Biers was one of the first graffiti writers I met in Bristol, and back then he used to write the letters BIERS. He has undergone a few reinventions since then and currently writes WD40. I noticed yesterday that he has dropped off Instagram and hope that this is a temporary thing, and wonder if it signals another name change (probably not).
Biers, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2025
This is a nicely painted squat piece on the roundabout. Lately he has been painting fewer combination pieces incorporating characters, and concentrating on his letters, which in my view is a pity, because I rather liked his character interventions. This piece is on-point, clean and crisp… unpretentious and speaks of the joy of being a graffiti writer.
Pura Decadencia, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2025
Painted alongside a piece I featured recently by Desi, this super writing by Pura Decadencia took me several attempts to photograph on account of the wrong light conditions each time I visited. This third attempt was, as you can see, was on an unusually welcome overcast day.
Pura Decadencia, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2025
Pura has been teaming up with Desi on a couple of occasions now, and they seem to be bringing out the best in each other. Pura’s letters are clear, regular and quite large, providing plenty of scope for playing about with fills. She has nicely blended three pink tones and added in some reversed spots to jazz things up a little. The atmospheric background is in a style I am seeing more frequently on the streets at the moment, a particular favourite technique used by Sub, for example. No vampire teeth this time, but a fine example of Pura Decadencia’s work.
Cornico and Daz Cat, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2025
The curved wall at Dean Lane has played host to so many fabulous pieces (and some not so fabulous). This collaboration from Conrico and Daz Cat is a wonderful piece, full of creativity and colour, with the two distinct styles coming together in great harmony.
Cornico and Daz Cat, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2025
The left hand side of the wall belongs to Conrico, who has written his name in one of his familiar landscapes, with a distant monster that might be Godzilla emerging from the stylised choppy sea. To the right, Daz Cat has painted a sage-like old fish/axolotl type character watches on as if he might have the answer to an unknown question. Is that an orange platypus in his packet? Lots of stories in this brilliant collaboration.
I don’t visit this spot as often as some of the others, as it is a little further to drive for me and more difficult to squeeze into a lunchtime break. The upshot is that when I do go, there are usually a few new pieces for me to enjoy.
Omie, River Avon, Bristol, February 2025
Omie is an artist who only came onto my radar about 18 months ago, and he has been turning out a wonderful variety of pieces in that time. He is a creative artist who changes his style completely with each new piece. The more I look at this one, the more I like it.
His chunky block letters in two shades of green and with a deep drop shadow are decorated with what I can only describe as what looks like drizzles of chocolate sauce or marmite (take your pick) running through the midline. A really clever idea and beautifully executed. The letters are set on a contrasting background of pink and orange bubbles, which provide contrast and help the piece stand out on the busy wall. Great stuff.
Face 1st, Zake and Soap, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2025
It was great to see this PWA collaboration recently, something that is a little less frequent these days now that Face 1st has moved away from Bristol, but true to his word, he does still come back now and again to decorate our streets. Here he is joined by Zake and Soap.
Face 1st, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2025
Face 1st has been experimenting with his letters recently, and perhaps it is a way of refining his technique and growing himself as an artist. There is a symmetry to the letters which spell out Face First, painted in a deep gold colour which contrasts with the pink background and sets the colour theme for the whole collaboration.
Zake, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2025
The centrepiece is a character face painted by Zake, with all the depth we are used to seeing in his work created by the use of light and shade. Zake has cleverly picked up on the gold colour and used it as the bottom-lit element, highlighting his character’s features.
Soap, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2025
Rounding off the triptych is a piece of writing from Soap, who also appears to be trying something a little different. His letters look like a halfway house towards calligraffiti, with some order and form to the letters in terms of shape and size, and some interesting details creeping in. A truly wonderful PWA collaboration from three beating hearts of the Bristol street/graffiti art scene.
I have said it many times, but Bloem is one of the most improved and gifted new artists painting the streets of Bristol, whose outstanding talent and creativity is put to good use for all to enjoy. It took me a long wait to finally get a decent picture of this piece, as there was a large black van parked in front of it for what seemed like an eternity. Patience is a virtue, and it was well worth waiting to get a shot from the front.
Bloem, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025
Once more, Bloem includes some of her favourite elements, including the hand with pointy fingernails, a chain and a beautiful flower. These elements bind together nicely, and I daresay that there is a fair amount of conscious or unconscious symbolism going on here. I think that the grey plants are orchids and if we are talking of symbolism, they are associated with love, beauty and refinement.
Bloem, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025
The big orange centrepiece flower looks like a chrysanthemum and acts as a fabulous focal point of the piece. Not only is the composition original and beautiful, but it is really well executed too. Great work from Bloem.
Nice One has been my favourite discovery of 2024. His unique brand of combination pieces incorporating his beautiful font writing and colourful sketches of characters or scenes has been both refreshing and intriguing in equal measure. I genuinely look forward to finding his work and have that satisfied glow when it happens.
Nice One, Stapleton Road, Bristol, February 2025
This piece was painted over another of his, in fact, you can just see the remnants of the word NICE below it, and it is a very respectful way of keeping things fresh. The letters are a little bolder than in some of his pieces and remain impactful. His bear is painted as if it were a sketch in a sketchbook, this style of spray-painting is in stark contrast to the solid fill, black border approach that we see so much of. The bear looks pretty fearsome, and looks better and better the further away you stand from the piece. Lovely work from Nice One.
There was a period last year when Minto was in full flow, and barely a week passed by without a new piece from the graffiti artist, but over the winter months his activity in Bristol slowed. It was great to see this piece on the roundabout recently, and I hope that it signifies a return to more frequent pieces from him.
Minto, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2025
The piece combines graffiti writing with a wizard character reaching out, and some fabulous perspective as the hands grab out towards the letters. Although difficult to see, the word MINTO will be concealed in there somewhere, but it is all rather more cryptic than in many of his other pieces, and just for good measure he has written his name to the left. A cool piece.
Natural adventures 