Tag: Vaughn Bode

5063. Dean Lane skate park (570)

Dibz and Turoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2023
Dibz and Turoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2023

Two outstanding writers, Dibz and Turoe, have recently combined to create this wonderful tribute piece for Shimmer. I suspect that the piece may remain for quite some time due to both its quality and also that it is a tribute. This is a collaboration in which both artists have adopted a similar writing style and both are using the exact same colour scheme seamlessly.

Dibz and Turoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2023
Dibz and Turoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2023

To the left is the Dibz half of the collaboration, spelling out SHIMZ and to the right is Turoe’s contribution spelling TUROE. The green and yellow writing is as clean as a whistle and the whole thing set on a bubbly purple background – most eye-catching. In the middle of the piece is a Vaughn Bode lizard character, so much favoured by street artists in honour of the great man’s creations. This is a very, very fine tribute.

4933. Cheltenham Road

Kid Krishna, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, December 2022
Kid Krishna, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, December 2022

It would seem that Kid Krishna ‘owns’ the walls either side of Boston Tea Party on Cheltenham Road, as there are pieces by the artist either side of the entrance, and both of them are character pieces, rather than the stylised writing we are more familiar with. This piece is to the left of the entrance, and is a bit of a stunner.

Kid Krishna, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, December 2022
Kid Krishna, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, December 2022

Of course, there is more than just a passing nod to Vaughn Bode’s Cheech Wizard character in this piece, with the addition of some curious camera or lens in the middle. This is a beautifully crafted piece and one of my favourites from last year.

I am really confused about one thing, though. One time I drove past this piece when it was being painted, I saw a woman painting it, or at least I thought I did. I might have been mistaken, and my eyes aren’t getting any younger, but if I am right, then Kid Krishna might be female. Either Paul H can put me straight, or I will just have to find Kid Krishna at work.

4463. Upfest 2022 (5)

This fabulous piece on one of my favourite Upfest walls is a great way to round off the first five pieces from Upfest 2022. As you can imagine, there will be hundreds of pieces to post by the time the festival ends, so please bear with me as I try to write about them in batches, alongside all the other wonderful street art that we are blessed to see in Bristol. This is by an artist I haven’t heard of before, Derm, and features what looks like a Vaughn Bode Lizard, an Iconic character in the world of street art.

Derm, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Derm, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

The lizard in this piece is riding what looks like a half-track motor cycle, complete with flat tyres. A classic cartoon-style piece of urban culture street art that really stands out on this wall. One of the great pleasures of Upfest is being exposed to the talents of new artists from around the country, Europe and the world. A great piece of work.

3842. Dean Lane skate park (421)

Brace yourself for a flurry of Sake pieces. Sake is an old-school artist who has been painting since the 1980s in Bristol, but I haven’t ever posted any of his work. I don’t know why – maybe it is because I have never met him before, that is until last week, when I caught up with him twice in St Werburghs tunnel. I told him that I would look through my archives and see if I had any older stuff of his that I could share. He was  very pleased to hear this, and is keen to stop for a drink soon to talk about street art – I just need to find some time.

Sake, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2021
Sake, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2021

This piece is on the curved wall at Dean Lane and is a repair to a similar piece he painted on this exact wall a few weeks ago and which got badly tagged. I think I have pictures of that original. Alongside his letters ‘SAKE’ is a Vaughn Bodē lizard, which is a favourite character for graffiti artists along with Cheech Wizard. I think this is a theme that I’ll need to investigate further before writing too much about it now, but will return to in future. A very nice wall painted by a decent, if slightly intense, artist.