Here we have yet another outstanding example of fabulous writing from Decay whose pieces have been an absolute highlight in Bristol this year and my goodness, there have been a great many of them – Check some of them out in this gallery.
Decay, M32 cycle path, Bristol, October 2019
In this one Decay has gone for his customary letter shapes, but the fill has a kind of smokey atmospheric feel to it, and the white accents give it a wonderful 3D effect. As always, his little character ‘Chuck’ makes up the letter E in the word DECAY. A lovely piece of writing.
In my favourite recently discovered spot, St Mark’s Avenue in Easton, is this great collaboration between Soap and Zake which I had seen previously on Instagram, but never knew where it was. Well now I know.
Zake, St Mark’s Avenue, Bristol, September 2019
On the left is a portrait by Zake that unusually for this alleyway has been altered by some idiot, goofing the eyes and the lips This is a real shame because it gives the character a completely different and rather sinister ‘personality’ than that of the original. Even though it has been altered, I felt it worth including, partly to demonstrate that not everything I get to see is in its perfect pristine state and also to explain why I try to get out regularly to find new pieces before they have been tagged or ruined.
Soap, St Mark’s Avenue, Bristol, September 2019
On the right is some colourful and uplifting writing fro Soap. The photograph is a little bit rubbish, partly because of the rather unhelpful wheelie bin and also because of the width of the lane at this point is quite tight and ‘front on’ pictures are an impossibility without a wide angle lens. Unlike much of the work in this lane it is relatively recent and was painted this year. As an aside, the tag on the bin is one that can be found pretty much everywhere in Bristol – I don’t know the tagger’s name, but it is probably concealed somewhere within the tag.
Possibly this piece needs no introduction because the artist features in Natural Adventures rather a lot although this one is a little more cryptic than some of his other works. It is of course by Rezwonk and spells out REZER.
Rezwonk, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2019
Because of the light conditions in the tunnel, this photograph really doesn’t do the piece justice at all and the colours have been somewhat bleached out. This is highly accomplished and complex writing with so many elements crossing over between letters in what looks like a rather haphazard way and yet perfectly creating great letters. When I see complex work like this, I just scratch my head and wonder how on Earth he does it. Great skills.
It is a great feeling discovering an artist who is relatively new to the Bristol scene and finding their pieces dotted about the place. One such artist is Lobe and I get a little ping of excitement each time I find one of her stylised portraits, a feeling I get each time I find a piece by Laic217 – some artists have this effect on me more than others.
Lobe, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2019
This piece looks like it is a tribute piece to Wayne. Such works often have a little touch of sadness about them, but that is ok, it is a fair reflection of life in general. Once again her bold colours and shadings demonstrate her distinctive style which is just as well as I have yet to see a signed piece by her. All good.
On my first day in Cheltenham I walked from Cheltenham Spa station along the Honeybourne Line towards the centre of town and after dropping down from the disused railway the first major piece I saw was this sensational eye from My Dog Dighs painted for the 1028 Cheltenham Paint Festival (I think).
My Dog Sighs, Paint Festival 2018, Cheltenham, September 2019
Good grief, this is a great piece in its overall impact, situated on a rather banal utilitarian building, bringing joy to all who see it. The child-like background of scribbles and doodles plays host to an enormous and dramatic eye.
My Dog Sighs, Paint Festival 2018, Cheltenham, September 2019
This and all his other recent pieces speak of an artist at the absolute top of his game and whose signature eyes, large or small, each bear their own characteristics. The patterning on the iris is always so well observed and the scenes tell great stories, often of the local environment or people. World class piece.
Looking at a single wall and how it changes over time.
1. Curved wall at Dean Lane, Bristol
Kid Crayon, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2017Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2017Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2017Biers, Dean Lane skatepark, Bristol, July 2017Luke Smile, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2017Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2018Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2018Ugar, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2018Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2018Slim Pickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2018Tom Miller, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018NEVERGIVEUP and Soge, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2018Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2018Stupid Stupid Meathole, Panskaribas and Rory MacRaild, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2019Stupid Stupid Meathole, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2019Inkie, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2019Face 1st and Daz Cat, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2019Hemper, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2019Lucy Danielle, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2020Decay, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2020Dtok, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020Turoe One, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 20203Dom and Sepr, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2020Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2020Pura Decadensia, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2021Ryder and T-Rex, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2021Flava136 and Veks, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2021Sake, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2021Tuco, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2021Werm (Eman) and Veee, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2021Ceus, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2021Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2022Ceus, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2022Ceus, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022Ceus, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2022Face 1st, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2022Mote, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2022Ceus, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2022Amy Lee Jones, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2023#DFTE and Fishlock, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023Jee See, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023Werm and Daz Cat, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023Daz Cat, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2023Sake, Dean Lane, Bristol, Dacember 2023Lee Roy, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2024Dibz, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, February 2024Mr Draws, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2024Noise, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2024Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2019Mr Crawls, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2024ESKA, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2024Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, November 2024Haka, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2024ESKA, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2025
One of the comforting things about the Cheltenham Paint Festival is that it is only a short distance away from Bristol and that I am familiar with a great many of the artists that make the short journey. One such artist is Lokey, whose 3D anamorphic lettering is out of the top drawer.
Lokey, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019
This piece has the appearance of being unfinished, but it is signed and I have not seen any photograhs of it in a more advanced state. It is a clever effect which keeps the mind wondering what might the bottom half look like and your brain trying to fill in the gaps. I ought to add that the little cat to the right of the piece was painted by his young daughter and will is worthy of its own post (to come).
Miss Wah might be familiar to readers of Natural Adventures because she has made an occasional appearance with her Upfest pieces. This striking Kawaii style figure is beautifully painted with yellow and black bands that we might normally associate with bees and wasps and indeed Miss Wah has given this character wings.
Miss Wah, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019
Miss Wah’s simple and oh-so-easy-on-the-eye pieces are always a welcome addition to any festival and tend to be real crowd-pleasers. This fine piece in Cheltenham this year is no exception.
Well here’s a familiar sight for Bristolians, the wonderful, weird, quirky world of Guts. There is a lot of fun that goes on in Guts’ pieces, but the fun is juxtaposed with a slightly sinister or gruesome scene. I am not too sure of the story here, but there is a man with a smoking shot gun and a fox missing its tail… Oh my, literally as I am writing this the penny has dropped. This is the Roald Dahl story, ‘The Fantastic Mr Fox’ and Guts has stuck to the literature theme brief perfectly.
Guts, Paint Festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019
That moment of clarity has just elevated this piece because I can now completely ‘get’ the evil characters, so brilliantly portrayed and the unfortunate fox who loses his tail. A perfect illustration and one that I’m sure Roald himself would have approved of.
Natural adventures 