Sled one, a self-confessed fair weather painter, has been getting going this spring with some beauties, including this outstanding piece as part of a small collaboration on the long wall at Cumberland Basin.
Sled One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2026
I suspect that this piece is a celebration of spring itself, with a cartoon sun playing a wind instrument from which a flower is emerging. Some stylised clouds round off the scene perfectly. It is incredible to think that most of Sled One’s work is painted without sketches, just straight off the top of his head. An extraordinary talent. More to come soon.
Two significant things are happening today. Most importantly, Arsenal will be getting their hands on the Premier League trophy at Crystal Palace’s Selhurst Park this afternoon, and fans can properly celebrate. Also important is that this weekend is the second of three in the Upfest Street Art Festival in Bristol, which I will be popping down to later on this morning. In the meantime, here is a beautiful piece of graffiti writing from Mesk, AKA Lazureness.
Mesk, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, April 2026
This is a wonderfully fresh piece, set on a white buffed wall, with a lovely clean look to it. The green fills, transitioning through the MESK letters, work incredibly well together, and along with the black drop shadow and small yellow strip detailing, leave us with a near perfect piece. So good to see.
Lupa is Lupa. Her work comes straight out of the school of ‘what you see is what you get’, and I love it. There is an authenticity about her presentation, which can look a little scruffy around the edges sometimes, that gets to the heart and soul of graffiti writing in Bristol.
Lupa, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2026
This piece features her characteristically chunky letters, filled with a nice combination of purple and mint green and some reversed out spots and lines. I believe that I have only met Lupa once – I think it was at the Cheltenham Paint Festival – but her artwork transmits positive vibes and a cheerful, carefree disposition. Her work always cheers me up. You can see her updated gallery here.
Conrico has had a productive year so far and in my view has been creating some of his best and most varied work, showing that within his unique ‘paintbrush’ style, he can conjure up exotic scenes, stunning portraits and throw in some writing too.
Conrico, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2026
This is a wonderful piece that transitions between two perpendicular hoardings on the corner at the end of the Greenbank ‘wall’. Two cats, one on each board pose in front of a flaming background, and this cat looking backwards is accompanied by a tidy ‘CONRICO’ alongside it.
Conrico, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2026
The second cat is walking towards the corner. There are two possible outcomes when these felines meet – familial recognition and love or a stand-off. They look like siblings to me, so I suspect the former outcome. A lovely story creatively told by Conrico. One for the cat-lovers.
Boom! This is a banging piece of graffiti writing from Oust. Full of movement and positive vibes. Parts of the writing feel like they are reaching out from the wall, thanks to the depth of the 3D drop shadow and letter fills.
Oust, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2026
Set on a grey buffed wall, the blue and red colours are perfectly matched, with the fill variations of blue looking wonderful. The subtle grey and white bubbles around the perimeter of the piece accentuate the energy of the letters. A fine piece from Oust.
I believe Vermo to be one of the most unusual graffiti writers I have come across. His letters are separated by space and appear as hovering ‘bubbles’ which are connected only by the void between them.
Vermo, Peel Street Green, Bristol, May 2026
This technique lends itself very well to being slapped onto any wall, regardless of what already exists there, without the need to prep the wall or buff it. In this combination piece, the letters are accompanied by a little character pointing, in the bottom left-hand corner. There is white plasma bolt running across the piece, which at first glance might look a bit like the piece has been dogged, but it is definitely part of the composition. Something different from Vermo.
Minto has been out and about quite a lot this year, which is great to see, and recently he has turned out a couple of pieces on a black background, of which this is one, that introduce a whole new aspect to his work, bringing in all sorts of opportunities for contrasting colours.
Minto, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, May 2026
The letters, heavily disguised, spell MINTO, and they are heavily augmented with colours, lines and shapes that almost give a ‘firework’ appearance to the piece. I can see at least two ephemeral characters in the piece, a bird’s head in the centre, and a head at the top right. There is so much to look at and discover i this fine piece of graffiti writing.
There are several names that this artist goes under; Jest Soubriquet, Jest Likes and Likes Wan Tu. I tend to stick with the first one because it is the first name I used in this blog, and if nothing else, I do like a bit of consistency. This is a wonderful wildlife piece, painted during a paint jam alongside the River Avon.
Jest Soubriquet, River Avon, Bristol, May 2026
The characters look familiar, probably based on Disney’s Lion King characters. The colourful one on the left (Mufasa?) is definitely a better rendition than the one on the right, where the nose doesn’t seem quite right. Excellent stuff from this regular visitor. Note to self – time for a gallery?
Doors 355 – Doors of Shrewsbury (part V) – April 2025
It is my wife’s birthday today, which is a special family moment and means that I will be necessarily brief for today’s post.
After a brief hiatus last week, when I ran out of time to prepare some Shrewbury doors, the series continues with a mixed selection this week, from the town steeped in history. I hope you enjoy this selection of doors and views:
Ancient gateway with wooden surround, Wyle Cop, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, April 2025Black door and brass plates, Wyle Cop, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, April 2025Black doors of a timber-framed building, Wyle Cop, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, April 2025Black door and large decorative window above, Beeches Lane, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, April 2025Beautiful Timber-framed building and shop/restaurant doors, Wyle Cop, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, April 2025Steps and a water gauge alongside the River Severn, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, April 2025The English Bridge, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, April 2025The English Bridge, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, April 2025Ghost door in a wall alongside the River Severn, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, April 2025Archway on St Mary’s Water Lane, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, April 2025Secure door and locked gate, Saint Mary’s Water Lane, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, April 2025Grand blue door, Windsor Place, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, April 2025
When I took the photographs of the bridge, I hadn’t realised until afterwards that a lost soul was being talked away from sitting on the edge of the bridge by a police officer. In my original image (much higher resolution than here) I can see the pair. I am happy to report that the ‘jumper’ was safely talked away from the bridge, and I hope received the care and attention he needed.
More to come next time. Have a great, and in the UK, Bank Holiday weekend.
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.
Natural adventures 