One of the highlights of the year so far has been the return of Subtle. I have managed to photograph some of his pieces, but still haven’t located a wall that he has painted a couple of times, which is a pity, but I will persevere.
Subtle, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2025
This is a gorgeous piece of writing that picks up Subtle’s unique lettering style and combines it with a rich and varied colour palette as well as some decorative spotty background, which is beginning to feature in his work. Bristol streets and walls are quieter without his presence.
I am rather liking it that Sub is starting to switch things up a little and push his boundaries. Because he has only three letters to play with, his pieces tend to be quite large and impactful, perhaps at the expense of subtlety or detail, but this piece is quite different from his usual fare.
Sub, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2025
Sub has offered up a scorching scene of burning letters, that meld into one block, set in a nighttime landscape. This is a great creative advance, and probably took him some distance from his comfort zone. One small detail that I’m sure he will have learned is to do the border last, so that it retains the crispness between the letters and the background. All good stuff, and plenty more to come soon.
Doors 318 – Doors of Godalming, Surrey, March 2025 (Part IV)
Rather remarkably, I have remembered that Dan is taking a Thursday Doors holiday this week, but I have decided to press ahead with this week’s selection as I have a little bit of time (last night in fact) to write this post and I might as well make hay while the sun shines.
This is the fourth and penultimate selection of doors from Godalming in Surrey, photographed on a work trip overnight stay. This week’s doors are mostly from the High Street running through the centre of the town. Enjoy.
Beautiful timber frame building with Specsavers shopfront and dull grey door, High Street, Godalming, Surrey, March 2025Timber frame house and wonky black door, High Street, Godalming, Surrey, March 2025Wonky black door, High Street, Godalming, Surrey, March 2025Tudor archway, Crown Court, Godalming, Surrey, March 2025Yard double door and archway dated 1836, High Street, Godalming, Surrey, March 2025Grand entrance to The King’s Arms and Royal Hotel, High Street, Godalming, Surrey, March 2025A roof door at The King’s Arms and Royal Hotel, High Street, Godalming, Surrey, March 2025Classic door with porch and twin trees, High Street, Godalming, Surrey, March 2025
Godalming High Street, like so many other high streets in English towns, is stuffed full of little gems and wonderful history, heritage and architecture. It is all too easy to keep your head down and not look at what is around you. Having an interest in doors acts like a portal (no pun intended) into this world of curiosity of your surroundings, and it has certainly prompted me to look at the places where I happen to be through a different lens. One more selection and then I move on to another place. See you 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 Thursday Doors post.
Pekoe and SPZero76, Knowle West, Bristol, July 2025
I knew that there has been a paint jam somewhere in South Bristol recently, but I had no idea where. Then along came John Bennett who occasionally reads this blog and sent me the location. Even then, it took me a while to find this treasure trove, but it was well worth persevering to locate the quiet little side street.
Pekoe and SPZero76, Knowle West, Bristol, July 2025
This collaboration from Pekoe and SPZero76 is the first of several posts from this little backwater. Pekoe’s portrait is notable for the cat perched on the woman’s head and the inclusion of shoulders and upper torso, which is so often missing in Pekoe’s work. SPZero76 has painted one of his crazy raccoons, which includes a little cat sitting on a cloud of spray paint. I love the contrast in their comments too. Pekoe’s earnest ‘fund art not war’ contrasting with SPZero76’s rather hilarious ‘read more comics’. Such is the diversity of the street art community.
Tera has exploded onto the Bristol street art scene in a matter of only weeks. The tattooist (by trade) has only recently picked up spray cans under the watchful eye of Kid Crayon and is already creating some impressive productions, that are not only ambitious, but also really well executed. Some people are born naturals, and Tera is definitely one of them.
Tera, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2025
At the entrance to St Werburghs tunnel, this is an awesome ‘horror’ piece that has so much to admire about it. The greyscale central character and hooded figures are brought to life with the green glow, which works exceptionally on the skull’s face as part of the overall shading. Tera describes this as a toxic medieval zombie fella – well, it works for me.
Although this piece is unsigned (which in itself is a clue), I have made the pretty safe assumption based on the letter font that it is by Nice One. The piece is a protest piece about the war in Gaza and says ‘Smash Elbit’. Elbit is an international military technology company and defence contractor based in Israel, and clearly central to the annihilation of Gaza and its people.
Nice One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2025
The bleak piece, which appears like a smashed window, is a reminder that we are all witnesses to a genocide that western democracies have failed to stop, and indeed appear to support. It cannot be that hard to get tough on the Israeli government, can it? Street art once again providing a running commentary of contemporary issues with impact.
I was lucky enough to come across Dibz and Fade while they were painting this beautiful collaboration and was given a small insight into some of their colour choices over the last year. It turns out that they are only now finishing off the paint that they were given by Goldie for his wall of fame at Ikea last year. Amazing really that he gave them so much and that it has lasted this long.
Dibz and Fade, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2025
This stacked collaboration required quite a lot of ladder work, and seeing the work in progress gives some sense of scale. Fade is working on his letters, bottom left and Dibz is up the latter. I guess I’ll have top forgive them for the brown background, which works well with the flame colours used in the letters, although an extra coat might have helped in one or two spots.
Dibz and Fade, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2025
Overall, the twin collaboration is yet another demonstration of their extraordinary talent. I particularly like the green splats, giving the whole thing a bit of vibrancy and movement.
On the pathway alongside the River Avon, that leads to the Brunel Way bridge and flyover, is a small wall which appears to be a relic from a small outbuilding that must have had some function (perhaps a pump station), probably related to the river. It seems odd that this ruin wasn’t completely demolished, but what remains has become quite a popular wall for graffiti artists.
Scrapyardspec, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2025
The most recent visitor to this wall is Scrapyardspec, who is an expert in finding small nooks and crannies all over the city to paint his googly-eyed, goofy character pieces. This character appears to have no outline, just features, plastered on the wall. Three eyes, three noses and one long toothy mouth make up this harmless fellow, joining countless others about the place. Scrapyardspecs’ visits to Bristol seem to be getting more frequent, which is no bad thing.
Natural adventures 