6857. Dean Lane skate park (818)

Turoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2025

I believe that this wonderful character piece by Turoe was painted to celebrate Soker’s birthday during a recent paint jam in the Deaner. The old-school piece is brimming with class, and references the ‘Eighties kidz’ who, alas, are no longer kids, but have come a long way and are have become the establishment/benchmark in Bristol street/graffiti art.

Turoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2025

Turoe doesn’t get out too much these days, but when he does, his work is without doubt of the highest calibre and this character with bucket hat, chain and watch, TURO belt buckle and spray can exemplify this. A little awkward to photograph, but not insurmountable with a wide angle function on my phone.

6837. Dean Lane skate park (818)

Lis, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2025
Lis, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2025

Aha! Another wonderful piece by the fast-developing Lis, this time pushing he illustration creativity beyond her frequently painted mushrooms. This is a humorous cartoon piece beautifully panted on an awkward slope.

Lis, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2025
Lis, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2025

The mint choc chip character is looking most forlorn, probably because it has been dropped on the ground. Again, as with her other spray painted pieces, the finer detail look like it might have been completed with an ink pen of some description. Either that or she has mastered a fine line technique with a spray can unsurpassed by any other artist. So good to see Lis expanding her portfolio.

6834. Dean Lane skate park

Fade, Jody and Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2025
Fade, Jody and Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2025

After a few posts from a trip to Liverpool, I return to my comfort zone of Bristol with this magnificent production piece from Fade, Jody and Dibz on the long wall at Dean Lane.

Fade, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2025
Fade, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2025

The triptych begins with some great writing from fade on the left, where the absence of colour and decoration within the letters demonstrates the artist’s talent in its rawest form. All the artwork is beautifully tight, and he switches up things a little with the black border fading to orange on the right.

Jody, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2025
Jody, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2025

In the middle is a superb portrait by Jody – I think the first I have seen this year – which presents a woman in three-quarter profile with loads of interesting light and shade cast across her face in red and blue tones, creating so much depth and interest. So very well painted, and as an example, have a look at the shadow cast under her nose. Brilliant. The hair is sensational too.

Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2025
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2025

To the right, Dibz continues with the white letters, reflecting those of Fade on the left. This piece from Dibz is pretty much an archetypal work by the maestro and rounds the collaboration off perfectly.

6823. Dean Lane skate park (816)

Stivs, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2025
Stivs, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2025

There is no question about it, Stivs is an extremely talented artist. Whether it is his extraordinarily tight calligraffiti, his cartoon characters or his portrait pieces, his natural ability shines through in all of his work. Recently he painted this stunning portrait piece in Dean Lane, bringing enjoyment to many.

Stivs, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2025
Stivs, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2025

I don’t know whether it is easier or more difficult to paint portrait pieces in single tones or in full colour, but either way, I am in awe of anyone who carries it off. This is a beautiful cartoon portrait piece, that feels like it has a Japanese film influence, but I am only guessing. The different tones and shades in the face create wonderful depth, and the subtle streaks in the hair hint at the shape and style of it. An outstanding and quite unexpected piece.

6816. Dean Land skate park (815)

Trafficity, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2025
Trafficity, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2025

I think I am going to have to refer to Trafficity as something like ‘old faithful’, such is his consistency and form. This is one of at least three relatively recent pieces by the Polish artist on the swimming pool wall. I wonder if he paints here, because it is a little bit out of the way and less busy than other parts of the Deaner.

Trafficity, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2025
Trafficity, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2025

His letters ZIOS, which for years I mistakenly thought were ZIOM, are split horizontally into three colour stripes, which is customary for his work. The writing is set on a yellow background, which looks as if it has been attached to the wall with rivets or nails, a simple but clever detail. As ever, lovely work from Traffiticy.

6812. Dean Lane skate park (814)

Dibz and Fade, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2025
Dibz and Fade, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2025

Although Dibz and Fade have had a reasonably quiet winter, they have still managed to get out frequently enough to collaborate on some very impressive walls. This wall is one of their favourites, and because of its shape requires them to paint closer together than some of the other longer walls they like to paint.

