Dean Lane – Page 92 – Natural adventures

313. Dean Lane skate park (12)

I was away in London earlier this week, starting a new job that requires me to work two days a week in ‘the old smoke’. It is my home city, so I feel quite comfortable being back there, but would never swap it for my life in Bristol now. This, however, is a slight digression.

On Monday night in my soulless hotel room, I was fretting about this amazing new Zase and Dekor piece that they slapped up in Bristol on Saturday (and had posted on Instagram).

Zase and Dekor, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2016

The turnover is so high at Dean Lane, I was desperate to get back to Bristol and photograph it before it got tagged or over-painted.

On Wednesday, my first day back in my Bristol Office, I sprinted over to the skate park in my lunch break (I’ve got the return journey down to about 40 minutes) and was rewarded with this remarkable piece. I have always had huge admiration for the Zase-Dekor collaborations that mostly reside in the North of Bristol.

Usually they craft huge works, but this one is much smaller and clearly a bit of fun. Many of the hallmarks are there…the cartoon-style character and wildstyle ZASE, and the wonderful crisp lines and clean finish. A small masterpiece.

295. Dean Lane skate park (11)

After featuring three consecutive pieces by Laic217 which have no writing, I return to a recent work by him in the style I am more accustomed to. His name in a simple wildstyle form and a focal point somewhere in the lettering.

Laic217, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, June 2016

I think the lettering is some of his best to date, clean lines and interesting in-fill, and a 3D effect that makes it stand out. The skeleton figure is popping up behind the ‘A’ and spray painting the ‘L’.

This is a fun piece at the Dean Lane site, and I suspect he had a little more time to complete the work. All in all it looks much cleaner and more composed than some of his previous stuff.

284. Dean Lane skate park (10)

This is a quick fun piece by Eraze sprayed in early June. I like the work and would like to see more of his creations. It is the first Eraze work I have seen as a picture only, without the security blanket of writing, although I am sure there are others.

Eraze, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, May 2016

The progression can be seen from the piece I featured back in May nearby, although it carries the same ‘dope’ feature.

I am enjoying finding work by Eraze, and know that If I visit Dean Lane skate park often enough I will see more of his stuff. His choice of name is interesting – if you search Google for ‘Eraze graffiti’ you get loads of graffiti removal websites. Ironic?

269. Dean Lane skate park (9)

There are a great many talented artists out there, I mean really talented, that choose to paint on the walls of our streets from time to time. I guess these people must enjoy it, because the work is often so fleeting, and the footfall of appreciating viewers is small. What I am rather clumsily trying to say is that creating street art, because you can must be very fulfilling, and that is a good thing.

Lemak, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, June 2016

This incredible piece is by Lemak, and in my view is technically brilliant. However, it is tucked around the back of some skating ramps and will be seen by so few people before it is over-painted. I have my photograph, and I am very happy with that, but a part of me feels sad that all the effort that has gone into this remarkable stencil? work will be lost so soon.

I have been writing about street art long enough to know that the ephemeral nature of it is understood and accepted by all, but when confronted by a piece such as this I wish it weren’t so. Lemak was the artist who created this beautiful tribute to DJ Derek back in April 2016.

Lemak detail, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, June 2016

262. Dean Lane skate park (8)

Now I am back in the UK, after a wonderful trip across ‘the pond’, I can resume my posts on Bristol street art/graffiti (with maybe a couple of guest entries from New York).

This is a truly brilliant collaboration from a few weeks ago in Dean Lane between Zesk and Hemper. Zesk has appeared in these pages a couple of times, and his writing is becoming much more familiar, especially his choice of colours (purples and golds) combined with spheres. Hemper I haven’t come across before, which is a little surprising as he has been writing in Bristol since 2009. There is a lovely profile on Hemper here – from the great ‘Weapon of Choice‘ website.

Zesk and Hemper, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, May 2016 — Zesk and Hemper (detail), Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, May 2016

This collaboration was a bit of fun, and I think was sprayed at the same time as the recent Inkie piece. You will notice that a writer – Suger – has made an appearance. His improving burners are turning up all over the place in Bristol.

