Dog Bless the Band, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, February 2026
I am taking a bit of a punt on this one, because it can be difficult to be sure who the artist is of an unsigned work… you have to go on style alone. I haven’t seen much lately that I could nail down as a dead cert Dog Bless the Band piece, although there have been a few candidates. He used to make it a bit easier by always writing MOTEL with a very distinctive ‘M’, but those are not necessarily the letters here. The selection of modest earthy colours is another indicator as well as the soft and blended fill style. Looking at his previous work, I think that I am reasonably confident it is the work of Dog Bless the Band.
Dog Bless the Band, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, February 2026
I have to say that I am a big fan of this style of writing, there is something organic and ‘mother earthly’ about it. It is gentle and unthreatening, almost as if created by nature itself. I will be on the lookout for more from this artist, and may have to raid my archives to dig out some ‘probables’ that I can attribute to him. Very nice piece.
Werm has been on fire this year, turning out a variety of tight pieces, each with a slightly different look. This piece brings us back to his favoured structural letter style with a solid bilateral symmetry.
Werm, River Avon, Bristol, February 2026
What makes this one stand out for me is the superb colour selection and freshness of the piece. Everything is near perfect. The letters are beautifully proportioned. The turquoise fill with its contiguous pattern of blue circles joined with lines has a molecular model feel to it, and is simply amazing. The red border is regular and clean and the piece sits on a beige buffed wall with superb red bricks randomly distributed. A very classy piece from Werm.
The Art of Sok, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2025The Art of Sok, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, October 2025The Art of Sok, M32 Spot, Bristol, June 2025The Art of Sok, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2024The Art of Sok, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2024The Art of Sok, Ashton Road, Bristol, July 2024The Art of Sok, M32 Spot, Bristol, July 2024The Art of Sok, Purdown, Bristol, July 2024The Art of Sok and Smak, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2024The Art of Sok, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2024Rusk and Theartofsok, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, October 2023Theartofsok, M32 Spot, Bristol, Ocober 2023Smak and The Art of Sok, Cheltenham Paint Festival 22, Cheltenham, July 2022The Art of Sok, Cheltenham Paint Festival 22, Cheltenham, July 2022
This is the last of five outstanding wildstyle graffiti writing pieces that were painted alongside each other a couple of weeks ago. This final piece is by Rakem, and is technically outstanding. While the letters are heavily disguised, they can be quite easily read if you know what to look for.
Rakem, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2026
I don’t know the artist, and haven’t posted his work before. I have a feeling he might be from Cardiff, but am not sure. The work speaks for itself, and any description I offer wouldn’t do the piece justice. Fabulous work from all five artists:
Nice One, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, February 2026
I make no secret of my admiration for Nice One’s work, and with this outstanding seascape he has gifted me my favourite piece of the year so far. I have history with fishing boats, and the marine environment more generally, so the content of this piece chimes perfectly for me.
Nice One, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, February 2026
It is more than possible that this is the best piece I have seen from Nice One to date. There is a tranquillity about the calm sea and the bubbling clouds, and the proportions and presentation of the boat are perfect. This is so very different in both style and content from pretty much anything else we see in Bristol, and we are all better off for it. Bravo!
Doors 346 – Doors from the City of York, (Part VII), June 2024
Today I bring you the final selection of doors from York, which were mostly photographed in the area around Monk Bar, a gate and tower north of the city centre – the following is a synopsis of Monk Bar from the excellent Jorvik website:
Monk Bar is the tallest and most elaborately designed of York’s four Bars, standing 19.2 metres high and forming the north-east entrance to the city. Built mainly in the early 14th century, with a fourth storey added in 1484 by King Richard III, it was designed so that each of its four levels could be defended independently. It once included a barbican (demolished in 1825) and still contains the city’s only working portcullis, which was last lowered in 1953 for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
The rooms above the gateway originally provided access to murder holes used to attack enemies, but today they house the Richard III Museum. Over time the upper floors have also served as a jail and a policeman’s residence, remaining inhabited until 1914. Later alterations included the addition of side arches in 1820 and the widening of the main arch for traffic in 1861, although the narrow, low stairwell leading inside the Bar remains unchanged.
It has been fun sharing these doors from York, and I’ll be moving on to pastures new next time, enjoy!
Monk Bar, city gate, York, North Yorkshire, June 2024
Monk Bar, city gate, York, North Yorkshire, June 2024
Entrance door to the city wall, Monk Bar, city gate, York, North Yorkshire, June 2024
Upper door to the city wall, Monk Bar, city gate, York, North Yorkshire, June 2024
Well-worn stable door from the city wall, York, North Yorkshire, June 2024
Shop door put to good use, York, North Yorkshire, June 2024
Pair of white panelled doors, spot the differences, York, North Yorkshire, June 2024
Door of the Black Swan pub, note the black cat above the door, York, North Yorkshire, June 2024
When walking around York, if you look up at the buildings (something I do a lot of), you’ll see a number of cats on walls or resting on ledges – this is another wonderful curiosity of the city, and there is a cat trail that you can go on to find all 51 of them. I found a few on my trip, but at the time didn’t realise it was a thing, so wasn’t really looking for them. There is one above the door in the last picture.
I now have the joyful challenge of deciding what to dig out of my archive for next time, until then, have a great 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.
Nips has been super-busy recently, which is a good thing, because I love her work. Normally I wax lyrical about her fills, but in this instance it is a straightforward chrome fill, with some minimal black accent lines and spots.
Nips, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, February 2026
What makes this piece for me is the wall preparation of a dark blue background, and the vibrant lime green/yellow outline, which combine to help this piece stand out and shout. Imagine if there had been no background or strong border, the writing would be in danger of being absorbed by the wall altogether. A wonderful bold piece from Nips.
I feel particularly squeezed for time today, so this might be short. As you will know the lion’s share of my photographic street art trips are accompanied by my dog. We wander about in some of the less desirable places of the city and snap away. Occasionally he will pull me in a direction I wasn’t planning, but that may lead to a new discovery, and so it was when I found this modest piece by 3Dom.
3Dom, Berwick Road, Bristol, February 2026
Painted on a rather grubby hoarding, the letters 3DOM can clearly be made out. I love his style of writing, which he has made all his own, and it is always immaculately presented. He includes the words ‘there were lobsters on the Titanic waiting to be eaten’, which I think means that there was a small and just breadcrumb of a positive outcome from the sinking of the Titanic – there might be a hint of class war in the sentiment too. My guess only – It isn’t a phrase I have heard before.
On the (old) news that hereditary peers will no longer be a part of the UK’s parliamentary system from the end of this session. A few will be made lifetime peers as a concession, but their children will not be admitted to the chambers by birthright. Took a while, but got there in the end.
Natural adventures 