Whenever I find a Taboo piece I always know to expect the unexpected. His anti-style approach means that conventions and regularity are thrown out of the window and you have to invest in his work and trust the process. If you submit to his style, rather than try to fight against it, it all becomes so much more enjoyable – which could be said for graffiti writing more generally.
Taboo, Greenbank, Bristol, June 2026
These single colour cartoonish letters with a deep drop shadow in the same colour are accompanied by a little crocodile character at the right hand side. Some little white accent spots and crocodile teeth lift the piece with subtlety and skill. The piece is accompanied with the words ‘make it snappy’ a phrase that rounds off the joke that begins ‘give me a crocodile sandwich…’. A fine but of fun from Taboo.
Around a month or so before Upfest, the organisers of the festiival curated a wall in the heart of the shopping district of Bristol, which played host to a number of well-known artists and provided a bit of a teaser for the main festival, as well as brightening up this little corner of an otherwise dull and grey space.
Hazard, Quakers Art Lane, Bristol, June 2026
The timing of this mini-event roughly coincided with the 100th birthday of Sir David Attenborough, and this portrait piece of our national treasure by Hazard, while not particularly flattering captures the age and intensity of the great man. I cannot think of anyone living who has done more to raise the wonder of nature and bring it into our homes, but also quietly and diplomatically raise some of the more challenging issues of our time such as biodiversity loss, climate change and most contraversially spiralling global population.
Hazard, Quakers Art Lane, Bristol, June 2026
Hazard, who has close associations with Bristol having lived here for a number of years, is much loved in the city. This piece showcases her ability to capture images, Sir David and the owl in this case, and bring them to life with a lively colour palette, and breaking up that which we know and are accustomed to with geometric shapes and interventions. This is a brilliant piece by Hazard, depicting a personal hero. Bravo!
This beautiful piece of graffiti writing by Zinso didn’t last very long t all, I don’t know why it was painted over so quickly, but I am pleased I got a shot of it before it disappeared. It is remarkable how quickly, since his return to writing to walls in Bristol, Zinso has become a part of the furniture.
Zinso, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2026
His writing is always beautifully finished, but also he manages to generate creative fills that demonstrate a very accomplished hand. Here his cartoon style letters are filled with light purple spots on a lilac base. Very pretty to look at and fulfilling.
A year or two back Hemper was smashing out pieces on a ridiculously regular rhythm, but since then has been a little quieter, although I have noticed a slight increase in his activity over the last couple of months. His work is always of such quality and class that it is always a pleasure to his pieces.
Hemper, Peel Street Green, Bristol, July 2026
This one in Peel Street Green, picks up on a theme he has used before, of a chequered background, looking almost like a tablecloth, over which is painted a rather crude, but beautifully worked piece of bubble writing spelling HEMS. The yellow letters , drips and all contrast brilliantly with the backdrop. The message “Instagram makes you moody” possibly speaks to all of us. A very nice piece.
The Chaotic Gardener, St Mark’s Avenue, Bristol, July 2026
One of the truly wonderful things that has happened to me this year has been finding and noticing orchids. I have always been aware of them, but can’t actually remember finding them before, which as a 62-year-old naturalist is quite extraordinary. Having found several different species this year, I am now super-aware of all things orchid, so coming across this piece by The Chaotic Gardener (AKA Stacy H.Art) in St Mark’s Avenue was pure heaven.
The Chaotic Gardener, St Mark’s Avenue, Bristol, July 2026
I don’t know the artist at all, but she has put her heart and soul into the ‘Pathways for Pollinators’ project, tidying up the area’s alleyways with planters and street art. The Chaotic Gardener has painted three orchids in this piece and labelled them: heath spotted, early purple and common spotted orchid. Wonderful stuff, and great to have some botanical accuracy represented on the streets.
Here are some of the orchids I have found:
Green-winged Orchid (Anacamptis morio), East Head, West Sussex, April 2026Common Spotted Orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii), Cheltenham Escarpment National Nature Reserve, Gloucestershire, June 2026Pyramidal Orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis), Lawrence Weston, Bristol, June 2026
Having had a very busy start to the year with his inspirational landscapes and long-necked birds, Creamylines has slowed down a little over the summer months. I know that he has been working on other art projects and that is probably occupying much of his time.
Creamylines, M32 Spot, Bristol, July 2026
Although this is quite a small piece, Creamylines has managed to squeeze in many of his common elements into this compressed landscape. Sea, hills, trees, the sun and birds, people and fish, all combine in this mosaic of little stories. I’ll never tire of Creamylines’ work.
