ASK – Natural adventures

7822. Gathorne Road – Upfest 2026 (44)

Inkie, Upfest 2026, Gathorne Road, Bristol, May 2026

One of the ‘sure things’ about Upfest is that Inkie will give the Parsons Bakery a refresh, and offer another bakery related pun, this has become a tradition now and something to look forward to on the Upfest calendar.

This year Inkie has gone to town with his ‘Bready or not, here I crumb’, which is a groan of a pun, but actually rather good. The writing is outstanding in his bold style, and it is possible many seeing it won’t actually get as far as reading it, being seduced by the grand nature of the lettering.

Inkie completes the piece with one of his trademark stylised portraits. No need for a signature here. Inkie is synonymous with Bristol street art, and after Banksy, is probably the best known graffiti export from the city, alongside Nick Walker, perhaps. Brilliant to see this refresh and enjoy the humour of the piece.

Inkie, Upfest 2024, Gathorne Road, Bristol, May 2024

Inkie, Gathorne Road, Bristol, July 2019

Inkie, Gathorne Road, Bristol, June 2016

7820. Stillhouse Lane – Upfest 2026 (42)

3Dom, Upfest 2026, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026

It has been great to see that the representation of Bristol artists at Upfest this year was really strong and that most had been afforded a proper wall rather than a temporary board, which has been the case in the past. It gives the opportunity for Bristol talent to be seen in the host city.

This is a wonderful piece by 3Dom with so much symbolism and so many messages curated within his surreal dreamlike style. I think broadly speaking, it is a piece that wants to portray hope and optimism, but have a closer look and it is filled with images of sadness and doom. The images of lover and peace are pierced with arrows. Sharks patrol the black murky waters. The weight of love is heavy. Faces alternate between sadness and happiness. So much to see here.

I managed to have a long chat with 3Dom just after he had finished the piece, and he is such a gentleman, thoughtful and kind, and of course immensely talented. Outstanding work.

7812. Cumberland Basin

Sled One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2026

This is an amazing cartoon portrait piece that not only shows off Sled One’s technical skills, but also reveals his extraordinary imagination and creativity. The piece is set on a pink background and the grass in front of the wall is still green, which dates this piece to before July.

The blue-faced man in a green jacket with beautiful folds, is having a lightbulb moment. But this lightbulb moment is more literal than usual, with his scalp tilted upwards revealing a characterful lightbulb where his brain should be. There is so much detail in the piece, and those sunglasses simply have to be admired. Surreal creativity at its best.

7623. Dean Lane skate park (918)

Sled One, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2025

Sled One, like so many other artists has had a rather quiet winter, and in a conversation with his earlier this week, he happily admitted that he is a ‘fair weather’ painter and doesn’t much like going out on cold, wet days.

This is a distinctive ASK piece painted on the curved wall at Dean Lane. Sled One has painted so many of these over the years, that I expect he could probably do it with his eyes closed. Great letter shapes, great colour combinations, and a piece that feels rather energetic without being frenetic, if that makes sense.

7468. Dean Lane skate park (901)

Sled One, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2026

There is something rather nice when artists who are at the top of the ladder find time to get back to their roots with a bit of graffiti writing, and I don’t think there is anybody who does it better than Sled One.

This is a lovely piece on my favourite curved wall, which has been rather neglected of late, with the letters ASK, After School Klub, the most established Bristol crew. Sled One would have almost certainly free-styled this piece and probably rather quickly, but such is his talent that it looks pretty much perfectly conceived and executed. Cracking work.

7437. M32 roundabout J3 (739)

Smak, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2026

Class always stands out, and even if one is not a fan of graffiti art, it is possible to see that this writing by Smak is rather special. There is something about the artwork in this piece that reminds me of a Bristol writer called Epok, who hasn’t been very active for several years now.

The letters SMAK are really well disguised in a stunning arrangement of colours and shapes. This is graffiti writing out of the very top drawer.

7432. M32 roundabout J3 (738)

Sled One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2026

Sled One hasn’t been painting so many pieces this year, but when he has got his cans out he has painted some pretty special stuff. This is a superb piece of writing spelling out SLED in beautifully designed letters of different shapes and sizes full of shading, depth and colour.

As I have mentioned recently I am currently on holiday in France skiing, and one of my friends took a look at this piece and said she liked the pink against the blue. I think she was being a little facetious. It told me two things… I am something of a specialist in these matters, and I am slightly geeky about it too. C’est la vie.

7214. M32 roundabout J3 (719)

Inkie and Mr Riks, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2025

I am a little weary. It is late, last night, and I have been fishing all afternoon, with some success. I will be fishing again tomorrow which means that I have had to write this post in advance. I was lucky enough to catch Inkie and Mr Riks as they were putting the finishing touches to this collaboration.

Inkie, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2025

Inkie has painted some classic letters in gold which pop out from the wall with the help of a deep 3D drop shadow. The colours work perfectly and the whole piece shows off the incredible skill of an artist at the top of his game.

Mr Riks, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2025

Alongside is a superb piece by Mr Riks which contains letters spelling RIKS, which diminish in size from left to right. The writing is probably best viewed from the right, bringing the letter sizes into some king of regularity. Using the same letter colours as Inkie, Mr Riks’ piece also stands out from the crowd. A wonderful collaboration from two awesome artists.

7207. Cumberland Basin

Sled One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, September 2025

It is, I think, entirely coincidental that Sled One painted this lucky cat (maneki-neko), around the same time that two of them appeared during a paint jam in Lucky Lane. This piece encapsulates Sled One’s skill at creating depth in his pieces through the subtle application of shading and light throughout the piece.

The gold disc contains Sled One’s signature, but there are tell-tale signs of his paw print here, in particular, for example, the floating eyebrows. There is mischief and movement in this cat, and Sled One doesn’t simply create a character, he animates it with emotions and attitudes. Outstanding work.

7097. St Werburghs tunnel (521)

I am assuming that Smak has slowed on his graffiti writing due to demands on his commercial work, or at least I hope it is something positive like that. He hasn’t lost his touch in the slightest, and this is a complete banger painted during a paint jam for Frazzled Magazine.

The beautifully disguised letters spell out SMAK, and it is the architecture and design of the letters that is so admirable. Every element and shape, colour sequence and detail is meticulously thought out and skilfully painted. Smak really is one of the very best graffiti writers around and can turn out exquisite work like this with apparent ease. An outstanding example.

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	Brenda's Thoughts on Thursday Doors – 6 Augus…

	Oddment on Thursday Doors – 6 Augus…
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