6969. Peel Street Green (43)

Bloem, Peel Street Green, Bristol, May 2025
Bloem, Peel Street Green, Bristol, May 2025

There is an unwritten rule in street/graffiti art that suggests that you shouldn’t paint over a piece that is better than the one you are covering it with. Of course, this is unenforced (it is a jungle out there) and also is subjective. The logical conclusion is that you end up with every wall having high-end pieces that remain forever. This is where taggers and bombers come in – they have little regard for conventions and bring every wall back to square one. The ecosystem seems to work.

Bloem, Peel Street Green, Bristol, May 2025
Bloem, Peel Street Green, Bristol, May 2025

I mention this in passing, because I was surprised to see this Bloem piece appear on this particular wall only a matter of days after it had been painted by 3Dom. In the grand scheme of things, there are few better artists than 3Dom in Bristol, and seeing this Bloem piece certainly raised my eyebrow. Fortunately, I don’t think 3Dom is at all precious, and Bloem is rising up the ranks of Bristol artists with each new piece she paints.

To have replaced 3Dom’s piece with this superb flower character/design certainly softens the blow. Bloem has a keen eye for design and matches it up with superb technical ability. I have to remind myself that she really only started painting walls a couple of years ago and has progressed at an alarming rate. This is a real beauty, and she has perfected chrysanthemum petals to a tee.

6941. M32 roundabout J3 (683)

Bloem, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2025
Bloem, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2025

I sometimes wonder if I might get a little tired of posting street art, and occasionally I do get tired, but my interest simply doesn’t wane, and as long as there are street/graffiti artists out there painting, I will be writing. Admittedly, I might slow down a little, but that is life. There are a few artists in Bristol who provide a real tonic for those periods when I need a little uplift, and Bloem is without question one of those.

Bloem, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2025
Bloem, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2025

In this piece Bloem has decorated some rather nice bubble writing with grey flowers and flower buds, keeping the whole piece rather subtle and modest. Her improvement and progress really has been quite remarkable, and she seems to turn the dial up a notch with each new piece. Unfortunately, this one didn’t last too long, but it was an uplifting beacon while it remained.

6898. M32 roundabout J3 (677)

Bloem, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2025
Bloem, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2025

It took me a while to register that this excellent piece of bubble writing was by Bloem, mainly because it is quite unlike anything I have seen her paint before, and showcases her extraordinary talent for graffiti writing as well as her street art pieces and not to mention her jewellery making skills too.

Bloem, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2025
Bloem, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2025

In this piece, the letters BLOEM are presented as an overlapping sequence in different colours for each one. There is a lot of study and thought that has gone into this piece. Bubble writing is usually associated with quick throw ups, or ‘throwies’, but this is a clean and tidy piece with some deliberate shadings alongside the letters and white accent spots, to help provide depth. This is an accomplished piece from arising star in the Bristol scene.

6783. St Werburghs tunnel (480)

Bloem, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025
Bloem, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025

I have said it many times, but Bloem is one of the most improved and gifted new artists painting the streets of Bristol, whose outstanding talent and creativity is put to good use for all to enjoy. It took me a long wait to finally get a decent picture of this piece, as there was a large black van parked in front of it for what seemed like an eternity. Patience is a virtue, and it was well worth waiting to get a shot from the front.

Bloem, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025
Bloem, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025

Once more, Bloem includes some of her favourite elements, including the hand with pointy fingernails, a chain and a beautiful flower. These elements bind together nicely, and I daresay that there is a fair amount of conscious or unconscious symbolism going on here. I think that the grey plants are orchids and if we are talking of symbolism, they are associated with love, beauty and refinement.

Bloem, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025
Bloem, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025

The big orange centrepiece flower looks like a chrysanthemum and acts as a fabulous focal point of the piece. Not only is the composition original and beautiful, but it is really well executed too. Great work from Bloem.

6777. River Avon (80)

Bloem, River Avon, Bristol, February 2025
Bloem, River Avon, Bristol, February 2025

Bloem has started 2025, where she left off in 2024, in fine form, producing both tremendous graffiti writing and street art pieces in equal measure. In this combination piece, Bloem has managed to bring together some stunning line calligraffiti writing and some artwork that is heavy on some of her favourite themes.

Bloem, River Avon, Bristol, February 2025
Bloem, River Avon, Bristol, February 2025

The writing spells out BLOEM, and is quite distinct from the rest of the piece, appearing and disappearing, playing tricks with your eyes. The centrepiece is a blue hand with long fingernails (why is this not a surprise?), and the clever bit is the creeping grey flowers running through the hand and breaking out of it at different points. Bloem is one of the most creative people I have met and is a natural talent, whether on the street, or making jewellery. This is a fabulous piece that underpins her status as a rising star.

