This outstanding piece by Dibz was painted alongside Werm and Veeez, both of whom are edging towards the ‘top table’ when it comes to collaborations. I have genuinely run out of things to say about Dibz and the quality and creativity of his work, and am tempted to not write too much more but simply let you enjoy this piece, which is so easy on the eye.
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023
Dibz’ confidence and talent allow the viewer to wonder at the detail of the piece in the knowledge that absolutely everything is perfectly finished. The addition of pixels and stars embroiders, what is already an outstanding piece of graffiti writing.
It took me two visits to get a clean picture of this piece by Kid Krishna, because his bike was parked in front of it the first time (while he was painting an adjacent piece). What is interesting is that the light conditions were different on each occasion, which affects the colours in the images.
Kid Krishna, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2023
Kid Krishna is smashing it everywhere he paints at the moment, and in a very short space of time has become a dominant force in the city. In this fascinating piece the writing, CRIE, is compressed into the central part of the work and is surrounded by fish designs, some realistic and some abstract. The piece demonstrates a strong artistic bent and creative mind. The explosion of ideas in his work is sometimes difficult to interpret, for example what is the man in the top hat, eating a sardine, all about? His work continues to surprise and delight… regularly.
Tick-tock, regular as clockwork, Hypo keeps turning out new pieces, each of which is a welcome addition to his expanding and improving portfolio. I have definitely seen an improvement in his work in recent months, and although he has been around for a long time, I think he is reaching a new level.
Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2023
Hypo continues to produce pieces with an element of symmetry to them, achieved through shapes and colour schemes. I have seen him use this kind of fill pattern in the past (Upfest 2017), producing what looks like a horizon on a landscape. Another great piece from Hypo.
#DFTE is having a bit of a renaissance at the moment, creating some nice work in his unique and humorous philosophical style. In this piece, he has joined forces with Fishlock to create this vibrant collaboration on the famous curved wall in Dean Lane.
#DFTE and Fishlock, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2023
In nature, black and yellow colouring often denote danger, not so in this piece where #DFTE has written the phrase, ‘you are not alone’ – a comforting and caring message. The decorations around the writing is by Fishlock and carries several of her favoured motifs. This is an eye-catching piece from the pair, painted during a recent Bristol Mural Collective paint jam.
I remember quite clearly the first collaboration I saw between these two artists, and it was also the first time I encountered Hire’s work; it was in Armada place and had a vibrant pink background. That was in April 2017, and both artists have come a long way since then.
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023
To the left of the collaboration is a squat HIRE from Hire. There is a softening of the jagged edges he is known for, but other elements of this style are intact, such as the mid-line running through his letters. Two things help this piece stand out, the subtle flame coloured accent lines which give depth to the shadow and the solid white border, so very neat and tidy.
Laic217, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023
To the right, Laic217 continues his purple patch with this typical skeleton character. As ever, the folds in the fabric of the hoodie and baseball cap are trademark skills that the artist excels at. Interestingly, the skull has an ear, which adds to the intrigue. The piece is brought to life with the red skull badge on the cap, without which the piece simply wouldn’t shout so loudly. This is a fine collaborative wall from the Polish artists.
Laic217 and Hire, Armada Place, Bristol, April 2017
I don’t venture down to this spot very often, because the access isn’t really very suitable for the dog, and I wouldn’t want to take him down there, so my trips are limited to occasions when I have some free time and am dog-free. Making the effort is usually worth it, and on the last occasion, my prize was this lovely RBF collaboration from Bnie and Wispa.
Bnie, Frome Side, Bristol, May 2023
The pair of artists have chosen a salmon and cucumber colour scheme (were they subliminally influenced by the Garrick Club?). Bnie has painted pink BNIE letters which have the letters RBF in green (and blue) overlaid, in a very clever presentation. Neat, tidy and creative, this is another in a string of outstanding pieces of graffiti writing from Bnie.