This is a lovely tribute piece for Tickz by Hypo, which is well over a year old now, but I have been slow to find this spot, hence the delayed post. The age of the piece is made more obvious with the ‘warning’ poster that has been slapped across the middle of it.
Hypo, Goodneston Road, Bristol, July 2026
Hypo has chosen some fairly modest colours that complement the sober grey hoarding to write the letters TICKS, a variant of Tickz. The drop shadow which has some streaks, stars and spots disappears to a central point behind the letters, and the whole thing looks very ‘Hypo’ if that makes sense.
Jazz, Langton Park, Upfest 2026, Bristol, May 2026
It is always good to discover new artists, especially when they live and work in Bristol. This is a rather nice Upfest portrait piece (sorry about the shadows) by Jasmine Shanice Art, who goes by the name Jazz. This is a rather nice little spot just off North Street, which gets a whole lot of footfall, so her piece will have been seen by thousands of residents and visitors alike.
Jazz, Langton Park, Upfest 2026, Bristol, May 2026
The portrait, painted in greyscale, depicts a woman with her hands in an interesting pose, great hair and a pair of large hoop earrings. She is standing in front of a bright sun and blue sky, which seems to sum up the spring and summer we have had pretty well. Although this is the first time I have seen Jazz’ work, I very much hope to discover more.
A couple of weeks back I posted some doors from Saltaire which I photographed during a work trip to celebrate the declaration of a new National Nature Reserve (Bradford Pennine Gateway NNR) in May 2025. This week’s selection of doors features some of the residences of Saltaire and the old tramway up to Shipley Glen on the north side of the River Aire.
I will explain a little bit more about the hierarchies linked to the houses that were built by the Salt family for workers in the textile mill in the next and final post from this remarkable village. I hope you enjoy this week’s selection:
Black and blue doors in a terrace of houses, William Henry Street, Saltaire, West Yorkshire, England, May 2025Black door, William Henry Street, Saltaire, West Yorkshire, England, May 2025Staggered yellow and green doors, William Henry Street, Saltaire, West Yorkshire, England, May 2025Red door, William Henry Street, Saltaire, West Yorkshire, England, May 2025Back alleyway doors, Saltaire, West Yorkshire, England, May 2025
The next two pictures are from the Shipley Glen Tramway and I asked AI to help me with a short potted history of the tramway, which is as follows:
The Shipley Glen Tramway is a historic cable-hauled funicular in West Yorkshire, opened in May 1895 by local entrepreneur Sam Wilson to carry visitors up the steep hillside to the popular attractions at Shipley Glen, including a fairground and wooden toboggan ride. Originally powered by a gas engine, the twin-track, narrow-gauge tramway carried passengers in open-sided cars and quickly became a much-loved part of the area’s Victorian leisure scene.
It was converted to electric power in 1920 and, despite periods of closure and changing fortunes, has survived remarkably intact. Today the tramway is preserved and operated by volunteers on behalf of the Shipley Glen Tramway Preservation Company, continuing to carry visitors up the wooded hillside and standing as one of Britain’s oldest working funicular railways.
Shipley Glen Tramway tram, Shipley, West Yorkshire, England, May 2025Shipley Glen Tramway top station entrance gateway, Shipley, West Yorkshire, England, May 2025
And at the top of the tramway is part of the Pennine Gateway National Nature Reserve.
Shipley Glen, Bradford Pennine Gateway NNR, West Yorkshire, May 2025
That’s probably enough Yorkshire culture for one day. The final part from Saltaire follows next week, until then, have a lovely 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.
Cheo, Greenway Bush Lane, Upfest 2026, Bristol, May 2026
This is the second wall painted by Cheo at Upfest this year, and I suspect probably slightly less official than his piece in Stillhouse Lane. I imagine that this was a vacant spot that was offered to Cheo by the Upfest organisers, knowing that he is local and one unlikely to offer up an opportunity. Cheo is much loved in Bristol and his work recognised by many, such is his presence in the city.
Cheo, Greenway Bush Lane, Upfest 2026, Bristol, May 2026
This aquatic romp is both imaginative and fun, featuring a couple of hapless pirate octopi who appear to have survived the sinking of their ship only to be grabbed by a rather angry looking fish with a bomb on his head. A scene that is so vivid and yet so cartoonish and unlikely as to be absurd, but here we are admiring it. Cheo has an extraordinary talent, and that he chooses to share it with us is a blessing indeed.
Natural adventures 