Slim pickings has been very busy during the late summer and early Autumn, and it seems that there is barely a week that goes by without a new TES at Dean Lane. This clean and tidy one in grey shades is really rather smart looking, and the curved line between the E and the S is there, a point of discussion on my last post on Slim Pickings’ work.
Slim Pickings, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019
I used to think that his pieces were all identical, but that is not the case, and he is constantly evolving the form of TES, perfecting it and then making subtle adjustments. Always good to see these beauties.
Some more high-quality writing, this time from Turoe One down at the riverside path under Brunel Way. I think I have written before that I know little about Turoe One, in so much as he has not been on my radar too much in the past until quite recently. This is a strange state of affairs as he is absolutely one of the long established Bristol graffiti writers and commands three pages in Felix Braun’s seminal work ‘Children of the Can’. Maybe he hasn’t been too active since I started getting interested over ther last five years or so, but he certainly seems to be quite busy now.
Turoe One, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2019
Spelling TURO (he seems to spell it several different ways), this piece is crisp and clean and the red and green contrast brilliantly. I have always been quite fond of the apple green and red combination and think I might try it out next time I spray my board in the garden. I’m very much enjoying the work of this Bristol master.
Tight is probably the best word to use when describing the work of Dibz. Always meticulously thought out, clean lines, perfect 3D shading, crisp fills and more often than not, fabulous colour choices. Dibz really pays attention to his pieces and each one is carefully constructed to produce a complete and stylish work.
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019
This one in Dean Lane is simply another example of just how accomplished the artist is, and what he lacks in quantity, he more than makes up for in quality. There is beauty in this, and I challenge even the most ardent critics of graffiti writing not to concede that this is a high quality piece. Nice one.
We all love a little sunshine, or at least when it is the right kind of sunshine. In this set of photographs we have the wrong kind of sunshine, the kind that casts shadows in tunnels, the kind that people like me don’t like very much, especially when you don’t get regular opportunities to visit particular places.
Inkie, Paint festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019
This is one of two pieces that Inkie painted for the Cheltenham Paint Festival, the other larger one being a little bit further out of town and rather more celebrated. Inkie has painted a truly Inkie piece here with his characteristic writing supported by one of his iconic profile portraits and lots of swirling hair. The letters spelling out ChelSpa, a confated version of Cheltenham Spa (for which he would have needed a much longer wall).
Inkie, Paint festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019
It always great to see Inkie pieces especially when on travels outside his native Bristol/London bases, and Cheltenham certainly has some to be proud of, if you include his contributions to the 2018 Paint Festival.
I realise that graffiti writing isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and it is one of the reasons that I try to mix up street art pieces and graffiti writing pieces on Natural Adventures, but I do have a mission to grow an appreciation for writing and writers whose work is often highly technical and commands supreme spray painting skills. This piece by Veks is really out of the top drawer.
Veks, Brunel Way, Bristol, September 2019
Some of the things that make this piece so good include fantastic variations of colours blended nicely through the letters, an outstanding selection of complementary colours bounded by a very tight and sharp yellow border, a fine background and most of all a nicely balanced design, not over-complicated or too fussy. Great work from Veks.
It feels like an absolute age (and it probably is) since I last posted anything from Jee See, and here on one of the ramps at Dean Lane he recently painrted this little collaboration piece with Pekoe. I think it might have been at the rescheduled DLH (Dean Lane Hardcore) event a couple of weekends back.
Jee See, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019
Jee See has written a rather nice 3D rendition of his moniker which adopts a whole load of very nicely done shadings, hatchings, drips, cracks and colour fades. So good to see him back in action.
Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019
Just to the right of Jee See’s writing is another one of Pekoe’s beautiful ladies in blue, a colour she often favours, and with a little tear beneath her eye – what does this tear tell us about the srtist? Is there some inherent sadness there? There is a clue in the top right of the piece which indicates that it is a tribute to Janet. Tribute pieces are often painted with a little extra love and have a poignancy to them.
Pekoe, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019
I am so enjoying finding and appreciating Pekoe’s work which just seems to be on a steady improvement.
It always feels a little unusual finding a T-Rex piece in Dean Lane probably because she doesn’t paint here as often as in North Bristol, so coming across this rather nicely done piece of writing was a pleasant surprise.
T-Rex, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019
This piece oozes with confidence and competence. The letters are beautifully done, the character dinosaur with its cheeky grin, the leopard spot and giraffesque fills in the letters and the 3D blue shadowing are all masterfully created with what appears to be total ease. She really is a fabulous writer and we are lucky to have her brightening up the streets of Bristol.
Another rather decent piece by Nightwayss at the St George skate park. I got to this one early in the morning and looking at how unskuffed it is I would think it was probably painted the night before.
Nightwayss, St George, Bristol, September 2019
Something a little different from Nightwayss, with an interesting background and hollow writing. Of course no piece by this artist is complete without a monkey and this one is rather handsome, beautifully reversed out where his body comes into contact with the letters. Keep ’em coming.
On a ramp at St George skate park is this rather tasty clean and tidy piece by Fiva. I have only been visiting this skate park for about three months and it has yielded so many lovely pieces. The turnover here is quite high, because all the surfaces get pretty scuffed pretty quickly – luckily I got to this one when it was stil pretty fresh.
Fiva, St George skate park, Bristol, September 2019
I am racking up quite a decent collection of pieces by Fiva and this one is a little different from many, with a slightly more forgiving font and softer cloudy background although the whole thing is set on a rather austere blue brick wall background. I like Fiva’s work a lot and always get a bit of a kick out of finding new pieces by him.
As part of the 3Dom birthday celebration paint jam down at Dean Lane Hemper painted this wonderful piece of writing on the curved wall that has played host to so many incredible pieces over the years.
Hemper, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2019
The letters are bold and the colours blended from top to bottom are exceptional, but it is the texture of the piece and the drips melting down that show the true craftsmanship of this fabulous Bristol graffiti writer.