4619. Dean Lane skate park (516)

Ceus, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2022
Ceus, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2022

Since his first tentative appearance in Dean Lane a year ago, Ceus has become something of a regular, who clearly likes to paint in Dean Lane, and on this curved wall in particular. His compositions usually feature his letters CEUS and wings, and this one has both.

Ceus, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2022
Ceus, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2022

The letters almost appear as if they are translucent, with the background pattern seeping through into the the word. Very cleverly done. Above, two caps are held aloft by angelic wings, spraying colour into the piece. This is a creative and imaginative piece from the Spanish writer.

4618. Cumberland Basin

Pl8o, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2022
Pl8o, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2022

If you take a look at Pl8o’s work over the last few years, it is clear to see that he has made significant progress, added characters to his work and great sophistication in his letters, which are becoming more and more elaborately disguised.

Pl8o, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2022
Pl8o, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2022

This recent offering from Pl8o Is beautifully designed and carefully painted with some interesting colour transitions vertically and horizontally. It is the letter designs that steal the show though, he really seems to be putting a lot more thought into these designs. A nice piece from Pl8o.

4616. M32 roundabout J3 (421)

Kosc, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2022
Kosc, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2022

Sometimes it is possible to be completely ‘graffiti blind’, and when I was admiring this piece, but trying to work out the artist, DJ Perks arrived to photograph some other pieces on this wall. This piece was obviously classy, but I couldn’t work out who it was by, DJ Perks instantly said it was by Kosc. Of course it was. I just didn’t see it at first. My credibility was shot down in flames, but it happens sometimes. Not seeing the wood for the trees.

Kosc, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2022
Kosc, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2022

At least I had recognised that it was a classy piece, which it most certainly is. Kosc has written under another name in the past, and there are some giveaway clues that this was his work, in the ‘riveting’ used in some of the letters to ‘hold them together’. Great colour transitions and letter shapes. Pure class.

4609. Cumberland Basin

From time to time, the street art community is rocked by the death of one of their fold. It might be felt by everyone or by just a few close friends. When it happens, it is common to produce tribute pieces for the departed friend, and some artists keep the tribute alive for days, weeks, months or even years, for example Haka keeping the memory of his friend CKone in our minds in most of his pieces even now.

Stivs, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2022
Stivs, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2022

This is one of several tribute pieces for Sear by Stivs, and there are several other tributes about the place. I haven’t ever really encountered Sear before, but he was a graffiti writer and close friend of Stivs’. This piece is a fine tribute, beautifully structured and proportioned and the colour combinations perfect. A work of love.

4608. Dean Lane skate park (514)

Collaborative walls don’t often get more prestigious than this one, with Soker and Dibz combining in a green buffed wall. There was a time when Soker was painting all the time and Dibz occasionally, over the last couple of years their roles have reversed slightly. It seems I post a couple of Dibz pieces every month, but Soker rather rarely.

Soker, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2022
Soker, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2022

To the left is an absolute belter from Soker, spelling out SOKEM, a variant of his name, simply to give him some variation in lettering. Every element of the piece is technically superb, but I am drawn to the rather special fill, and colour selections from bottom to top. Classy stuff from Soker.

Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2022
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2022

On the right is a piece from Dibz. Nothing too fussy or big, just some nice black (purple tinged) letters with a cream 3D shadow set on some bursts of orange and red splashes. A nice Example of Dibz’ work and expertise. And great to see these two coupling up.

4604. M32 roundabout J3 (419)

In the next couple of posts I have taken a deep dive back into my archive, randomly picking out a year and month and publishing a piece that slipped through the net at the time. This blast from the past is a fine piece of writing from Elvs painted back in April 2020.

Elvs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2020
Elvs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2020

There is always so much to admire in Elvs’ work, in particular his ability to replicate these complicated patterns of letters, with apparent ease and consistency, keeping his unique style very much intact. The grey letters on the orange background works exceptionally well, and this is such an eye-catching piece. It is a mystery that I didn’t post it at the time.

4603. Brunel Way (165)

I am flustered and under pressure this morning. I am unbearably busy at work, and my team are on annual leave, so I am doing my normal work and standing in for two others. This might be brief…

Werm, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2022
Werm, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2022

Werm (formerly known as Eman) continues to paint at an extraordinary rate, and my posts of his work do not fairly represent the volume of pieces he produces. He has almost entirely abandoned his character pieces these days and has been concentrating on his writing which has improved over time and become more sophisticated. This piece has some lovely fill transformations and patterns and the 3D shadow and purple border help to lift the piece. The stars do their job well finishing the piece off very nicely indeed.

4599. Peel Street Green

I am rather excited this morning, because I am off to Cheltenham later on, to enjoy the delights of the Paint Festival, conceived and organised by the brilliant and tireless Dice 67 (Andy Davies). In the meanwhile, I will share this lovely piece from Smut on the long wall at Peel Street Green.

Smut, Peel Street Green, Bristol, July 2022
Smut, Peel Street Green, Bristol, July 2022

Smut has moved on from his thin script writing, which he has retained in his signature, but what has not changed is his incredible sharpness and accuracy in his work. The letters have been superbly filled, with the ‘watery’ patterning flowing from letter to letter in a coherent way, rather than discrete fills for each one. A black 3D shadow and perfect red border finish the piece off nicely. Smut’s high standards go from strength to strength.

4598. Dean Lane skate park (512)

I have encountered a small dilemma, it happens quite a lot in the world of documenting street art. Flava136 is making a deliberate move towards refreshing his moniker to Saor. Part of me feels that I should follow his lead, but the other part of me feels like it will simply muck up all my tagging and labelling which is a nightmare for archiving, searching etc. So as you will see I have decided to stick with Flava136, even though it is now Saor.

Flava136, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2022
Flava136, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2022

The name is somewhat irrelevant when it comes to his artwork, which is always presented to the highest possible standards. The piece is horizontally bisected with different colour transitions either side of the line. We also see a return of the toothy monster character, which is becoming a less central part of his work these days. This is yet another sharp, on-point piece from an outstanding artist.

4589. M32 roundabout J3 (417)

Bristol definitely has it’s fair share of female graffiti writers; Mena, Evey, Lewse and Bnie to name a few, and it is great to watch Desi develop her writing and join this growing cohort. You will have seen work on Natural Adventures before, but using the letters DESI, however, recently she has switched it up a bit to write VEIL.

Desi, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2022
Desi, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2022

What is interesting is that although Desi’s letters may have changed completely, her individual style shines through, and she needn’t have signed it for people to know who painted it. This might be her best piece to date, it is really neat and tidy, and the fills are as good as I have seen from the artist. Much more to come from Desi, I’m sure.