7886. M32 roundabout J3 (790)

Minto, M32 roundabout, July 2026
Minto, M32 roundabout, July 2026

Minto has had a great summer, creating some truly memorable pieces around Bristol, and of such a high quality too. His distinctive style has been carried through all of them and this is no exception.

Minto, M32 roundabout, July 2026
Minto, M32 roundabout, July 2026

The heavily disguised letters, spelling, of course, MINTO, are beautifully embellished with swirls, patterns, lines and colour, but all seemingly beautifully balanced and interconnected. Midway through, there is the inclusion of a small character, wearing a helmet with goggles and smoking a cigarette. Such mini-characters often organically emerge fom Minto’s work, augmenting the busy mix. Another very nice piece from the artist.

7830. River Avon (125)

Avem808, River Avon, Bristol, July 2026
Avem808, River Avon, Bristol, July 2026

Avem808 appears to have been having a lot of fun this summer, transitioning his work from writing dominated to character dominated. I think that he enjoys the creativity and charm of his characters as much as the technical aspect of his writing.

Avem808, River Avon, Bristol, July 2026
Avem808, River Avon, Bristol, July 2026

The writing is heavily disguised, and I have to assume that it spells out AVEM. It is the bookend characters that leap out, almost literally, especially the one on the left. These crazy imaginings are quite unlike anything I have seen in Bristol before and are becoming as a bit of a trademark of the artist.

Avem808, River Avon, Bristol, July 2026
Avem808, River Avon, Bristol, July 2026

When I look at the character on the right I see a sandglass, and the sand character slipping from top to bottom through the squeezed middle. I cannot help feeling that Avem808 seems rather liberated, from what I don’t know, but this marked change in his work is very welcome and I look forward to seeing it develop further.

7828. Brunel Way (365)

Butch, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2026
Butch, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2026

This may be the most dynamic and sophisticated piece that I have seen by Butch to date, painted as part of a PLB paint jam underneath Brunel way. The first notable thing about the piece is that it is full of colour, and he has combined his letters with an animated character on the left.

Butch, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2026
Butch, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2026

Butch nearly always overlaps his letters so that the letter to the left sits over the letter to the right. This layout distinguishes his work from other writers. Each of the letters is decorated independently, although the ‘U’, ‘C’ and half of the ‘H’ share a grey and white colour scheme. The character is a running pencil, with a big mouth. What he is running from I have no idea. All in all an entertaining combination piece.

7797. Enfield Road (1)

Subtle, Enfield Road, Bristol, July 2026
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.

Subtle, Enfield Road, Bristol, July 2026
Subtle, Enfield Road, Bristol, July 2026

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
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.

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

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.

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

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
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.

Kid Crayon, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2026
Kid Crayon, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2026

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, 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.

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.

7222. Cumberland Basin

Tizer, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2026
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.

Tizer, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2026
Tizer, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2026

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
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.

Kid Crayon, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2026
Kid Crayon, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2026

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.