7190. Lucky Lane (6)

#DFTE, Lucky Lane, Bristol, September 2025
#DFTE, Lucky Lane, Bristol, September 2025

Our street philosopher, #DFTE, has been at it again, this time with a large mural piece painted during the recent Bristol Mural Collective paint jam in Lucky Lane. Nobody else does anything like this, so it is always easy to identify his work.

#DFTE, Lucky Lane, Bristol, September 2025
#DFTE, Lucky Lane, Bristol, September 2025

‘Dream big and believe in yourself’ are fine words, and just the confidence boost we could all do with from time to time. It reminds me of a wonderful piece of graffiti that used to be in the centre of Bristol that simply said ‘You look beautiful’. #DFTE’s big and bold letters have the most wonderful drips, something he has developed and perfected over time. I still haven’t yet met the artist, but it is just a matter of time I am sure.

7051. Narrow Quay

#DFTE, Narrow Quay, Bristol, June 2025
#DFTE, Narrow Quay, Bristol, June 2025

These are three small boards outside a café on Narrow Quay, which I assume are commissions, or at the very least, permitted by the establishment. The artist is #DFTE and illustrate perfectly his philosophical musings delivered in his singular letter style with plenty of drips.

#DFTE, Narrow Quay, Bristol, June 2025
#DFTE, Narrow Quay, Bristol, June 2025

The first declares “love you too” presumably in response to a statement. The second is s little more challenging, and is perhaps a great reflective motto, “Don’t believe everything you think.

#DFTE, Narrow Quay, Bristol, June 2025
#DFTE, Narrow Quay, Bristol, June 2025

The third board in this trio, “Your anxiety is lying to you” is, I think trying to be helpful, but to anyone who suffers from anxiety, it probably just confuses and upsets – I can imagine tying oneself in knots over that statement. These original pieces represent a great way of integrating street art into our everyday lives. Nice work from #DFTE.

6881. Cumberland Basin

#DFTE and Dave Sharp, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2025
#DFTE and Dave Sharp, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2025

These two artists collaborated on almost this exact spot back in July 2022 – how time flies, I had it in my mind that it was last year. From what I can gather #DFTE and Dave Sharp are good friends, and this fine collaboration ‘anxious iron giants’ combines the distinctive writing of #DFTE with the artistic talents of Dave Sharp.

#DFTE and Dave Sharp, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2025
#DFTE and Dave Sharp, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2025

I would love to see more from #DFTE – the power of words is so beautifully presented with his unique style, going big on the drips, but he doesn’t seem to paint all that often. Dave Sharp, I don’t know much about, but he has captured the Iron Giant robot really well, perhaps tinged with a little anxiety… who knows. Their combination works really well, and as a bonus, here is their last one…

Dave Sharp and #DFTE, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2022
Dave Sharp and #DFTE, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2022

6365. Cheltenham 2023 (5)

Krimsone, Cheltenham Paint Festival 2024, Town Centre East car park, Cheltenham, July 2024
Krimsone, Cheltenham Paint Festival 2024, Town Centre East car park, Cheltenham, July 2024

Here are three more wonderful pieces from the Cheltenham Paint Festival this year, and I have to say that Andy Davies, the Director and organiser of the event, has excelled in gathering a blend of international, national and local artists together to show off their talent. I believe that 2024 is the best one yet. This first enormous piece, on the side of the Town Centre East car park, is by Krimsone, an artist I have only once before come across at Upfest 2017. This is a top class portrait piece worked to fit the tall wall perfectly, with a vase delicately balanced on the woman’s head taking up the top half of the wall. Incredible stuff.

#DFTE, Cheltenham Paint Festival 2024, Honeybourne Line tunnel, Cheltenham, July 2024
#DFTE, Cheltenham Paint Festival 2024, Honeybourne Line tunnel, Cheltenham, July 2024

As reliable as ever, Bristol artist #DFTE manages to raise a smile with his appropriately coloured writing exclaiming “Totally Bananas”. Fabulous drips.

Fark, Cheltenham Paint Festival 2024, Princess Elizabeth Way, Cheltenham, July 2024
Fark, Cheltenham Paint Festival 2024, Princess Elizabeth Way, Cheltenham, July 2024

Finally in this mini selection, Fark, who is a regular at street art festivals, presents one of his superb birds with precision and tidiness. Great work.

6342. Cumberland Basin

#DFTE, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024
#DFTE, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024

There is a charm and a simplicity to #DFTE’s philosophical musings, which have grown from small framed installation art pieces to these large full-scale wall street art graffiti writing pieces. Throughout, he has never lost or compromised his ‘house font’, which identifies his work so specifically.

#DFTE, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024
#DFTE, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024

Black and white pieces always make an impact, and this one is no exception. The words spell out the phrase “You are already perfect”. Kindness at its simplest and best. Often less is more when composing messages, and this one lands with grace and impact. The drips from the letters create an accidental (or intentional) 3D drop shadow. Another wonderful piece to enjoy from #DFTE

6325. Cumberland Basin

#DFTE, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024
#DFTE, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024

Wit can be a difficult thing to achieve with street art, but #DFTE combines placement with sentiment perfectly in this small ‘extra’ piece painted recently in Cumberland Basin, overlooking the world famous Clifton Suspension Bridge.

#DFTE, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024
#DFTE, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2024

I have seen #DFTE use this phrase before, but I think that this simply has to be the perfect placement, and one which will be seen and I’m sure appreciated. I can’t think for the life of me what the sign originally said, but it can’t have been a fraction as interesting as this. Great fun from #DFTE.

6077. Upfest 2024 (14)

#DFTE, Dean Lane, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
#DFTE, Dean Lane, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

The philosophical pondering of #DFTE is a constantly refreshing aspect of his work, indeed a central one too. It is only a few years ago when his small framed musings started appearing in spots all around the city, becoming something of a street art hunter’s ‘pot of gold’. More recently he has taken to upscaling his work into large walls, adopting the same font, and managing not to lose the unique proportions and sentiment that typifies his earlier work. You can see the transition of his work in this gallery.

#DFTE, Dean Lane, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
#DFTE, Dean Lane, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

I guess that #DFTE is stating the obvious here with his “if you change, you will be different” statement. I imagine that this prompts the clichéd response “well, it makes you think… doesn’t it?”. Whether it makes you think or not, this is another wonderful piece of stylised writing and words from the Bristol-based artist.