Now back to the streets, where I have already noticed a whole bunch of new stuff has gone up while I have been away.

257. Dean Lane skate park (7)

To find an Inkie work is always a pleasure. To find one that is still fresh, and you can almost smell the paint is even better. This piece was obviously a bit of fun, because the walls here at Dean Land skate park are over painted pretty much weekly.

Inkie, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, May 2016

I have a feeling that a few artists came together to spray these walls together last weekend, because in addition to Inkie, Zesk and Hemper and Mr Draws had all sprayed pieces at the same time. I am finding out that quite often groups of artists will congregate and have graffiti fun together.

I still stand out as an observer of street art, because that is what I am. Very slowly I am learning a little bit more about the culture, the relationships, the taboos and the protocols of the graffiti community, but I will always be an outsider looking in. It is not a regret, but more of an observation. It also means that my naivety in this landscape is sometimes crushingly obvious.

I do this though because it gives me great pleasure.

255. Dean Lane skate park (6)

Time to introduce another Bristol based street artist whose work I have seen dotted all around Bristol. This is a very recent piece which I found while actually looking for something else, which seems to be de rigueur in hunting down street art.

Mr Draws, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, May 2016

The artist is called Mr Draws (Nathaniel Draws) and his various biographies state that he likes 1950’s pin ups, collage and everything old and vintage. He has one of those self-fulfilling names…he could only ever have become an artist. I work in the environmental sector, and have worked with a Wren, a Raven, a Fish, a Waters…the list goes on…I often wonder how much their name shaped a bias for wildlife/the environment. I am straying from the point. I will post more about Mr Draw’s works, which are refreshingly different.

253. Dean Lane skate park (5)

This is a spot favoured by Eraze and his friends. As I have mentioned before the turnover of work at Dean Lane skate park is quite phenomenal. I photographed this piece at the beginning of April, and within a couple of weeks it was completely overpainted.

Eraze, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, April 2016

I think that there are quite a few similarities between the work of Eraze and Laic217, something to do with the bright colours and rough edges, combined with lettering and characters.

This is an amusing piece. I think the word spells ‘dope’… more drug references.

234. Dean Lane skate park (4)

I am very pleased with these pictures. I caught a glimpse of ObjectØØØ at work last weekend on an Instagram movie made by Annikapixie in which she was showing off a new piece that she was working on…to follow. I recognised the spot and so went looking for the piece on a lunchtime walk. I found it.

ObjectØØØ, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, May 2016

ObjectØØØ has a very particular style that is quite unlike anything else I have seen in Bristol. It is very organic and combines a naturalist’s view with oddities and political thoughts. It is an acquired taste, but one I admire.

In addition ObjectØØØ has pasted a small sketch onto this piece and the close up shows that he has a very strong command of biological sciences. I can see the claw of a decapod, a scolex (from a parasitic tapeworm), dentition, wing structure, an animal cell, twigs and a climbing plant. I am interested in why he has left such a tiny sketch on his work. This stuff is quirky…and remember…’eat the rich’.

231. Dean Lane skate park (3)

The turnover of work at Dean Lane skate park is, I am discovering, very rapid indeed. I try to walk to the area once a week, and always there are new works to look at. This is by Eraze, an artist I have not yet featured in my posts, although I have seen several recently.

This is typical of his work, and similar in form to Laic217, in that his name is usually written out in a colourful and easily legible style, with a feature element as a focal point. In this instance a dope-smoking turtle/tortoise. I have since found out that the character is by Indy Skyzone.

Indy Skyzone, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, May 2016

Eraze describes himself as a ‘graffiti loving Bristolian’ – so I guess that in my book that makes him pretty special. I look forward to seeing his work develop.

	paulh121 on 7494. Purdown (100)
	skat on London bound
	M. on 7494. Purdown (100)
	hitandrun1964 on Donz
	beth on 7494. Purdown (100)

	paulh121 on 7494. Purdown (100)
	skat on London bound
	M. on 7494. Purdown (100)
	hitandrun1964 on Donz
	beth on 7494. Purdown (100)

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