7121. M32 roundabout J3 (700)

Hemper, Dun Sum and Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2025
Hemper, Dun Sum and Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2025

What a wonderful collaboration from Hemper, Dun Sum and Hypo, one that slipped a little under the radar and didn’t perhaps receive quite the fanfare it merited. Three rather different pieces, each making an individual visual impact.

Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2025
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2025

To the left is one of Hemper’s shortened ‘HEMS’ pieces, where the overlapping letters are compressed laterally. This is a pattern he has been following for the last month or so, perhaps marking a quieter phase after his expansive work earlier in the summer. As ever, the piece, which has some lovely fill patterns and expert white highlights, is oozing with class.

Dun Sum, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2025
Dun Sum, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2025

It is impossible not to be drawn to the cat character by Dun Sum. Although I have (and love) a dog, I have always been a cat person at heart. I have to say that there is something that creeps me out a little bit about this cat, perhaps it is the smile or maybe the eyes, but the overall effect bis a little intimidating, but isn’t that cats all over? It is really nicely painted and a great focal point for the graffiti writing either side of it.

Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2025
Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2025

To the right is another fine piece from Hypo – I say another, because he has been turning out so many great works with alarming regularity this summer. The aquamarine colours used for the fills of this piece have a tranquility about them, and with all the bubbles and spots has a distinctly aquatic feel. As I said before, three distinct individual styles coming together in this great collaboration.

7074. St Werburghs tunnel (Ejits)

Ejits, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2025
Ejits, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2025

A short while back, Kid Crayon organised a paint jam for Frazzled magazine and assembled a fine line-up of artists, including Ejits. There is something very charming about her stylised cartoon characters, which tend to have a cheeky side to their personality.

Ejits, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2025
Ejits, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2025

This is a wonderful eye-catching cat, beautifully illustrated and perfectly finished. There is two-tone texture in the cat’s face and a strong dark pink border to keep everything neat and tidy.  I am an admirer of her work, and would love to see (find) more of it on our streets.

7065. Knowle West (1)

Pekoe and SPZero76, Knowle West, Bristol, July 2025
Pekoe and SPZero76, Knowle West, Bristol, July 2025

I knew that there has been a paint jam somewhere in South Bristol recently, but I had no idea where. Then along came John Bennett who occasionally reads this blog and sent me the location. Even then, it took me a while to find this treasure trove, but it was well worth persevering to locate the quiet little side street.

Pekoe and SPZero76, Knowle West, Bristol, July 2025
Pekoe and SPZero76, Knowle West, Bristol, July 2025

This collaboration from Pekoe and SPZero76 is the first of several posts from this little backwater. Pekoe’s portrait is notable for the cat perched on the woman’s head and the inclusion of shoulders and upper torso, which is so often missing in Pekoe’s work. SPZero76 has painted one of his crazy raccoons, which includes a little cat sitting on a cloud of spray paint. I love the contrast in their comments too. Pekoe’s earnest ‘fund art not war’ contrasting with SPZero76’s rather hilarious ‘read more comics’. Such is the diversity of the street art community.

7035. Unity Street

Irony, Unity Street, Bristol, June 2025
Irony, Unity Street, Bristol, June 2025

One of the downsides of working from home (and to be frank, there are mostly upsides), is that I don’t get to wander around the streets of the centre of town as much as I used to. I am leading up to an excuse about why I haven’t posted this piece before, and the simple answer is I haven’t found it before. I am only human and can’t be on top of everything.

Irony, Unity Street, Bristol, June 2025
Irony, Unity Street, Bristol, June 2025

The beautiful Siamese cat on the door is by Irony – one of the best artists in the UK, in my view. The piece was painted for/curated by Upfest, and it is a rare expansion of Upfest’s sphere of influence into North Bristol. The piece is looking a little tired, and I would have loved to have found it sooner – I am guessing it is several years old. So happy though to bag another Irony piece, they are the best.

6987. St Michael’s Hill (7)

Rowdy, St Michael's Hill, Bristol, June 2025
Rowdy, St Michael’s Hill, Bristol, June 2025

When I think about Bristol street art, one of the first images that springs to mind is a Rowdy crocodile. Somehow what he does and how he does it embodies a sense of mischief and humour, edge and naive art, and is at the very heart of the Bristol scene.

