Tag: Desi

5116. Sparke Evans Park (66)

Evey, Peggy and Desi, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2023
Evey, Peggy and Desi, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2023

The turnover at Sparke Evans Park is very slow these days, and the chance of meeting artists actively painting there is minimal, however that is exactly what happened when Evey, Peggy and Desi were painting this wall a short while ago. Of course, I had to go back again to get clean pictures of the completed wall, and what a wall it is.

Evey, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2023
Evey, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2023

To the left of the three is a gorgeous EVEN from Evey, painted in the pink and blue colours replicated through the collaborative effort. There are some nice letter shapes and a band of horizontal fades running through the letters, which are given a little bit of extra interest with squiggles, hearts and a peace sign.

Peggy, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2023
Peggy, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2023

In the middle is a wonderful floral design from Peggy, picking up hints of the pink and blue theme, and adding in some yellow touches to lift the design further. Each of the flower heads contains a signature eye peering out. The style of strong black lines and colourful fills betrays her tattoo art background.

Desi, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2023
Desi, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2023

To the right, Desi picks up the bold lettering and colours and in part reflects Evey’s work, although there is a subtle difference in the patterning, with both colours appearing in each of Desi’s letters and alternating top and bottom halves from one letter to the next. The whole wall by these three ladies recognised International Women’s Day, and what a fine way to celebrate it.

5061. M32 Cycle path (200)

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

Desi and Evey are painting buddies and frequently meet up to paint together. In fact, I met them yesterday painting together with Peggy in Sparke Evans Park, a spot I have to return to, because they hadn’t completed their work while I was there.

Evey, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, February 2023
Evey, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, February 2023

As I have said on numerous occasions about both Evey and Desi, is that they are improving all the time. Evey has painted this rather nice bubble writing EVEN, but the most striking thing about it is that it is a tribute piece to her (I assume) grandpa, and the letters are sad ones and the ‘V’ is a broken heart.

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

Desi has gone with her Veil variant in this piece and offers up thee hearts – how lucky we are. The letters are nicely filledand the white spots add a bit of depth. I would like to see Desi start working on some more complex fill patterns, which I think she is ready for. (What am I? Some kind of school master? Cringe).

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.