5477. Cheltenham 2023 (9)

SkyHigh, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023
SkyHigh, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023

Each time I think that SkyHigh can’t possibly up his game, he manages to do so with what appears to be ease. I can’t imagine he has too much headroom for improvement, but hey, this is SkyHigh we’re talking about (no pun intended).

SkyHigh, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023
SkyHigh, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023

This large piece is a perfect mash-up of characters, letter fonts and styles, seamlessly joined together to spell out SkyHigh in several combinations. The inclusion of Mickey Mouse, Pluto and Donald Duck add a sense of fun to the piece as well as being a bit weird with some additional eyes thrown in for good measure.

SkyHigh, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023
SkyHigh, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023

One of the awesome things about the piece is how SkyHigh manages to compartmentalise each element as tight as tight can be, and yet there is a fluidity that makes sense of each of the components into an impressive whole. This is as close to graffiti writing perfection as you can get.

5358. Dean Lane skate park (618)

Dibz and Fade with a Cheo bee, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
Dibz and Fade with a Cheo bee, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023

Dibz and Cheo have been at it again, with this outstanding collaboration in Dean Lane. Dibz has provided the writing and Cheo the wonderfully faithful Disney Donald Duck character. What is so clever about the piece is how Dibz has picked up on the lively character of Donald Duck in his writing, really bringing it to life.

Dibz and Fade with a Cheo bee, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
Dibz and Fade with a Cheo bee, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023

It is so pleasing to see Cheo getting out and painting walls again after what felt like a very long lay-off. In fact I am having some difficulty in keeping up with his work, but have to see that as a good thing really.

Fade with a Cheo bee, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
Fade with a Cheo bee, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023

We head off to Assisi today, so that’s your lot I’m afraid from a hot and windy Italy.

UPDATE: in the comments, you will see that the Donald Duck is by Fade and not by Cheo, although the bee is still there from a former Cheo piece. All is not as it seems. Any credit above afforded to Cheo needs to be transferred over to Fade, who has been smashing it since his return to the UK.

4412. L Dub (36)

This is the second large piece from DJ Perks at LDub, painted on the pumping station, featuring some sensational writing alongside a cartoon character, in this case A rather worse-for-wear Donald Duck.

DJ Perks, L Dub, Bristol, April 2022
DJ Perks, L Dub, Bristol, April 2022

As mentioned in a recent post, DJ Perks is just growing from strength to strength, stretching himself. Of all the artists in Bristol, he ranks very highly in constantly pushing the boundaries of his work, strengthening his technique and skills, and not falling into the trap of repetition. It is so good to see, and what’s more he is turning out some extraordinarily strong pieces.

DJ Perks, L Dub, Bristol, April 2022
DJ Perks, L Dub, Bristol, April 2022

The writing is expertly done with the straight line transitions running vertically through the lettering finished to perfection. The character too is so well executed, and it is great to see that we see Donald Duck in a rather unfamiliar pose, after all it would have been very easy to present a stock image of Donald, but DJ Perks has chosen to go about it a different way. This is another outstanding example of DJ Perks’ great work.