Character – Page 8 – Natural adventures

7167. L Dub (80)

I met Ayup about a year ago in St Werburghs tunnel when he was visiting Bristol, and I remember asking him if he visited often. I think he said only occasionally. I recall that he comes from Derbyshire, hence the name.

This superb character piece was painted during a paint jam, which I think was for somebody’s birthday, but I forget who. The large-headed character has had his roller out and been buffing walls, always a good theme for character pieces. Ayup has done a great job, creating a believable and rather grumpy looking character. All good.

7165. Dean Lane skate park (865)

Asre has a new Instagram handle, @azre_returns which is a great description of his status as a street artist in Bristol. He was pretty busy a couple of years back and then abruptly stopped. Good things come to those who wait, and at last Asre has rewarded us with one of his trademark character portraits.

The character is wearing a baseball cap with the letters AEK which might relate to the Greek football club AEK Athens. Google searches didn’t give me an answer to the word ‘Trelenomai’, so the theme to the piece remains a bit of a mystery. The character itself is grimacing a little and has crosses for pupils, a tell-tale sign the piece is by Asre. Great to see him back.

7164. Boiling Wells Lane (5)

Hemper, Boiling Wells Lane, Bristol, August 2025

Tunnel entrances are always difficult to photograph, especially on sunny days, as you can see from this light/shadow image taken at the second tunnel in St Werburghs. The poor photo doesn’t detract from the quality of the graffiti writing by Hemper.

Writing in his short-form HEMS, Hemper has provided a checked background, which is inspirational, and, using three colours, one step age and of the simple concept. The yellow letters, incorporating two characters, are outstanding, with brilliant use of black and white highlights to give 3D depth to them. The work of a genius (I rarely use the term, but in this case I believe it to be true).

7161. M23 roundabout J3 (709)

Cheo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2025

This superb little character piece by Cheo was painted in celebration of Ulow’s recent birthday. Although the piece is unsigned, it looks like it is by Sled Onebut is actually one of two by Cheo. It piece depicts a cheeky spray can eating a taco. Quite why I do not know, but it doesn’t matter.

Cheo has had a busier than usual year, and it was great to see this piece, celebrating Ulow’s recent birthday. One of a number of superb pieces from a gathering of some of the best and most established artists in Bristol. Top work.

Minto, Cheo, Hypo, Ulow, Dibz, Soker, Rusk, Shade One and Turoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2025

7160. Cumberland Basin

DFC1848, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2025

A few of the pieces that were painted as part of Werm’s birthday celebration didn’t last more than 24 hours, including a rather striking piece by Zake and some writing by 3F Fino. Fortunately, however, this character piece by DFC 1848 remained untouched.

Spot the difference

There are two differences between the two photographs, taken about three minutes apart. Can you see them? Clue, one is on the elephant, the other is not. DFC1848 continues to expand his repertoire, and this elephant is quite a beauty.

There is something about the style of this piece that reminds me of 1960s and 1970s TV cartoon shows. It is really nicely painted, with good solid fills, some great three colour shading and a superb thick border. It was really good too to be able to catch up with the artist, just as he was finishing up.

7152. Cumberland Basin

Scrapyardspec, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2025

When I look through my archives from this summer, I keep finding pieces by Scrapyardspec, and so what you see here on Natural Adventures is only a proportion of the pieces he has painted in Bristol. This one is a relatively recent piece created at a paint jam celebrating Werm’s birthday, and at which I met Scrapy for the first time.

The most notable thing about this piece is the inclusion of hair and the addition of rudimentary arms and feet. Scrapyardspec and I discussed his development a little and I think that now he has grown in confidence and has his archetype nailed, he can play around a lot more with his characters and improve as an artist. I am very much looking forward to watching his onward journey.

7150. M32 roundabout J3 (705)

Posh, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2025

I would say that 2025 has been the year when Posh upgraded from being a bit-part player to a fully fledged star of the Bristol street art scene. His occasional little characters have developed into a diverse range of larger combination pieces that show off his unquestionable talent.

In this piece Posh has combined his mischievous toffee-nosed imps with some unusual writing, which I can’t read, both in his sketchy style. The writing is full of colour and movement and quite unlike any other graffiti writing I have seen before. His characters continue to amuse, and I particularly like the fellow riding the bicycle. This piece is clear evidence of Posh’s growth and development.

7145. Brunel Way (332)

RA, if that is indeed his/her name, came to Bristol and left behind four or five beautiful insect stencil pieces, which are right up my street combining my love of nature with my interest in street art.

I am not quite sure if this particular beast is a beetle (I can’t see any wing covers) or something like an ant. It certainly has the right components; six legs, a head, abdomen and thorax and what I imagine to be a compound eye, of an insect. The colours RA has used to decorate the insect are striking and help the piece to stand out on the grey-buffed column. Lovely work.

7134. L Dub (78)

I like character artists who create new ideas and scenes, and DFC 1848 has been spending much of the summer introducing us to a raft of fun cartoon animals to enjoy. This humorous piece demonstrates his willingness to look at new things and constantly evolve.

Two dogs need to ‘water’ the fire hydrant. One is freely relieving himself, while the other crosses his legs, waiting for his turn. As a dog owner, this piece appeals to me, although my dog never seems to cross his legs, he’ll just pee on twenty different tufts or objects every time we go on a walk – even if he’s run out, he’ll still squeeze out another drop. Some nice DFC letters and DFC on the hydrant leave us in no doubt about the artist.

7133. M32 Cycle path (295)

Kid Krishna, M32 cycle path, Bristol, July 2025

Although Kid Krishna is going through one of his slower periods at the moment, it provides me with a little space to catch up on his work. This is a cracking piece on one of the less pleasant walls to paint, but, because of that, turnover tends to be quite slow. The ‘flowerbed’ is used as a public toilet, and there is a nasty piece of razor wire that has been deposited some years ago and never dealt with.

It is difficult to make out the letters CRIE in this piece, but I have to take it on trust that they are there. The pink letters appear to be breaking their way through a purple cloud, and then there is a little character, an eye with limbs and wings adding further interest to the dynamic piece. I was there yesterday and it is still intact.

	paulh121 on 7502. M32 roundabout J3 (…
	Sheree on 7506. Purdown (102)
	hitandrun1964 on Amnesty
	Suzette Benjamin on Thursday doors – 5 March…
	scooj on 7506. Purdown (102)

	paulh121 on 7502. M32 roundabout J3 (…
	Sheree on 7506. Purdown (102)
	hitandrun1964 on Amnesty
	Suzette Benjamin on Thursday doors – 5 March…
	scooj on 7506. Purdown (102)

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