7787. Brunel Way (363)

Sled One and Oust, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2026
Sled One and Oust, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2026

I was very happy to catch up with Sled One as he was finishing off his snail, way back in April – a piece that nearly slipped through the net. Happy, because I hadn’t seen him for a long while, which was perhaps not too surprising because he told me that he was a bit of a ‘fair weather’ artist with regard to his street work. Here he teamed up with Oust, amongst others is an outstanding collaborative wall under Brunel Way.

Sled One, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2026
Sled One, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2026

The Snail is so full of character and a multitude of charming details – his face with those eyes on stalks is a picture. Three cheeky ladybirds are hitching a ride on the snail’s back and his shell is a clever representation of planet Earth. The snail is sliding his way through the grass.

Oust, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2026
Oust, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2026

Next to the snail set in a grassy landscape is a wonderful piece of graffiti writing from Oust. The letters and drop shadow pick up on and reflect the colours used in Sled One’s adjacent snail. The wildstyle writing is beautifully presented with organically blended colours in the letters, with some spots, and a blue background with further spot decorations. This is a superb pairing from the overall collaboration.

7785. Brunel Way (362)

 

Sepr, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2026
Sepr, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2026

There are no two ways about it, Sepr has to be one of the greatest creators of graffiti characters around. It is not only his perfect execution that draws the eye, but his creative concepts that make his work so compelling… his ability to tell stories through his artwork. Stories that the viewer can make up, depending on how they interpret what they are looking at.

Sepr, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2026
Sepr, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2026

In this piece, we have a three-toed sloth dressed in a smart suit, holding a briefcase with the letters ASK embossed on it, and holding a mobile telephone with the word ‘Yoooooo!’ in a speech bubble. For me this is a throwback to the late 1980s/early 90s where such work executives paraded around as if they were the most important people ever. We all knew they were jumped-up self-important twits, many of whom ended up running the country in one form or another. Generally speaking sloths in a suit.

7775. Stapleton Road

Avem808, Stapleton Road, Bristol, June 2026
Avem808, Stapleton Road, Bristol, June 2026

One of the highlights of the year so far has been observing How Avem808 has been developing his work, and transitioning his character drawings and digital representations into his street work, creating elaborate combination and complex pieces.

Avem808, Stapleton Road, Bristol, June 2026
Avem808, Stapleton Road, Bristol, June 2026

In this busy piece, his characters have pretty much superseded his letters, and in fact I’m not sure that I can find any. Mouths seem to feature pretty strongly in these characters who are introduced alongside some kind of mechanical and process-type piping. There is plenty going on here, but I can’t be too sure what it all means. Colourful and creative.

7753. Stapleton Road

Avem808, Stapleton Road, Bristol, June 2026
Avem808, Stapleton Road, Bristol, June 2026

Avem808 only really came under my radar about a year ago, and since then his work has transformed somewhat and at an incredible pace. I think that he has a bit of time on his hands at the moment, which is why he is able to get out and paint quite frequently.

Avem808, Stapleton Road, Bristol, June 2026
Avem808, Stapleton Road, Bristol, June 2026

His intricate writing has given way a little to the creation of busy and detailed combination pieces, crawling with characters. Here, his letters in red and pink, which I assume spell out AVEM, are joined by a fez-wearing camel, and a raft of other crazy characters. There is a lot going on in this piece and an awful lot to look at, it is almost overwhelming, but worth dwelling on it for a while to see all the little stories unfold in front of you.

I am Ian

A gallery of superb character street art by Bristol artist I am Ian.

Instagram: @iam.ian.m

All photographs by Scooj

I am Ian, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2026
I am Ian, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2026
I am Ian, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2025
I am Ian, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2025
I Am Ian, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2024
I Am Ian, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2024
Kid Crayon and I Am Ian, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2024
Kid Crayon and I Am Ian, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2024
I am Ian, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2024
I am Ian, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2024
I am Ian, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2024
I am Ian, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2024
I Am Ian, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
I Am Ian, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
I Am Ian, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2020
I Am Ian, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2020
Kid Crayon and I Am Ian, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2020
Kid Crayon and I Am Ian, M32 Spot, Bristol, October 2020
I am Ian and Kid Crayon, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020
I am Ian and Kid Crayon, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2020
I Am Ian, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2020
I Am Ian, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2020
Kid Crayon and I Am Ian, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2020
Kid Crayon and I Am Ian, St Werburghs, Bristol, January 2020

7749. Sparke Evans Park (155)

Conrico, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2026
Conrico, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2026

Conrico has had an exceptional few months, and even managed to secure a wall at Upfest 2026, something that I know he had been eager to achieve. His style of painting with ‘brush strokes’ using spray cans gives a unique look to his work and in particular his portraits.

