What a remarkable collaboration this was for Upfest 2017 between Guy Denning and Yatika Fields. The work can be found on Dean Lane, in one of the more difficult spots to view. There is a tree a few yards in front of it, which presents the viewer and photographer (let alone the artist) with all sorts of light related challenges.
Guy Denning and Yatika Fields, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
I don’t know if these two regularly collaborate, but their two distinct styles come together to create a fantastic whole. The central face is by Guy Denning which if inspected closely is made up of carefully stencilled letters and patterns to make up the composite face – brilliant work.
Guy Denning and Yatika Fields, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
The patterning and abstract work either side of the face is by Yatika Fields, who has spent most of his time working on the East coast of the USA. On their own, neither of these pieces would carry the same impact as they do together.
Guy Denning and Yatika Fields, Upfest, Bristol, July 2017
The reference and portrait is of Tara Houska Zhaabowekwe (I had to look her up) who is the national campaigns director at ‘Honour the Earth’, and a native North American.
Sprayed either at the end of December or beginning of January this is another wonderful rabbit from Hire. This artist consistently churns out good work like this or his wildstyle writing throughout the year, and although I haven’t bumped into him for a while it is great to see his works making an appearance.
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2018
When I first became aware of Hire’s work, it was mostly in The Bearpit, however he seems to base himself almost entirely in Dean Lane these days. I am not sure what the writing says, but I would like to think it says something like happy new year. And would’nt you know it, I just typed ‘happy new year Polish’ into Google and it wasn’t this, so I changed Polish to Russian and guess what…I was right. Nice one Hire.
What a lucky bunch we are in Bristol to have so so many talented street artists walking among us. This is a magnificent collaboration by two Bristol old-timers (I don’t think they’d like me to call them that…probably, but it is more a mark of respect). The gorilla is by 3Dom and the writing by Epok.
3Dom and Epok, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2018
The gorilla is so unusual, I don’t think I have seen something by 3Dom like this before, and I’m not sure I would have known it was by him were it not for Instagram. I am fascinated by the chain and the gold medallion with the letters ASK on it. It is as fine a piece of craftsmanship as I have seen, so beautifully done and right out of the Cheo book of chains.
3Dom and Epok, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2018
The Epok writing is equally impressive, and again a little different from the usual angular and geometric pieces I am used to seeing, this is a little softer and so beautiful, a masterful piece.
3Dom and Epok, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2018
The two pieces coming together in such stark contrast are one of many tributes to the extraordinary Acid Collapse (Treze)who lost his fight against cancer very recently. I posted a piece by Acid Collapse in 2016, and I consider it to be one of the finest pieces I have ever seen. A huge loss.
I’m carol/ zurik . I’m treze’s wife and he wanted to upload this last photo that he never had until a few days ago. I just want to let u know that he didnt have any pain and everything was peaceful and quick as he wanted it. We fight together all this 3, almost 4 years against his cancer and in this time he was not just brave, he never, never complain about his illness, always looking the possitive side of everything. A lot of u who can get to know him and admire his work from the last 4 years until now (what he said it has been his best years ever), need to know that this work was made it with conviction and passion every time he has a day without chemo. He was a strong man who made everything what he wants: travel around the world painting , working on his tatoos , walk on the mountain and the street, and as he used to said: do stuffs .But the most important for him was to take care of you: his friends. I know the pain that u are feeling and as i promess to him i am here for u. Thank u for ur support and i am sure this is the best way to say goodbye to one of the most happy, humble, talented and friendly person in the world. He never lost the battle, he was a figther but he took in his mind the peace to accept what was inevitable until the last moment, and made it leaving everything behind closed and done. Always love u my guillem. With love: ur carol. #trezeforever
I met Rusk the day before he sprayed this magnificent piece in Dean Lane, while he was prepping the wall with black emulsion. We chewed the fat for quite a while, mostly talking about the street art scene in Bristol and some of the things that go on. He told me that he would be spraying the wall with a couple of friends the next day, I think it was a Saturday, and this is the result. I will post the other pieces in time, but felt I should do this one first.
Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2018
As always with Rusk’s pieces, a lot of care and thought has been put into this. It has lovely clean lines and the gradient of colours from top to bottom is skilfully done. Definitely one of my favourite writers in Bristol, and one who makes time to talk about his and other people’s work. A nice piece.
Well what a splendid piece this is by Ugar, who is appearing more and more in my posts these days. The letters, in white, spell out URAG, a little bit of fun. I am attracted to his style of writing, and particularly to his imaginative range of fills he uses for the letters.
Ugar, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2018
As time goes on, this young artist seems to be gaining in confidence, bit with the pieces he is producing and with the locations he is choosing. I will be following his progress with interest.
I have held on and held on to this collaboration for such a long time, because I was determined not to post it until I found out who worked on it with Dibz. Then I met Ulow a few weeks back (see my post about his Boba Fett piece) and was able to complete the puzzle.
Dibz, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, July 2016
The Dibz half of the collaboration was fairly easy to identify because I am familiar with his work and he sprays Dean Lane often enough for me to know his stuff when I see it. His writing here is very nice indeed and has quite a deep yellow border which sets it up beautifully.
Ulow, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, July 2016
The character half of the collaboration is by Ulow, and is something quite different. Set on a moody sunset skyline, a breakdancer entertains us with his contortions. The orange glow reflecting off the folds of his clothes is masterful work.
Ulow, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, July 2016
Like so many pieces at Dean Lane, this one didn’t last long, but it was a real peach.
Still delving back into my archives, I have dug this piece out, because I met the artist a couple of weeks back, and now what I’m looking for and looking at. The artist is called Howl and often works in tandem with his collaborator Gumbo.
Howl, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2017
I met them at the M32 east side of the roundabout and enjoyed a long chat while they were waiting for paint to dry. I said at the time that I didn’t know who they were, but that I probably had unidentified photographs of their work, and I was right.
Howl, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2017
Both artists belong to the What crew, which includes 45RPM, but they said that the crew was fairly dispersed these days. This piece is in my view beautifully executed. It spells out Howl and incorporates some clever shading and filling. The colour selection works really well with the contrasts bringing the piece to life. I am guessing the ‘O’ is a dog howling, it would rather make sense. All good, and nice to publish this one at last.
Another one from back in July last year, this time from Hire, who seems very much at home in Dean Lane. With a contrasting yellow background, this fabulous piece of gothic wildstyle writing stands out brilliantly.
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2017
Hire is a highly talented graffiti writer, who I can’t help feeling is slightly overlooked in the Bristol scene, so I am certainly playing my part in ‘bigging him up’. I cannot be sure, but I think this piece says HIRE. I think it is classy.
Biers is a really friendly artist who I have met on several occasions now. This was a piece from back in July 2017 which has been in my archive because Upfest posts tend to dominate my July/August time, and other street art snapped up around Upfest tend to get a little overlooked. But enough is enough, I am liberating a few images taken during last July since they are too good to ignore.
Biers, Dean Lane skatepark, Bristol, July 2017
Biers, I think, is connected with the No Frills crew, although my understanding of crews is patchy at best. He often writes No Frills on his pieces or NFS. I managed to find him working on this piece, and was lucky enough to return a few days later and see it in its finished state. Sometimes work on these walls can last only a day or two, especially in the summer.
Biers, Dean Lane skatepark, Bristol, July 2017
This is a nice clean piece that spells out Biers which once you get your graff goggles on you can easily read. I still find it interesting the way the layers go on in these pieces, with the fill going up first and the borders and finer lines last. Great skill required.
It is a rare thing for me to come across an Andy Council piece that is not a composite of buildings to create a beast of some kind. Equally rare is to see an Andy Council collaboration, but here is a piece that he sprayed just before Christmas with Hemper in the far corner of Dean Lane, and it is a real humdinger.
Andy Council and Hemp, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2017
I don’t know much about Hemper other than that he is a well established and highly regarded writer in Bristol and I have only come across his work a couple of times. This collaboration feels like a bit of fun between two friends. Andy Council has made a character out of his ammonite signature, which has turned out really well. This was a nice piece to find, even though I got to it too late to see it untagged.
Natural adventures 