (127)

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
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
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.

1496. Dean Lane skate park (126)

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
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
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.

1489. Dean Lane skate park (125)

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
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.

1486. Dean Lane skate park (124)

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
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.

1485. Dean Lane skate park (123)

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
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.

1479. Dean Lane skate park (122)

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
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.

1474. Dean Lane skate park (121)

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, 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.

1456. Dean Lane skate park (120)

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
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.