6930. M32 roundabout (680)

Lupa, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2025
Lupa, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2025

I’ve said it before and I will say it again, there is an authenticity I really like about Lupa’s work. Her modest pieces stick to her general formula, and her letters are unpretentious and fun.

Lupa, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2025
Lupa, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2025

In this piece she has pushed herself to incorporate an intricate grey and white box background pattern which must have taken ages to do. It has worked really well and raise the interest level in the piece considerably. Her letters are nicely filled with a combination of colours that are easy on the eye. A very nice piece of graffiti writing from Lupa.

6929. St Werburghs tunnel (497)

Bean, St Werburghs, Bristol, May 2025
Bean, St Werburghs, Bristol, May 2025

I often comment about artists who paint in a particular style, and ask myself whether they could do something completely different, marking them out as a versatile artist. Well, Bean has gone the full mile with this portrait piece that couldn’t be further removed from his usual cartoon characters.

Bean, St Werburghs, Bristol, May 2025
Bean, St Werburghs, Bristol, May 2025

I have to say I was quite flabbergasted when I saw this, and admire Bean even more than I did before. I knew he was clearly very talented, but this portrait takes my view of him to another level. I hope he will be painting in Bristol more over the Summer months, and will wait to see what other hidden talents he has in his locker.

6928. Brunel Way (314)

Sait Bare, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2025
Sait Bare, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2025

I have to be a little brief this morning. I am staying with family, and I think breakfast is ready…

I have noticed that Sait Bare likes to paint in this area by the river, and would guess that he probably lives nearby.

Sait Bare, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2025
Sait Bare, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2025

Perhaps the most notable thing about this lovely piece is the colour selection, which reminds me of a stick of rhubarb, and once seen that way, it can’t be unseen. The letters SAIT are nicely filled in the base colours and liberally decorated with colour- matched dots. The whole thing is nicely rounded off with a black and white stripy drop shadow. An attractive piece of graffiti writing.

6927. Dean Lane skate park (832)

Andy Council, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2025
Andy Council, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2025

Andy Council has painted this exact spot a number of times, and I can only think that the shape and size of the wall suits his pieces really well. I had to make a return visit, because I arrived only moments after he had completed the piece, but there was a dirty great big shadow running right through the middle of the piece. Obviously, I managed to get some better pictures the second time.

Andy Council, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2025
Andy Council, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2025

The creature looks like a cross between a dinosaur and the Alien creature from the film series. It is, as you’d expect, beautifully crafted from a load of component parts that come together beautifully to make the whole. The writing to the left ‘Rising Trichomes’ I think might be a reference to cannabis buds, and not, as I first thought, the dinosaur species name, haha. A fine piece from Andy Council.

6926. Peel Street Green (41)

3Dom, Peel Street Green, Bristol, May 2025
3Dom, Peel Street Green, Bristol, May 2025

Ordinarily, I would expect a 3Dom piece to stick around for a month or two at least, but this wonderful piece only lasted a couple of weeks, which is a shame, but at least it was painted over with a decent piece, and it wasn’t tagged or bombed.

3Dom, Peel Street Green, Bristol, May 2025
3Dom, Peel Street Green, Bristol, May 2025

There is always a great deal of symbolism in 3Dom’s work, and here is a large eye character bearing the heavy weight of a skull. There is so much more going on here than simply the idea. The colour selections, light cast, shadows and perspectives are all impeccably presented and sets a bar for character artists across the land. You might spot a yellow Mr Bloopy in the background too.

6925. Dean Lane skate park (832)

Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2025
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2025

It is a little disappointing that I have missed a couple of pieces by Hire this year, which is a real pity. You have to be quick off the mark in this game, and if you snooze, you lose. However, it does feel like Hire’s pieces, a bit like Kid Crayon’s pieces, tend to get painted over rather quickly. I am not sure if this is deliberate targeting or simply bad luck, I would like to think it is the latter, but whatever the reason, it makes their work feel even more precious.

Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2025
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2025

This is a slightly strange piece by Hire, which I think is meant to represent a pile of poo, with some excited insects making the most of it. Certainly it is an unusual composition in brown (why is everyone painting with brown this spring?), spelling out ODIAH, letters which Hire likes to use from time to time. How much better the piece looks with the subtle green glow on the edge of the letters, without which it would all look a little flat. Unusual and interesting work from Hire.

6924. Greenbank (157)

Scrapyardspec, Greenbank, Bristol, May 2025
Scrapyardspec, Greenbank, Bristol, May 2025

There are a number of artists who have a signature piece or style that through repetition become recognised, and lean towards iconic. Examples in Bristol would include Full Time Ghoul, Mr Underbite and perhaps most famously, Slim Pickings, who writes TES. The visiting Scrapyardspec is one of these artists.

Scrapyardspec, Greenbank, Bristol, May 2025
Scrapyardspec, Greenbank, Bristol, May 2025

This is a fine double character piece from Scrapyardspec, looking a little golden in the late afternoon sun. His endearing, wibbly/goofy characters haven’t deviated much from the archetypal form and are beautifully filled with green and yellow colours that match the parched grass verge perfectly. His regular visits to Bristol are more than welcome.

6923. St Werburghs tunnel (496)

Corupt, St Werburghs, Bristol, April 2025
Corupt, St Werburghs, Bristol, April 2025

This bold piece by Corupt is in the darkest part of the St Werburghs tunnel, and I had to do a little bit of brightness and colour manipulation to bring out the best in these photographs. The tunnel is a great street art/graffiti spot, especially in wet weather, but the light conditions can make photography very challenging at times.

Corupt, St Werburghs, Bristol, April 2025
Corupt, St Werburghs, Bristol, April 2025

This is a really beautifully presented Chrome piece, spelling out STICK, set on a pink background, with a fine red line outside the thicker black border, a design element that is a bit of a signature of the artist’s work. There is something rather unusual and appealing about his letter style. Great piece if you can actually see it in the gloom.

6922. Dean Lane skate park (831)

Fade, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2025
Fade, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2025

There are a couple of things that are slightly unusual about this piece by Fade. The first is that it is a solo piece and not a collaboration with Dibz and second, it has unfamiliar letters, as it is a tribute to ‘the Mrs’ to use Fade’s words, although I can’t remember her name, and I am struggling to decipher the letters.

Fade, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2025
Fade, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2025

The graffiti writing is flawless, as you would expect, and stands out on the large wall with a black background. There is a little too much brown for my own personal taste, but I have spoken enough about that in recent posts. Really stand out work from Fade

6921. M32 roundabout J3 (679)

Short, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2025
Short, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2025

This piece, by Short, is really easy to miss. It is in one of the tunnels under the M32 roundabout where the lighting is poor, and one’s mind is focussed on not being run down by a bicycle or e-scooter rather than stopping to look at the graffiti writing. If photographing such pieces is hazardous, I can’t imagine what it is like to try and paint in such a confined space.

Short, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2025
Short, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2025

The black, joined-up letters, spelling SHORT are somewhat augmented, deliberately or otherwise, by the background created by a previous artist’s large chrome letters, which creates the perfect backdrop. I am enjoying the way that Short is popping up in different places around the city, and offering us a type of graffiti writing that is a step up from throw ups, and developing all the time.