Dibz and Fade, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2025
Dibz and Fade, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2025

In this piece, they each get to showcase their style and technique, using different base colours. Stepping back you can see that Fade’s work, in yellow, has a slightly softer finish, with more curves, than the slightly less forgiving angles on the green writing by Dibz. I don’t know too much about the character in this piece, but I am guessing both artists contributed to it. Naturally there is lots more to come from these two.

6802. Dean Lane skate park (813)

Created by Billie, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2025
Created by Billie, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2025

It is not often you see a piece like this in Bristol, or indeed in much of the UK, as street artists tend to reflect the national prudishness and our discomfort with overt nudity in any form. These giant boobies, have been painted by Created by Billie, an artist, Billie Jo, who I believe is based in Wolverhampton, but as with all visiting artists is truly welcome in Bristol.

Created by Billie, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2025
Created by Billie, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2025

The hashtags that Created by Billie used on her Instagram post associated with this piece, might give you some indication of where it is coming from: #art #streetart #femaleempowerment #female #adhd #paintingmakesmehappy. I cannot think of better reasons for painting this piece.

Sensibly she painted it on the path alongside the swimming pool, which has a long hedge bordering it, and kept the piece from view, resulting in it lasting longer than it might have done if it had been more exposed. Personally, I like the piece, but am aware that there are some who might find it offensive, which is a pity. I look forward to more visits in the future.

6795. Dean Lane skate park (812)

Squire, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2025
Squire, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2025

Squire has only recently come on to my radar, and I think this is the third Squire piece I have posted in recent weeks, each of them quite different, and I think I’m going to enjoy finding their pieces. It feels like having something new to collect, if that makes sense.

Squire, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2025
Squire, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2025

Painted onto a skate park ramp, these blue and black letters have a rather nice irregular, almost cartoony style. A nice white surround and red/yellow border finish the writing nicely, which, without highlights or starbursts, looks quite flat, but nonetheless interesting. I think I got to this piece while it was still quite fresh, because it hasn’t been too scuffed. Upwards and onwards with Squire.

6789. Dean Lane skate park (811)

Bean, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2025
Bean, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2025

If, like me, you are interested in numbers, today’s post contains a rising sequence of numbers – 6789. In our base ten counting system, this is the last time this true sequence will be possible, because 78910 doesn’t work, and also even if it did I’d have to be writing posts for the next 100 years or more. Actually, I am wrong, so ignore that. The next number that will work is 12345, which I might reach if I carry on for 10 more years. Enough with the numbers already.

I am always delighted when Bean returns to Bristol and lets us know that he is alive and well. I hope that when he is finished for the summer with his studies, he will get busy on our streets.

Bean, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2025
Bean, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2025

I believe Bean to be one of the great talents emerging from the Bristol scene. His character pieces are growing in sophistication and here he has combined a joyful youth with the letters BEAN, which are reversed out on his T-shirt. There is a message ‘positivity and all that jazz’ which is either speaking to the viewer or to himself or, perhaps, both. I take energy and hope from this piece.

6786. Dean Lane skate park (810)

Cornico and Daz Cat, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2025
Cornico and Daz Cat, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2025

The curved wall at Dean Lane has played host to so many fabulous pieces (and some not so fabulous). This collaboration from Conrico and Daz Cat is a wonderful piece, full of creativity and colour, with the two distinct styles coming together in great harmony.

Cornico and Daz Cat, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2025
Cornico and Daz Cat, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2025

The left hand side of the wall belongs to Conrico, who has written his name in one of his familiar landscapes, with a distant monster that might be Godzilla emerging from the stylised choppy sea. To the right, Daz Cat has painted a sage-like old fish/axolotl type character watches on as if he might have the answer to an unknown question. Is that an orange platypus in his packet? Lots of stories in this brilliant collaboration.