Now that Face 1st isn’t living in Bristol, and he paints less frequently, he appears to be a little more judicious in what he paints, and seems to be experimenting a lot more with his writing and his fonts.
Face 1st, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2025
This is a wonderful chrome combination piece with Face 1st’s trademark laughing girl character and hair made up of the word FACE. This time though the letters have more of a calligraffiti style to them, and are nicely finished. Somehow, Face 1st is, for me at least, emblematic of the Bristol scene, and I am so pleased that he comes back reasonably regularly to remind us of his talent and style.
Because I have been following and writing about Bristol street art for ten years, I have been able to watch so many artists start their adventures and develop their skills over time, and it gives me immense pleasure to witness this. One such artist is Astra, hi first come into my vision last year, when she painted a garage shutter during a mini paint festival in Muriel alleyway.
Astrea, Peel Street Green, Bristol, April 2025
This combination piece contains a dominant female character with a gun pointing out and the letters ASTRA in a bubble graffiti style. This is an interesting development phase and it is great to see her growing in confidence. I look forward to seeing more of her work this year.
By the time this post publishes, I will be on the way to my last Arsenal football match of the season, which will feel like a bit of an anticlimax after beating Real Madrid 3-0 last Tuesday. I have had to write this piece last night, to make sure I am not too rushed in the morning. This is, of course, a wonderful piece generated from the complicated and brilliant mind of Kid Krishna.
Kid Krishna, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2025
The whole combination piece (there is a character on the left) looks like an assimilation of the character into the highly disguised and intricate letters. There are so many discrete components to the piece, it is difficult to know where to start really, and I think it is one of those pieces when you can use the maxim that ‘the whole is greater than the sum of the parts’. The graffiti writing is technically brilliant, and worthy of a long look – and the character with the helmet… what is that all about?
One of the first artists I met, quite a few years back, was Object… and I have been enjoying his sketch/collage pieces ever since. For a couple of years now, maybe more, Object… has been very quiet, but in the last month or so he has been pasting his creativity about the place.
Object…, Purdown, Bristol, March 2025
This combination collage of wheatpastes and paint contains a lot of social and political commentary, as well as a creative outpouring. It is difficult to make out too much from the piece, without studying it up close. It is great to see Object… out and about, though.
Cornico and Daz Cat, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2025
The curved wall at Dean Lane has played host to so many fabulous pieces (and some not so fabulous). This collaboration from Conrico and Daz Cat is a wonderful piece, full of creativity and colour, with the two distinct styles coming together in great harmony.
Cornico and Daz Cat, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2025
The left hand side of the wall belongs to Conrico, who has written his name in one of his familiar landscapes, with a distant monster that might be Godzilla emerging from the stylised choppy sea. To the right, Daz Cat has painted a sage-like old fish/axolotl type character watches on as if he might have the answer to an unknown question. Is that an orange platypus in his packet? Lots of stories in this brilliant collaboration.
Hemper continues with his odyssey through various styles and ideas, so much so that I am beginning to wonder whether some of his new pieces can possibly be by him, such as this curious combination piece in Peel Street Green.
Hemper, Peel Street Green, Bristol, February 2025
It looks like there is a message here ‘open your mind’ and perhaps that is a mantra he is working with currently. The letters are in the style of the monster energy drink logo, and the character looks like he has been drinking a little too much of it. It is so refreshing to see Hemper pushing so many boundaries, not only creatively, but also energetically. A wonderful and weird piece.
Hemper and Hypo, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025
Hemper and Hypo have been smashing it recently, and this is a wonderful recent collaboration in the tunnel. I fear that while I am away in France I will be missing a whole bunch of their work.
Hemper, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025
Hemper, like Kid Krishna, has had something of a lifestyle change and has come out of it all guns blazing. This is a combination piece of writing and little blue characters, which might have been a joint effort from both artists. Vibrant and energetic.
Hypo, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025
After a quiet January, Hypo too has been in outstanding form through February and this is yet another fine piece from him, with great colour transitions and his familiar HYPO moniker. An outstanding collaboration.
Mr Two Gram and Desi, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, January 2025
Wherever you find a piece by Desi, you are likely to find a Mr Two Gram piece nearby. Like many partners (Ryder and T-Rex, Bloem and Sub), they paint alongside one another all over town, leaving their ‘household’ stamp.
Mr Two Gram, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, January 2025
I haven’t posted many pieces by Mr Two Gram, but have dozens in my archives, so I need to do a little better at posting them. His writing is distinctive, and depending on the size of the wall carries variants of his name. I suggested to him once that he might like to try character pieces, and although receptive to the idea, I haven’t seen anything in that direction.
Desi, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, January 2025
This pairing was of course one part of a larger collaboration celebrating Desi and Even’s birthday and carried a theme of Studio Ghibli – a Japanese animation studio, hence the cartoon cat. Desi, who often writes VEIL, has painted a combination piece, which is quite unusual and something that would be great to see more of. Reflecting back to when I first started seeing Desi’s work, there has been a constant improvement, and this piece is truly one of her best, with tidy, clean letters and fabulously presented fills.
Nice One, Greenway Bush Lane, Bristol, January 2025
2025 has seen Nice One upping both the frequency and quality of his game. He has painted several new pieces full of imagination and something quite refreshingly different from what we are used to seeing about the place.
Nice One, Greenway Bush Lane, Bristol, January 2025
This piece in the new spot, Greenway Bush Lane is in two halves. Nice One teases us with his letters, which disappear behind the second part, which is a striking picture of a tall ship sailing on a choppy sea and a headland in the distance. Classy work from a nice man.
As if it were needed, this combination piece is further evidence that Jevoissoul is on an upward trajectory. Probably the most noticeable aspect of his improvement is the tightness of his work, and by that I mean his lines are clean and his fills tidy. When he first started out, His work felt a little cluttered and hurried, but I don’t get that feeling so much now.
Jevoissoul, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2025
To the left, our familiar character, complete with grimace, appears to be losing his cap, which creates a sense of movement in the piece. Jevoissoul’s artwork is becoming more sophisticated, with a two-tone light/shade aspect to the face. The letters also have a sense of movement, indicated by the black accent lines around the outside. Good colours and nicely blended horizontal strips fill the letters nicely. Perhaps there could be a little bit more interest in the letters themselves, but now I am just being picky.
Natural adventures 