5039. M32 Cycle path (198)

Desi, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, February 2023
Desi, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, February 2023

This VEIL piece brings a splash of colour to the overhang under the M32 on the cycle path. Desi seems to prefer writing VEIL these days, and I have no complaints about that at all, the letters work well and allow her to express herself the way she likes to.

Desi, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, February 2023
Desi, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, February 2023

The word that springs to mind every time I see this is ‘colourful’ and when the photograph was sitting as a thumbnail in my ‘February folder’ it stood out from the crowd. Definitely an attention grabber. Nice letters, nicely presented, and another piece in Desi’s growing portfolio.

5007. Cumberland Basin

Desi, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2023
Desi, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2023

I met Desi earlier this week when she was painting a new piece in Dean Lane with her friend Lupa. I took the opportunity to ask Desi why she had started painting the letters VEIL, and her answer was swift and honest – “no reason, I just wanted to play with some letters”. So there you have it, sometimes there simply isn’t a backstory or meaning.

Desi, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2023
Desi, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2023

This is a very nice piece, simple in structure and well executed. Desi continues to improve, with strong fills and sharper lines, getting better with each new piece. It is interesting that most times (but not always, as I have learned to my deep embarrassment)  you can spot the gender of the artist. For example, it would be a rare thing for a male artist to put a heart instead of a dot on top of the “i” as Desi has done here. It is almost as if handwriting is transposed onto the wall in some way.

4901. Greenbank (62)

Desi, Greenbank, Bristol, November 2022
Desi, Greenbank, Bristol, November 2022

An artist who has come on in leaps and bounds in 2022 is the irrepressible Desi, and here she is at Greenbank with one of her DEZI variants. It seems such a shame that these boards won’t be here for much longer and that all we will have to reflect on it the images captured, but that is the ephemeral nature of street art of course.

Desi, Greenbank, Bristol, November 2022
Desi, Greenbank, Bristol, November 2022

Painted over a 3F fino piece (you can see the top of his spray can), Desi has confidently sprayed these large letters which have lovely 3D drop shadows and a very nice transition in the fill from yellow to purple, and great use of reversed dots to add some interest in the fills. A really nice piece beautifully finished, and a major improvement on her early works a couple of years ago.

4843. M32 cycle path (191)

Desi, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, November 2022
Desi, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, November 2022

At risk of repeating myself, I love seeing new Desi pieces, because with each one there is a subtle but definite improvement. Confidence brings with it the opportunity to push boundaries and have new ideas, and this is something that Desi has done very well.

Desi, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, November 2022
Desi, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, November 2022

Although this looks like a quick one, the fills look a bit rushed, the borders and neat and the 3D drop shadow nicely done. Judging by the patchy fills, I wonder whether this was a bit of a ‘dregs’ piece, using up remnants of paint in used cans. Always great to see Desi’s work.

4785. Peel Street Green (10)

Desi, Peel Street Green, Bristol, October 2022
Desi, Peel Street Green, Bristol, October 2022

The progress of Desi continues with this large piece in Peel Street Green which clearly demonstrates her developing confidence. The letters spelling out DEZI, switching things up a bit with the Z for the usual S.

Desi, Peel Street Green, Bristol, October 2022
Desi, Peel Street Green, Bristol, October 2022

I don’t think I have ever seen Desi paint on a buffed wall, so her pieces have to compete with an often busy background, however, her piece on this occasion is so bold that it stands out beautifully. A nice fill, nice stars and some great accompanying hearts. All good.

4737. M32 roundabout J3 (431)

Desi, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2022
Desi, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2022

I have already said in previous posts how much I am enjoying seeing Desi thrive and improve from piece to piece. Not only is her technique and finished product getting better all the time, but her confidence of selecting where to paint is migrating from the margins to more mainstream spots.

Desi, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2022
Desi, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2022

This piece is pretty tight, with nice sharp borders and some nice colour transitions in the letters. There are a few decorative elements and interest in the fills. I continue to enjoy her journey, and I can’t be too far away from publishing a gallery of her work.

4690. Sparke Evans Park (55)

Desi, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, August 2022
Desi, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, August 2022

Desi continues to grow and develop, and I think that this piece in Sparke Evans Park might be one her best to date. It is great to see her painting more frequently, and with each new piece she will gain more confidence and skill.

Desi, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, August 2022
Desi, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, August 2022

This is a really neat and tidy piece with the letters DESI beautifully filled with four horizontal colours with nice transitions. One of the additional things that works really well is the white accent dots that give the writing a bit of sparkle and depth. A Very nice addition to Desi’s portfolio.

4667. M32 Cycle path (185)

Desi, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, August 2022
Desi, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, August 2022

I think that I have photographed far more pieces by Desi than I have posted, and in my mind think I have posted more than I have. I will have to address this, as I’d like to do a gallery of her work, which is becoming more and more prominent about the place.

Desi, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, August 2022
Desi, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, August 2022

Desi has recently taken to using a second form of letters ‘VEIL’ which demonstrated her increasing confidence and experimentation. In this piece we return to the more familiar letters in which she presents four horizontally arranged colours, with quite hard transitions and some bubble decoration. Always great to see Desi’s writing.

4589. M32 roundabout J3 (417)

Bristol definitely has it’s fair share of female graffiti writers; Mena, Evey, Lewse and Bnie to name a few, and it is great to watch Desi develop her writing and join this growing cohort. You will have seen work on Natural Adventures before, but using the letters DESI, however, recently she has switched it up a bit to write VEIL.

Desi, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2022
Desi, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2022

What is interesting is that although Desi’s letters may have changed completely, her individual style shines through, and she needn’t have signed it for people to know who painted it. This might be her best piece to date, it is really neat and tidy, and the fills are as good as I have seen from the artist. Much more to come from Desi, I’m sure.

4352. M32 Cycle path (171)

More from Desi, who is really making her mark, literally and figuratively, on the Bristol graffiti scene. Her letters are easy on the eye, and it is her creativity with fills that is fast becoming.no her USP.

Desi, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2022
Desi, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2022

The colour schemes she uses are carefully thought out and always turn out well. This piece has horizontal fades from dark pink at the top to white at the bottom. Each of the letters is emphasised with a highlight line within the letters which makes the piece so much better. Desi continues to grow.