Rowdy, St Michael's Hill, Bristol, June 2025
Rowdy, St Michael’s Hill, Bristol, June 2025

I love this little spot at the bottom of St Michael’s hill, which has played host to a few different artworks over the years. I love also that is obviously used to be a butcher’s shop and still has the old tiles. Some crocodiles and a radiant cat decorate the walls and window perfectly and ooze everything that Rowdy is all about. I love this.

6984. St Werburghs tunnel (506)

Daz Cat, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2025
Daz Cat, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2025

What a beauty by Daz Cat. My first thought was who has he been collaborating with? – but there was only one signature and I realised pretty quickly that Daz Cat was trying out something a little new. I can confidently say that his portrait/cat character combination is a huge success, and I look forward to seeing more pieces like this from him.

Daz Cat, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2025
Daz Cat, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2025

There is a lot to talk about in this ‘self-collaboration’ and I’m sure I won’t be able to do it justice. Starting with the portrait, there are some obvious Daz Cat trademarks, particularly in the patterning in the eyebrows and hair. The proportions and perspective are near perfect, and I think that it demonstrates what I already knew, that Daz Cat is a very talented artist.

The cat character is more along the lines of what I’d expect to see. There is a story here. The cat is holding a snail which has a flower growing out of its shell – what it means, who knows? But it looks great. I look forward to more of these self-collaborations in the future.

6908. Cheltenham Road

Rowdy, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, April 2025
Rowdy, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, April 2025

It is very possible that this piece by Rowdy on the shopfront of Don Majors is the closest piece of street art to my home. It is not the first time that Rowdy has decorated this shop, and he has done another great job. The piece is slightly less busy than his last one here, looking a little bit smarter.

Rowdy, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, April 2025
Rowdy, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, April 2025

Rowdy is known for his crocodiles and his cats, and has an incredibly distinctive style. His pieces tend to pop up all over the city and are without doubt part of the USP of Bristol’s street art scene, and have been for many years. This cat is looking ever so slightly mischievous – a naughty cat.

Rowdy, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, February 2023
Rowdy, Cheltenham Road, Bristol, February 2023

6884. Purdown (88)

Daz Cat, Purdown, Bristol, April 2025
Daz Cat, Purdown, Bristol, April 2025

It would seem that Daz Cat is rather partial to the concrete blocks up at Purdown, and whyever not? The spot is a wonderful oasis away from the bustle of the streets and has some stunning views over the north and east of Bristol, the dog particularly likes it up there, perhaps it is the lure of the stinky goats.

Daz Cat, Purdown, Bristol, April 2025
Daz Cat, Purdown, Bristol, April 2025

Daz Cat has switched things up a bit by painting this cat portrait upside down, which would completely goof me up, but I am not an artist, and maybe it is concepts like this that separate out the ways artists and non-artists see the world. The purple cat has a fine gold nose ring and a vapour trail from eyes to ears, which must be symbolic of something, and is an idea Daz Cat has used before. This is a fun piece from the cat supremo.

6863. M32 roundabout J3 (673)

Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2025
Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2025

Back to work today after the Easter break, and, of course, it is a bit of a struggle getting my head around returning to work. Getting back into the routine of writing my blog posts before work is helpful in recalibrating and preparing my mind.

Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2025
Daz Cat, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2025

This is a fine example of a quick(ish) one from Daz Cat. Painted in chrome on a dramatic red background with some imaginative decorations, this three-quarter profile of a cat is just the ticket for starting off the short week positively. I imagine that Daz Cat can knock these characters off in his sleep – goodness knows how many he has painted over the last decade or so.

6794. Cumberland Basin

Daz Cat, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2025
Daz Cat, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2025

I have spoken ad nauseam about how Daz Cat’s work has become more sophisticated in recent years, so I won’t go on about it now except to say that this is a wonderful, complex piece that encapsulates the new level that he has found for himself.

Daz Cat, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2025
Daz Cat, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2025

A cat-human character, wearing bright yellow sunglasses, is playing host to a cat character nestled in her hair. There is a story, but I can’t fathom it out. Daz Cat has selected some calming purples and oranges for this piece, which work very nicely together. There is plenty of depth in the portrait, which the three-quarter profile helps to achieve. A really cracking piece from Daz Cat.