2819. Dean Lane skate park (293)

From the feature image it is difficult to gauge the significance of this collaborative wall from little more than a week ago in Dean Lane skate park. I gave you a little hint earlier this week with a piece by Rusk which is on the left hand side of this wall behind the fence and which can’t be viewed from this vantage point.

Soker, Inkie and Hemper, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020
Soker, Inkie and Hemper, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020

I had decided to take the dog for a walk to Dean Lane and talk about being in the right place at the right time… this was it, and so utterly random that I had chosen to go down there. Not only were Soker, Inkie and Hemper busy doing their thing, but Rusk was also there and watching on were The Agent, Angus, DJ Perks and Tes (Slim Pickings).

Soker and Inkie, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020
Soker and Inkie, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020

It was a little bit like I had died and gone to graffiti heaven. To see these established writers all at work simultaneously was a rare treat indeed, and that other artists who had been tipped-off were watching on made the whole thing feel extra special.

Inkie and Hemper, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020
Inkie and Hemper, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020

I had met all the artists before with the exception of Hemper who seems to have had something of a renaissance of late, but this wasn’t really the right time to introduce myself, more an opportunity to watch how these guys go about their businness.

Soker, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020
Soker, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020

Soker’s chrome piece on the left is near perfect and spells out Sokem (the R and M are interchangeable in his name). The photographs of the finished pieces were taken a day or two later.

Inkie, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020
Inkie, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020

Inkie’s central panel is classic Inkie and whilst also in chrome stands out due to the deep 3D shading in a striking scarlet colour. This is the third Inkie I have seen so far this year which is not bad going especially as there haven’t been any festivals in that time.

Hemper, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020
Hemper, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020

I am less well acquainted with Hemper’s work simply because he hasn’t painted as much as the others until relatively recently. Again in chrome, this third panel of the triptych mirrors the colours of Soker’s piece on the left to give some symmetry to the collaborative work. A landmark wall and a red letter day.

Soker, Inkie and Hemper, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020
Soker, Inkie and Hemper, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020

Subtle

A gallery of brilliant graffiti writing from Bristol’s Subtle.

All photographs by Scooj

Subtle, Greenbank, Bristol, November 2024
Subtle, Greenbank, Bristol, November 2024
Subtle, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2022
Subtle, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2022
Subtle, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2022
Subtle, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2022
Subtle, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2021
Subtle, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2021
Subtle, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2021
Subtle, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2021
Subtle, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2021
Subtle, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2021
Subtle, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2021
Subtle, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2021
Subtle, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2021
Subtle, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2021
Subtle, M32 cycle path, Bristol, March 2021
Subtle, M32 cycle path, Bristol, March 2021
Subtle, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October2020
Subtle, M32 roundabout, Bristol, October2020
Subtle, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2020
Subtle, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2020
Subtle, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2020
Subtle, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2020
Subtle, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2020
Subtle, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2020
Subtle, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2020
Subtle, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2020
Subtle, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2020
Subtle, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2020
Subtle, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2019
Subtle, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2019
Subtle, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2019
Subtle, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2019
Subtle, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2019
Subtle, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2019
Subtle, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2019
Subtle, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2019
Subtle, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2019
Subtle, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2019
Subtle, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2019
Subtle, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2019
Rezwonk and Subtle, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2018
Rezwonk and Subtle, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2018
Rezwonk and Subtle, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2018
Rezwonk and Subtle, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2018
Subtle, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Subtle, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Subtle, Moon Street, Bristol, November 2017
Subtle, Moon Street, Bristol, November 2017
Subtle, Armada Place, Bristol, November 2017
Subtle, Armada Place, Bristol, November 2017
Subtle, Armada Place, Bristol, January 2016
Subtle, Armada Place, Bristol, January 2016
Subtle, Moon Street, Bristol, April 2016
Subtle, Moon Street, Bristol, April 2016

2818. Dean Lane skate park (292)

Now, I rather like this piece by an artist I know nothing about and have drawn a complete blank on using the Interweb. I think the artist goes under the moniker ‘Dtok’ but it could be any number of variants. I will try to find out more.

Dtor, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020
Dtor, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020

It appears on the famous curved wall in Dean Lane skate park and is a nicely done piece of writing and character accompaniment. I have seen this character, Marvin the Martian, before on Hill Street painted by Deamze. Although Deamze has left us for Hobart, his Marvin piece is still there for all to see. When you compare the two works, you can see that Dtok is on a journey and that practice will pay dividends in the long run. I like this piece a lot but it didn’t last very long unfortunately.

Deamze, Hill Street, Bristol, October 2018
Deamze, Hill Street, Bristol, October 2018

 

2816. M32 cycle path (53)

I should know by now that finding pieces by Rezwonk shouldn’t come as a surprise. He is a busy artist and will spray his work pretty much anywhere in the North Bristol spots, but finding this one really was a surprise as I didn’t know it was here and hadn’t seen it appear on social media… it is always nice when that happens, it somehow feels like a more genuine find.

