There is something about Creamylines’ work that simply seems to tick all my boxes, and I always get a little endorphin rush when I find one of his pieces, especially as they are rather infrequent. His ‘stained-glass window’ style is unlike anything else in Bristol.
Creamylines, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2025
The column landscape piece contains all the things you’d expect to find in one of Creamylines’ works. A landscape of hills peppered with figures, faces and eyes, topped with breaking clouds and silhouettes of birds on a rising/setting sun. What is interesting is that the artwork is quite crude, but the outcome sophisticated. This is a wonderful and uplifting piece from Creamylines.
I believe that DFC1848 lives in Cheltenham, but that doesn’t seem to stop him making fairly regular visits to Bristol, and this one was to join a paint jam at L Dub a little while back. DFC 1848 started his street art journey painting one or two cartoon characters again and again, building his technique and confidence until now where he seems to paint a huge variety of pieces almost at will.
DFC 1848, L Dub, Bristol, June 2025
This is a rather brash pink-faced character – some kind of animal (I am not too sure what) wearing a baseball cap with the letters DFC emblazoned on the front. The piece has two borders, a thin black outline, a thick purple border, all set on a chrome background, which adds interest, but I am not sure that it offers the contrast he might have been looking for. Nice shout-outs to DJ Perks and Donz who frequent this spot and who joined him whilst painting this.
It looks as if the building work at the development alongside the Bristol to Bath cycle track has ground to a halt, for whatever reason. This has offered a stay of execution for the long hoardings that provide a wonderful spot for graffiti/street artists. Painting on borrowed time. These two pieces from Nice One are a curious pair that bookended existing pieces (I think).
Nice One, Greenbank, Bristol, June 2025
Nice One has a wonderful touch that is quite unlike other artists in Bristol. His work looks much more like charcoal sketches or paint brush watercolour sketches, and bring something totally different for us to admire.
Nice One, Greenbank, Bristol, June 2025
The two pieces are hidden portraits in greyscale that speak of threat and suffering, and I wonder if they are an oblique reference to the appalling situation in Gaza. Both are superbly presented and such unusual examples of artwork at this spot. Although the pieces are not signed, the appearance of an ‘N’ and an ‘e’ give him away. Classy stuff.
The collection of artists gathered together for the Knowle West paint jam was really out of the top draw, bringing together a variety of Bristol styles and one or two visitors too. This is a stunner from the outstanding Jody.
Jody, Knowle West, Bristol, July 2025
The only downside to this fabulous new spot is that there are quite a lot of cars to navigate around, and being a residential area, I can’t imagine there being a time when there won’t be parked cars. Some wide-angle shots partially overcome this problem, but not entirely.
Jody, Knowle West, Bristol, July 2025
Jody has painted a gorgeous portrait piece of a woman with a wonderful feather headdress. There is a calm, ethereal feel to the piece which clearly brings out Jody’s amazing talent. A very fine piece indeed.
Wow! This colourful piece by Dirtygypo is difficult not to notice. The letters are splashed with so many colours and great shapes, accompanied by lightening bolts and crowns. The piece is a single-handed festival. I would describe it as a combination piece, as the character at the start is rather well-developed, and adds fun and mischief to the whole piece.
Dirtygypo, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2025
I have pretty much given up trying to work out what the letters spell, despite many attempts. I can see so many letters and words, but would need to confirm with the artist, who I haven’t yet met. Today I am going for the obvious and guess that it says DIRTY.
Visiting artists are very welcome in Bristol and inject excitement and variation into what is already a vibrant community. Squarms visited in July and left a few skeletons about the place for us to find and admire.
Squarms, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2025
These skeletons are on the recently buffed columns at the southern end of the Brunel Way Spot, known as Daveside by skaters (Correction, this little area is called Curb Side, a few meters away and across the road from Daveside). These sketched designs of dancing skeletons are most endearing, and capture a sense of energy and fun. The design formula works really well with the black and white bones set on a pink drop shadow. These characters stand out nicely of the grey buff (thank you, Bristol City Council!). More to come from Squarms.
It is always a great pleasure for people like me, who spend a bit of time looking for and critiquing street art, when an artist floods the streets with their work, and Zinso has certainly done that in June and July this year.
Zinso, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2025
This is a really nice piece of graffiti writing set on a great splash of blue, masking the underlying graffiti. The light cream letters are nicely shaped with a red border and deeper red drop shadow. The colour combinations are superb. Although I posted a couple of pieces by Zinso a few years ago, his new lease of life has been a revelation.
It really isn’t that long ago that Bloem was painting rather basic fingers, cellphones and devilled cherries in some of the less popular spots all around Bristol, but her accelerated progress means that her work is more than comfortable alongside some of the best writers in the city.
Bloem, Peel Street Green, Bristol, July 2025
This is a wonderful and complex combination piece, with some amazing writing and a cartoon-style hand (long nails of course). The weave pattern used to fill her letters is beautifully worked, and very neat and tidy. Every element of the piece has been nicely thought out and has come together really well. This is one of those pieces that actually looks better in a photograph, than it does in situ, perhaps because of its complexity. What a talent.
Doors 319 – Doors of Godalming, Surrey, March 2025 (Part V)
Are we really in August already? Life canters on with little respite, which makes writing a blog all the more important, taking time to think, reflect and write before returning to the maelstrom.
This is the last in a series of doors from Godalming, a small town in Surrey, which I visited on a work trip back in March this year. Although I had heard and was aware of the town most of my life, it wasn’t until my work took me there that I visited the place. I am super-lucky that one aspect of my job takes me all around the country to stay in towns and cities, many of which I get to visit for the first time. I chronicle my ‘tours’ through photographing doors and street art (if there is any), which feels like a nice way to remember a place. Enough chit-chat – on to this week’s doors. I hope you enjoy them.
An unusual door with a suspended canopy, Bridge Street, Godalming, Surrey, March 2025
‘Please shut the gate’ door, Bridge Street, Godalming, Surrey, March 2025
Faux Regency door to a closed down retail outlet with a lot of notices, High Street, Godalming, Surrey, March 2025
Black door with a large oval window, High Street, Godalming, Surrey, March 2025
Black coat of arms embedded in a wall in Pound Lane, Godalming, Surrey, March 2025
Two doors in a timber frame building, Bridge Street, Godalming, Surrey, March 2025
Five sets of doors on a timber frame building, Bridge Street, Godalming, Surrey, March 2025
Large timber frame building with tiered floors and shop doors, High Street Godalming, Surrey, March 2025
Small red door with a flood wall built in front of it, Westbrook Road, Godalming, Surrey, March 2025
The red door, was the last one I photographed in Godalming and was from a small cottage situated directly adjacent to the brook (West Brook?), which was obviously exposed to frequent flooding, hence the brick flood wall blocking the entrance. I think that there was another entrance on the side of the building that was a more practical access to the cottage.
I very much enjoyed my night stopover in Godalming, and would recommend a visit if you happen ever to be in the area.
Something a little different 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 weekly Thursday Doors post.
Natural adventures 