3435. Dean Lane skate park (382)

Another artist having a bit of a spree at the moment is Dott Rotten, whose work is in the top division. Take a look at this piece of graffiti writing from a week or two back and tell me that it isn’t out of the top drawer. This is an artist who is at the top of his game and seems to be enjoying it.

Dott Rotten, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2021
Dott Rotten, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2021

The writing with his familiar SPOILT letters is nicely worked with two shades of blue, perfect orange outlines and some superb trademark bubbles. The whole piece is lifted up with a deep red 3D shading. This is great graffiti writing.

3433. M32 roundabout J3 (275)

When all else in the crazy world we live in is kicking off and our landmarks and routines are blown apart, there is a beating heart, metronome-like, tick-tocking in the background and that is the quiet, modest, ever-present production line of graffiti writing from Corupt. It is rather comforting when you think about it.

Corupt, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2021
Corupt, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2021

In this outstanding piece Corupt has written STICK, which is one of the two common letter combinations he uses. His humour shines through with this “Happy New Tier” story to welcome all of us into 2021 in a lockdown situation. The letters are beautiful, the fills are beautiful and the colour combinations are beautiful. A beautiful cheery piece.

3427. M32 roundabout (276)

I have only met Hemper on one occasion and that was last summer. My first impressions were that he is an unassuming and modest fellow who has put in the effort and has a gift for graffiti writing and does it extraordinarily well.

Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2020
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2020

Hemper is a freestyle writer, which means that he doesn’t paint from a sketch in a black book but rather from his imagination. Combine that natural creativity with the fine motor skills that he has developed over the years, and you get outstanding pieces like this one. A little beauty.

3426. Dean Lane skate park (380)

This container in Dean Lane seems to have been around forever. I’m really not sure what it contains or why it is there, but it is a surface to paint and that is what matters. The quality of graffiti and street art on this container can be very variable so it is nice when a really good piece like this one from Rusk comes along.

Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2021
Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2021

Rusk is an artist/writer whose work I never tire of and who doesn’t paint as much as I’d like him to, although he tends to paint in places that are sometimes out of the way and I don’t get to see those ones. This is a straightforward RUSKI in horizontal graded blues with some nice bubbles in black white and blue. The quality of the lines and fills is of a high standard, which on the uneven face of the container can’t be easy. This is what great graffiti writing looks like.

3424. M32 roundabout J3 (275)

This is a classic example of Face 1st doing what Face 1st does best and that is spraying an enormous face in a tunnel that is near impossible to photograph. I had toyed with the idea of not posting this piece, but that would be admitting defeat.

Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2021
Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2021

Face 1st seems to favour the M32 roundabout tunnels and it is rare for one of his pieces not to be present in one of the four tunnels 24/7/365. This piece is a trademark one from the artist with a happy girls face and hair composed of  the letters FACE. Face 1st and his PWA crew mate Soap typify the vibrancy and energy of the Bristol street art scene.

3423. Dean Lane skate park (379)

I think this is my favourite wall in Dean Lane and it has hosted so many outstanding pieces over the years. Some occupy the whole height and width of the wall, some just the lower or upper portions, some are solo pieces and some collaborations like this one from Slim Pickings and Biers.

Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2021
Biers, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2021

On the left is some superb writing from Biers, which appears to spell out BIERY, which is a nice variant of his letters. I like the unruly nature of his writing where uniformity of letters goes out of the window. This is one of those collaborations that share a wall and colour convention.

Slim Pickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2021
Slim Pickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2021

To the right is the contribution from Slim Pickings whose TES doesn’t quite fit on the wall. The letters are big and bold and the black fill dominant. This is one of those collaborations that you cal look at and say ‘yes’! 

3422. Dean Lane skate park (378)

It would seem that Turoe isn’t quite ready to stop reminding us what a bad year 2020 has been with this ‘Shyte’ piece in Dean Lane. He may be using the same word associated with his recent work but has given it a rather different style this time round.

Turoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2021
Turoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2021

The large block letters in black are nicely formed and bounded by a strong lime green outline. The subtle part is in the red clouds across the bottom of the letters and purple accents. Another fine shyte piece from Turoe.

3419. Frome side (6)

This is not the first piece that I have seen by Ugloe, but it is the first to appear on Natural Adventures. I will dig out some of the others soon. Ugloe has only recently come into my line of sight but her work is bright, bold and enriched with little characters, especially dogs, which can only be a good thing. I met her a week or two back when she was painting a piece on the M32 cycle path. Unfortunately when I returned to photograph it had been over-painted.

Ugloe, Frome side, Bristol, December 2020
Ugloe, Frome side, Bristol, December 2020

There was less chance of this more recent piece being over painted because of the accessibility of the Frome side spot, so I got to see this lovely piece in all its glory. The block letters are beautifully filled in a multicolour fusion and the piece is pulled together nicely with a reclining figure and little dog. A quality piece from Ugloe and the first of many on this blog, I’m certain.

3417. M32 cycle path (100)

Another Christmas 2020 piece, this time from Eman who since his reasonably recent arrival in Bristol has been making his mark about the place. This piece was painted alongside Decay, and it is interesting that both artists opt for a little character in their name.

Eman, M32 cycle path, Bristol, December 2020
Eman, M32 cycle path, Bristol, December 2020

I think that this piece is an improvement on the first one that I saw in pretty much the exact same spot. The colour progression from letter to letter is nicely worked out and the blue shadow is nicely done. The character is rather cute and brings us those Christmas wishes. An all round nice piece.

Eman, M32 cycle path, Bristol, December 2020
Eman, M32 cycle path, Bristol, December 2020

This little character, also by Eman was lurking nearby.

3416. Dean Lane skate park (377)

Benjimagnetic is on fire at the moment, and although I haven’t’ posted many of his recent pieces, they are in the pipeline and I hope to share them all eventually. This one is in Dean Lane skate park on a wall that has seen some wonderful low-key pieces in the past. It is not one of the big ‘statement’ walls but tends to play host to some rather more modest pieces.

Benjimagnetic, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020
Benjimagnetic, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020

I will always own up to having Benjimagnetic dyslexia. I really struggle to make out his letters. However, I suspect Paul H might be able to help, but I think I can see an R an M? And an A? – who knows. His unique style is so recognisable and his ‘ghost’ letters brilliantly disguised. A fine piece of wildstyle writing.