I haven’t seen a piece by London graffiti writer Tizer for a very long time, so it was great to come across this one on the long wall recently. The piece was painted as part of a paint jam that included ARSA, Minto and RBN One amongst others.
Tizer, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2026
The combination piece features his TIZER letters bookended by a pair of characters, one liking rather sweet and the other ghoulish and sinister. Tizer’s style isn’t crisp and clean, but rather more detailed and brush-strokey if you know what I mean. A very nice surprise from the occasional visitor.
It was great to see that Reform were humiliated in the Makerfield by-election yesterday, although I think there were exceptional circumstances that led to the Labour victory, and that Reform remain a serious threat to the country. They are led by Nigel Farage, the driving force behind Brexit (an unimaginable disaster), and ‘man of the people’ who has just pocketed £5 million from a tech billionaire (no kick backs there?) and is part of the wealthy elite. This piece by John D’oh illustrates this nicely.
John D’oh, M32 roundabout J2, Bristol, May 2026
Although a small stencil, placed low down on a column, it has a powerful political message and leaves one in no doubt about John D’oh’s sentiments. I am surprised there aren’t more pieces like this about the place, and just hope that Farage pieces aren’t prophetic in any way. I remember posting a piece by Felix Braun featuring Trump and Johnson before either were President/Prime Minister, believing it could happen, but it did and what a disaster for us all it has turned out to be. Heed the warnings.
Felix Braun, Donald and Boris, Stokes Croft, Bristol, 23 May 2016
A huge spin-off benefit of Upfest is that some artists hang around the city for a few days and leave behind a few ‘extras’ in some of the spots that locals like to paint. In my view this is a great way to get better acquainted with artist’s work from outside Bristol.
Molar, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2026
One artist that left at least one ‘extra’ is Molar, based in Brighton. His name is more associated with his toothy character pieces, but it would seem that he is enjoying his writing that looks like letters taken out of newspapers and magazines and stuck to the wall independently resembling a collage. It is a very effective technique that is well carried out. Here his letters simply spell out ‘Do it’. More from Molar soon.
This is a very tidy piece by Kid Crayon on the long wall at Cumberland Basin. The combination of letters and characters works really well, and the whole thing feels like an integrated cartoon-style burner.
Kid Crayon, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2026
The large blocky letters are not uniform in distribution and size, but do stick to a font style. The character in the centre of the piece is holding a balloon fish – don’t ask me why, he just is. Another example of Kid Crayon’s creative and humorous work. Brilliant.
Doors 358 – Doors of Shrewsbury (part IX), Castle doors – April 2025
This selection of doors focuses in on Shrewsbury Castle, which sits at the northern part of the town at the neck of a loop in the River Severn, affording it the optimum strategic defensive position, with the river providing a natural defence from attack.
Location of Shrewsbury Castle. Google Maps
For interest, here is a short AI generated summary of Shrewsbury Castle:
Shrewsbury Castle is a red sandstone fortress that stands on a hill overlooking the town and the River Severn. Originally built by the Normans in the late 11th century, it combines medieval military architecture with later Georgian modifications, giving it a distinctive appearance. Its thick masonry walls, irregular layout, and commanding position reflect its defensive purpose, while later restorations introduced more refined architectural details that softened its fortress-like character.
The castle’s doors are notable examples of how architecture balanced security and access. Medieval entranceways were designed with heavy timber doors reinforced by ironwork, often set within deep stone arches that strengthened the gateway and made forced entry more difficult. These robust doorways, framed by red sandstone and defensive features, remain important architectural elements that highlight the castle’s military origins and craftsmanship.
And now on to the doors:
16th century Castle Gates House, Castle Street, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, April 2025Front door of Castle Gates House, Castle Street, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, April 2025Entrance gateway and door to Shrewsbury Castle, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, April 2025Shrewsbury Castle, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, April 2025Highly decorated door to Shrewsbury Castle, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, April 2025Steps and door to Shrewsbury Castle, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, April 2025Section of castle wall of Shrewsbury Castle, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, April 2025Studded door in the castle wall, Shrewsbury Castle, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, April 2025Castle door marked private, Shrewsbury Castle, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, April 2025Weathered door in the castle wall, Shrewsbury Castle, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, April 2025Ghost door in the castle wall, Shrewsbury Castle, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, April 2025Door of the information kiosk, Shrewsbury Castle, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, April 2025
I was fortunate enough to walk around the castle very early in the morning, and I was the only person in the grounds, it felt like a private viewing. That’s it for this week. More from Shrewsbury next time.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s weekly Thursday Doors post and his Sunday recap.
This is an infrequently painted fence which was in need of a bit of a tidy up, and Avem808 has duly obliged. The combination piece features some lovely intricate lettering spelling AVEM with a very deep drop shadow offering a strong three dimensional aspect. Very much two-dimensional is the well-known cartoon character – the Pink Panther.
Avem808, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2026
Avem8078 is on a bit of a roll. Last year I had only seen one or two pieces by him, now he seems to be turning out pieces on a regular basis and massively expanding his repertoire. One or two of the most recent ones have moved entirely away from writing and focussing on some of his characters – definitely watch this space for an artist who is growing in confidence and status.
Hire has been pushing all sorts of boundaries lately and varying his work considerably, including a character piece from a week or two back. In this superb piece of graffiti writing he spells out ODIAH, one of two words he tends to write.
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2026
What is really special about this piece is that it has a metallic appearance that is complete deception. The combination of blues and greys leaves the brain figuring out whether to look at those colours individually or to see what looks like a solid piece of reflecting metal. This is a technique used by many artists, perhaps the best being Fanakapan – see below to understand what I mean.
There is a tiny little passageway coming off East Street that links up to Norfolk Place where this shutter piece by Mind 49 can be found. I like to explore this little alley way, because just occasionally it leads to some special art.
Mind 49, Norfolk Place, Bristol, May 2026
The light conditions when I took this photograph were a little challenging, and the picture really doesn’t do justice to the piece itself, I think I’ll have to return on an overcast day, to avoid the large and small shadows. Mind 49 has settled on this theme of a head covered with patterns and illustrations, as if on a piece of cloth, with only the subject’s eyes and nose poking through, reminiscent of a food delivery rider with a balaclava hood. There is a contrast between the detailed features and the child-like deliberately crude daisies and flowers. Nice shutter piece.
Farrah has been very busy in the Windmill Hill area of Bristol, but I only found this out when I went on a little drive there recently. She has done a job on the Windmill Hill convenience store, that I’m sure has made it a bit of a local landmark – more tyhan simply a shop.
Farrah, Gwilliam Street, Bristol, May 2026
Her impressionist style draws on influences such as Vincent van Gogh, and she uses single brush strokes in a repeating pattern to create this vibrant organic effect. Often, Farrah will have a focal point in her pieces around which her patterns swirl, but not on this occasion, where the pattern simply ripples through the walls.
Farrah, Gwilliam Street, Bristol, May 2026
Farrah has certainly upped her game and is painting some really large walls, many of them commissions, and it would seem that she manages to make a living from her art, which can be a real struggle for artists. I’m sure that the people of Windmill are rightly proud of this work.
Natural adventures 