Wispa, Frome Side, Bristol, May 2023
Wispa has gone for a slightly lighter pink in her fill, transitioning to lilac and purple in horizontal strips. A deep 3D fill in green and black helps the writing to pop out from the wall. Wispa often adds extra value with her pieces by incorporating a character, and in this one a cuddly Kawaii rabbit adds to the cute factor. This is a lovely collaborative wall from these two great writers.
It is getting close to the time when I say something like, ‘I really ought to pull together a gallery for Werm’, and judging from his productivity over the last three years or so, and the frequency with which he has appeared on Natural Adventures recently, it definitely is that time.
Werm, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2023
Werm underwent something of a change of approach, from painting cute characters to concentrating on his writing. At about that time, he also discarded the moniker Eman and was reborn as Werm. His progress has been rapid and his technical skills and creativity have blossomed to the point where he is creating complex and busy pieces like this one. His most recent ‘formula’ is to write WERM in smaller letters at the centre of the piece, and to extend the branches of his letters with elaborate designs exploding out from the middle. It would be nice to see him deconstruct this a little and see what he can do with a simpler design. I am thoroughly enjoying recording his journey.
This wonderful Easter RBF paint jam piece by Wispa gives me the perfect opportunity to talk about the importance of light conditions when photographing street/graffiti art. In the first picture, the sun is coming from behind the camera, and as you can see, shadows from the trees have been cast onto the colourful WISPA letters and Kellogg’s Tony the Tiger character.
Wispa, Greenbank, Bristol, May 2023
The same piece on a different day with the sun setting behind the hoarding, and flaring can be seen behind the piece and the colours look dull and washed-out. The lesson here is that this spot should be photographed only on overcast days. Wispa is a hugely accomplished writer who seems to be tireless, painting only a fraction of her creations in Bristol. Fabulous colour fill patterns and character – they’re grrrrrreat.
This is another busy and eclectic piece from Kid Krishna. An explosion of sub-conscious and conscious thought pinned to a framework of graffiti letters spelling CRIE. Kid Krishna really is a unique artist and interesting character, utterly absorbed in his artwork and constantly challenging his own ideas.
Kid Krishna, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2023
I was lucky enough to meet Kid Krishna just as he was starting this piece, and it is fascinating to see that his starting point was the hand in the centre. The hand and the character hint that the artist might have had a classical art education – the proportions and perspective are expertly painted.
Kid Krishna, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2023
The busy nature of the piece suggests that Kid Krishna has a busy mind, and his work reminds me a bit of Tom Miller’s brain dumps. There is always so much t look at and to try to work out. Lots more to come from Kid Krishna.
Fade, Turoe and Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023
I have been droning on about how the amount of painting activity has increased over the last year or two in Bristol, but associated with this rise has been a commensurate increase in the number of collaborative walls, most of which have a short lifespan due to the high turnover. It is becoming more and more difficult to chronicle street/graffiti art, but I do my best.
Fade, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023
This triptych is by Fade, Turoe and Dibz. Starting with Fade on the left – I mentioned yesterday in my first Fade post on Natural Adventures, that we’d be seeing a lot more from the artist, and here is proof of that already. Fade’s work is really crisp, with nice solid fills and great thin black lines and thick black borders. I can’t read the letters in this piece, but it looks like a three letter sequence. This is classy work from someone who has only recently reacquainted himself with spray-painting after a long break.
Turoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023
In the middle section is a fascinating piece from Turoe, whose mastery of graffiti writing is second to none. The chrome letters, which spell TUROE or as Paul H points DIBZ (although I can read both), have a regularity and uniformity about them, and just the right amount of subtle decoration in the form of white spots. The letters contrast nicely with the diesel-blue bubbly background. Classy stuff.
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2023
Finally, to the right, Dibz does what Dibz does. Reflecting Turoe’s choice of chrome on diesel-blue Dibz shows his utter class with wildstyle writing. I don’t know how he does it, but Dibz is painting incredibly regularly these days – maybe he has a bit more free time on his hands. The clouds accompanying all the pieces on the wall, I think, are by Fade, because they have that flatter look to them that his style has. A very nice collaborative wall.