Rezwonk, M32 cycle path, Bristol, March 2020
Rezwonk, M32 cycle path, Bristol, March 2020

The REZER writing incorporates a character Pinocchio with a rather long nose. I am not too sure what this might be referring to and it is difficult to make any assumptions because it seems we are surrounded by overt liars more now than ever before.

Rezwonk, M32 cycle path, Bristol, March 2020
Rezwonk, M32 cycle path, Bristol, March 2020

It might be some sub-cultural reference that I am not aware of, or it might simply be a bit of fun. As ever though, Rezwonk has turned out yet another immaculate piece. We are lucky in Bristol to have him and so many other accomplished graffiti writers.

2815. Brunel Way bridge (29)

In the rather damp environment under Brunel Way and immediately next to the River Avon, Subtle has painted another splendid piece in one of his favourite spots. There is no need ever to wonder who the artist is with his pieces, because his letters are always legible, clear and bold.

Subtle, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2020
Subtle, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2020

I like his colours used here and the alternation of outline from black to white on each of the letters. I am not too sure what OPEX refers to… time for a quick Google search… OK it is operational expenditure, but I don’t think that is what Subtle is referring to here. I think it is definitely time for a Subtle gallery, don’t you?

2814. Dean Lane skate park (291)

Rusk is so, so busy just at the moment as you will notice on Natural Adventures in coming days/weeks. This piece was painted on a very special day last week when there was a gathering of some of the best Bristol graffiti writers including Rusk, Soker, Inkie and Hemper. I got extraordinarily lucky as I had decided to take the dog for a walk in Dean Lane at the exact right time (more on the others coming soon).

Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020
Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020

Rusk is a friendly guy and when I arrived he made time for a quick chat and even posed for a picture. I have said it so many times before, but I’ll say it again, his work is always tight and he takes a lot of care in keeping it tidy. In this piece the colour fills are merged vertically, which is quite unusual and which looks rather nice.

Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020
Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020

I have separated out his piece from the others that were painting at the same time, because this end of the wall is somewhat separated from the rest of the wall in terms of photography due to a wall opposite it and being in a narrow space.

2812. St Werburghs tunnel (158)

Castles and spired towers decorate the letters of this medieval piece from Fiva, complete with a cartoon character knight. Thie last pece from Fiva in St Werburghs tunnel was an epic piece with massive letters, this is altogether much more the typical kind of piece we get from this brilliant Bristol artist.

Fiva, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2020
Fiva, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2020

In spraying my own letters last year, the artist I studied the most was Fiva and on one occasion I tried to copy one of his letters, but without much success. I am definitely inspired by Fiva and really enjoy finding his pieces.

Scooj, H in the style of Fiva, Bristol, June 2019
Scooj, H in the style of Fiva, Bristol, June 2019

2808. Wilder Street (39)

I don’t quite know why, but I don’t think I post nearly enough piece by T-Rex on Natural Adventures as I should. I have a great many in the archive and inn time they will surface. I guess the same could be said for most of the artists I write about, but I feel I might have neglected T-Rex a little more than most, so it is time to put that right.

Ryder, Wilder Street, Bristol, February 2020
Ryder, Wilder Street, Bristol, February 2020

This is a lovely romantic Valentine’s day piece by T-Rex painted in the colours of love and with a little heart under the T. She has put a little ‘Queen’ tag with an arrow pointing at the work, which I think is more than deserved. I’m not too sure who painted the little cupid, but it might have been Rusk whose piece was adjacent to this one. Lovely to see this piece in Wilder Street.

Scratch all of the above

The piece was by Ryder, T-Rex’s partner. Thank you Paul for pointing this out. Now the piece makes so much more sense.

2806. St Werburghs tunnel (156)

They just keep coming, don’t they? In this nice piece of graffiti writing from Decay, we see him return to some of his original colouring – famed for his black, white, grey and red colour palette – in this instance replacing white with chrome. It is amazing to see how his work has developed over the last couple of years, and a quick glance at this gallery I put together will give you a feel for that.

Decay, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2020
Decay, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2020

I have always had a soft spot for Decay. Apart from being the first street artist I had the courage to talk to while he was painting down in the Bearpit, he is genuinely a really decent bloke who always greets me with a smile whenever I see him. He has become part of the furniture of Natural Adventures, and that is a good thing.

2805. M32 cycle path (52)

One of the most consistent writers in Bristol is Rusk, always meticulous in the turnout of his pieces. This is a gorgeous example of his great work on the M32 cycle path, adjacent to an already featured piece from Soker.

Rusk, M32 cycle path, Bristol, February 2020
Rusk, M32 cycle path, Bristol, February 2020

The letter shapes are most pleasing and the blue 3D shading contrasts beautifully with the chrome letters and red gaseous background. This wall is no push-over as it conceals a metal door, so the surfaces are pretty uneven and made of different materials, not that you’d know it from looking at it. Rusk is pretty busy just at the moment, which is a very good thing as far as I am concerned.