6713. St Werburghs tunnel (473)

Bloem, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2025
Bloem, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2025

Carrying on the theme of female artists today, this is a superb piece of graffiti writing from Bloem. There seems to be no stopping her so far this year, and that can only be a good thing. What is so unusual about Bloem’s work, for an artist who is relatively new to graffiti writing, is the precision and clarity of her lines, which comes with incredible can control.

Bloem, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2025
Bloem, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2025

The irregular letters BLOEM pop so well from the wall, thanks to the brilliant white drop shadow. The red letter fill is blended so brilliantly, it isn’t possible to be sure where one shade ends and the next begins. On top of that, the circles and spots are perfectly applied throughout. Wrapping the whole piece up is a black and green border, which has a life of its own with ‘flames’ and drips. Every component of this piece comes together so well, and in Bloem we have an emerging superstar.

6706. Frome Side (51)

Bloem, Frome Side, Bristol, January 2025
Bloem, Frome Side, Bristol, January 2025

I never hide the fact that I am a huge admirer of Bloem’s work, whether it is her character pieces, scenes or graffiti writing. Bloem has transitioned seamlessly between her themes, and although she has only painted a few pieces of writing, her obvious talent and technique would make you think she had been a graffiti writer for some years.

Bloem, Frome Side, Bristol, January 2025
Bloem, Frome Side, Bristol, January 2025

The letters spelling BLOEM are imaginatively filled and well where the solids are blended perfectly, and the patterns are delightful. The ‘O’ is a character with horns, which adds a little spice to the piece. Stepping back, the piece appears to be bursting through a wire mesh fence, which is a creative take on smashing through a wall, which is a common idea in graffiti writing. Very nice work indeed.

6689. Frome Side (47)

Bloem, Frome Side, Bristol, January 2025
Bloem, Frome Side, Bristol, January 2025

I don’t get down to this spot underneath the M32 nearly as much as I’d like to, but I do get there often enough to capture most of the pieces that are painted there, because the turnover is quite slow. This is a wonderful Bloem piece that was painted alongside her friend Sub.

Bloem, Frome Side, Bristol, January 2025
Bloem, Frome Side, Bristol, January 2025

I have noticed that quite a few of the pieces that have been painted over the winter in this spot are showing signs of rain damage, including this one. This piece is a bit of a ‘retro’ piece for Bloem, taking us back to some of her earlier themes when she was painting under the name Hiccup, such as the ‘brick’ mobile phone clutched in a hand with very long fingernails. It is always such a treat finding her work.

6542. Frome Side (41)

Bloem, Frome Side, Bristol, November 2024
Bloem, Frome Side, Bristol, November 2024

This is a magnificent column piece under the M32 from Bristol artist Bloem. The spiked ball and chain should come as no surprise really as these motifs appear in her work, whether her artwork or her jewellery. Bloem seems to like sharp objects and chains and is mastering the latter in particular.

Bloem, Frome Side, Bristol, November 2024
Bloem, Frome Side, Bristol, November 2024

There is humour alongside the threat in this piece, with a fun smiley in the middle of the ball. What is interesting to note in this piece is the amount of depth Bloem has managed to create by using light and dark shades. This is a developing aspect to her work which was quite flat when she started painting walls. A great piece from an artist who is just getting better and better all the time.

6461. Peel Street Green (34)

Bloem, Peel Street Green, Bristol, October 2024
Bloem, Peel Street Green, Bristol, October 2024

My children, like all siblings, take great pleasure in asking me which of them is my favourite. Because I have a pigeon pair, I say to my boy, ‘you are my favourite son’, and my girl, ‘you are my favourite daughter’. It has worked so far, but the truth is that it is possible to have different favourites for different reasons. I say all of this because Bloem is definitely one of my favourites, but I have arrived at that point through liking her style, watching her develop, and also because she is a lovely person who makes time to chat and talk about her work.

Bloem, Peel Street Green, Bristol, October 2024
Bloem, Peel Street Green, Bristol, October 2024

In this piece Bloem visits some of her favourite themes, a hand with long nails clutching a beautiful flower and a spiked chain. The classic coming together of beauty and jeopardy and threat. The whole thing is presented in shades of pink and set on a framed black background. This is a really mature piece with a story being told and plenty of symbolism. Great work from Bloem.