Combination – Natural adventures

7797. Enfield Road (1)

Subtle, Enfield Road, Bristol, July 2026

As mentioned in my previous post, I have recently discovered a treasure chest of hoardings in the Fishponds area of Bristol, and can’t quite believe that it has taken me so long to find them. I have also managed to track down countless Subtle pieces that I have been aware of, because they are here too. This feels like an enormous weight lifted from my shoulders, as it has been bugging me that I couldn’t find them.

This is a wonderful combination piece by Subtle, with his characteristic letters intertwined with characters and scenes from Disney’s ‘Sword in the Stone’ film. The background woodland scenery is truly brilliant and is such an amazing backdrop to his letters. Several more pieces by the artist to come from this honeypot spot.

7792. Greenway Bush Lane – Upfest 2026 (38)

Minto, Upfest 2026, Greenway Bush Lane, Bristol, May 2026

Another Bristol artist to grace the Upfest stage this year is Minto, who somehow managed to get away with painting two pieces rather close together. Sometimes artists pull out at the last minute, and opportunists make the most of the blank space.

This first simple white on black piece shows what is possible, using only one colour with some great outlines and a bit of shading. I can’t imagine that it would have taken Minto more than a few minute to create this cartoon doodle, and it is very much an extra piece thrown into the mix.

His other piece only a few yards away is also a bit of a quick one, but more along the lines of what we see frequently in Bristol. The letters spell Minto, and the pig character has been nicely incorporated alongside them. If I am honest, I don’t think Minto put too much effort into these pieces, and probably turned up more for the crack than the artistry, because he has been smashing it with much more sophisticated and well-finished pieces than this recently.

7781. M32 Cycle path (317)

Kid Crayon, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2026

This wonderful combination piece by Kid Crayon is his contribution to the Mexican-themed wall painted alongside the M32 a few weeks ago. KC has embraced the theme with gusto, using the colours of a parched desert for his lettering and decorating the piece with cacti. These might be stereotypes, but certainly chime with a British characterisation of Mexico as a hot, dry country.

The character is a masked Mexican wrestler (luchador), and is accompanied by the word Lucha and a little enacted wrestling scene in the bottom left of the piece. Loads of fun in this beautifully finished celebration of Mexico.

7753. Stapleton Road

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.

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.

7736. Dean Lane skate park (930)

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.

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.

7222. Cumberland Basin

Tizer, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2026

I haven’t seen a piece by London graffiti writer Tizer for a very long time, so it was great to come across this one on the long wall recently. The piece was painted as part of a paint jam that included ARSA, Minto and RBN One amongst others.

The combination piece features his TIZER letters bookended by a pair of characters, one liking rather sweet and the other ghoulish and sinister. Tizer’s style isn’t crisp and clean, but rather more detailed and brush-strokey if you know what I mean. A very nice surprise from the occasional visitor.

7719. Cumberland Basin

Kid Crayon, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2026

This is a very tidy piece by Kid Crayon on the long wall at Cumberland Basin. The combination of letters and characters works really well, and the whole thing feels like an integrated cartoon-style burner.

The large blocky letters are not uniform in distribution and size, but do stick to a font style. The character in the centre of the piece is holding a balloon fish – don’t ask me why, he just is. Another example of Kid Crayon’s creative and humorous work. Brilliant.

7718. M32 roundabout J3 (779)

This is an infrequently painted fence which was in need of a bit of a tidy up, and Serm has duly obliged. The combination piece features some lovely intricate lettering spelling SERM with a very deep drop shadow offering a strong three-dimensional aspect. Very much two-dimensional is the well-known cartoon character – the Pink Panther.

I incorrectly identified this as an Avem808 piece originally, but he got in touch to say it wasn’t him, and so I had a closer look and the piece was indeed by Serm. It can be easy to get these things wrong from time to time. Great to see a new piece by Serm, as he doesn’t get out to paint all that often.

7706. M32 roundabout J3 (777)

Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2026

Stivs has been turning out some sensational portrait pieces lately, and this combination piece on the roundabout is really rather special. Perhaps the most surprising thing about it is that the letters D and S look rather amateurish alongside the portrait.

Although the letters look at odds in this piece, it must have been deliberate, because Stivs is capable of truly great writing, and also, the shadows are perfect, which gives away a talented hand at the helm.

The star of the combination is the portrait of the woman. Stivs has developed this style of near-photorealism with a touch of cartoon to perfection and this is one in a series of stunning portraits. There is some beautiful shading and great use of highlights and tones in this piece. Outstanding work by Stivs.

7702. M32 roundabout J3 (776)

Bloem, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2026

Bloem is an absolute delight and always happy to have a chat while she is painting. I managed to catch her as she was finishing off this wonderful piece in the evening sun. It was painted alongside Lupa and Desi as part of a mini-paint jam.

The combination piece is quite sublime, with a stunning leopard spot fill and Betty Boop cartoon character. You can see from the image above how important the small details and highlights that are added at the end of a piece can turn it from a good work to an outstanding one. For example the white border tidies up all the edges and the starburst on the earring creates a focal point.

There are a few artists in Bristol whose work has a strong and positive impact on my sense of wellbeing, and Bloem is definitely one of them.

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	scooj on 7812. Cumberland Basin
	scooj on 7812. Cumberland Basin

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