Conrico, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2026
Conrico, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2026

Sandwiched between Werm and Kool Hand, this portrait piece features a woman taking a photograph of Kool Hand’s piece. I do like it when street art interacts in this way. The woman is beautifully presented and like many in his portraits has dyed hair. She casts a curious shadow which lifts her away from the wall. Lovely stuff from Conrico.

7747. M32 Cycle path (311)

I am Ian, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2026
I am Ian, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2026

A recent paint jam alongside the M32 had a rather unusual Central American theme the likes of which we don’t often see in Bristol, perhaps for obvious reasons. This colourful character piece by I am Ian features a gun-toting ‘Mexican’ bandit.

I am Ian, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2026
I am Ian, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2026

The character, complete with sombrero and poncho, is a little bit stereotyped, which is not surprising as much of our understanding of such things is via the consumption of spaghetti westerns of the late 20th century. There is some great perspective in this piece, and I rather like the desert background including several cacti. More from this adventurous paint jam to come.

7745. Greenway Bush Lane – Upfest 2026 (29)

My Dog Sighs, Upfest 2026, Greenway Bush Lane, Bristol, May 2026
My Dog Sighs, Upfest 2026, Greenway Bush Lane, Bristol, May 2026

An unusual and rather grotesque piece by My Dog Sighs at this year’s Upfest, one of two very different offerings by the artist. I don’t think I have ever seen something similar to this by My Dog Sighs, and it is a departure from some of his staples, although the eye is very much a part of his repertoire.

My Dog Sighs, Upfest 2026, Greenway Bush Lane, Bristol, May 2026
My Dog Sighs, Upfest 2026, Greenway Bush Lane, Bristol, May 2026

My Dog Sighs has managed to use the space perfectly to present his ugly and distorted monster face. The mouth is perfectly placed over the door, consuming all that enter here, and there are dropped eyes either side of it. The eye on the right is a window of the building, but looks like an integral and deliberate part of the character piece.

My Dog Sighs, Upfest 2026, Greenway Bush Lane, Bristol, May 2026
My Dog Sighs, Upfest 2026, Greenway Bush Lane, Bristol, May 2026

Stretched green skin with stitches and warts add to the overall creepiness of this character piece. The signature eye is what gives this away as an MDS piece, in which you can see a reflection of the viewer and a wall and tree behind. Such incredible detail everywhere you look. Utterly outstanding in every aspect.

7736. Dean Lane skate park (930)

Awkward and Benjimagnetic, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2026
Awkward and Benjimagnetic, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2026

I’m not sure I have seen Benjimagnetic and Awkward collaborate since last year, but here they are in fine fettle, on the side wall of the swimming pool, tucked behind a bushy fence, well out of sight of most passers by.

Awkward and Benjimagnetic, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2026
Awkward and Benjimagnetic, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2026

The letters in this collaborative piece are by Benjimagnetic, and I can’t for the life of me read them. He normally writes 3 letters, so this is quite different. The cheeky, creepy red and yellow characters are by Awkward and augment the letters really well. A nicely integrated collaboration from the pair.

7734. Dean Lane skate park (929)

Veks and Bandito, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2026
Veks and Bandito, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2026

I have had a very challenging day. Super-busy at work. Laptop overheating and running extremely slowly, I’m overheating and running extremely slowly, and I have had to squeeze this post into a compressed lunch break. At least this post features a top combination collaboration by Veks and Bandito.

Veks, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2026
Veks, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2026

Veks has painted a classic b-boy character wearing the uniform of hoodie and baseball cap, and clutching a spray can. Beautifully presented is a timeless retro style. Perfect.

Bandito, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2026
Bandito, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2026

I haven’t seen anything by Bandito for years, so it was a very pleasant surprise indeed to see this piece in a tickz memorial wall paint jam. His slim letters are so characteristic of his work. The letters spell TICKZ and filled with horizontal colour bands that are beautifully blended. The slim yellow border finishes it of nicely.