7483. Cumberland Basin

Lise Rupa, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2026
Lise Rupa, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2026

Finding work by artists that are new to me is one of the great pleasures of this hobby. I rarely tire of the great work of Bristol artists, and we are truly blessed in the city to have such a wide spectrum of talent and styles. Visiting and new artists are, however, a refreshing addition to the scene, and this piece by Lise Rupa is something special.

Lise Rupa, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2026
Lise Rupa, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2026

I have an affinity with squid, having worked on a Japanese squid fishing boat for a year, (but that is another story). This unusual piece has a sketch-like quality to it, or almost looke like a wood-cut piece, with its two-tone colours and black hatching. The squid is anatomically correct, which pleases me greatly. What a wonderful way to make your presence known.

Below is my second ever attempt to paint with spray cans, it happens to be a squid, which is why I include it here:

Scooj, squid, Redland, Bristol, May 2019
Scooj, squid, Redland, Bristol, May 2019

7479. Cumberland Basin

Werm, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2026
Werm, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2026

I was so pleased to find this piece by Werm, who like many other artists has struggled to paint this winter, I assume, because of the rain. Werm painted this spot some years ago with a skull piece, and I think that this is a throwback piece to the original painted in February 2023.

Werm, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2026
Werm, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2026

I guess you could call this a combination piece, although the skull and letters are discrete. On the left, the skull (from the cat family I guess) is beautifully observed, with some great shading to bring out the form and depth. The proportions work really well – skulls can be very difficult to paint. The writing on the right spells out WERM stacked, two letters on top of the other two. Overall, this is a fine work from Werm and almost like a study to practice his craft.

Werm, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2023
Werm, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2023

7466. Cumberland Basin

Creamylines, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2026
Creamylines, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2026

Such is the low turnover of street artwork at the moment, I get very excited by any new piece I find, with most of my visits to the usual spots yielding precious little. Naturally, finding this cracker by Creamylines made my day recently.

Creamylines, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2026
Creamylines, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2026

I am very fond of this little recess and there have been many lovely pieces painted here, so it is fitting that Creamylines should adopt it. All that we would expect to see from the artist is here, and I would like to credit Suzette with her description of his work as being “like a vintage quilt”, which I thought most fitting. I have a feeling that someone has added some sun rays, which slightly disrupt the piece… I would be surprised if it was a Creamylines addition. Uplifting work.

7441. Cumberland Basin

Ulow, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026
Ulow, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026

It is always good when an artist who is the beneficiary of a birthday paint jam manages to conjure up something a little special to mark the occasion, and that is exactly what Ulow has managed to do here.

Ulow, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026
Ulow, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026

Ulow has painted a street artist character dressed well for the winter and with a spray can in his hand. What makes Ulow’s work extra special is that he paints in tones, in this case blues and pinks, rather than with a full colour palette, and the outcome is always captivating. A lovely birthday piece from Ulow.

7431. Cumberland Basin

Turoe, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026
Turoe, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026

Turoe is one of the most reliable and consistent writers in Bristol, and it is a shame that he doesn’t write nearly as much these days as he has done in the past.

Turoe, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026
Turoe, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026

This is a fine price celebrating Shade One’s birthday, and spelling out SHADE. Some great letter shapes picked out with fine black lines are surrounded by pink and purple bubbly decorations. This birthday paint jam turned out some real gems, as is often the case with this group of artists.

7426. Cumberland Basin

Solar, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2025
Solar, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2025

First day skiing in the alps today, so really not much time to write today’s posts. This is a wonderful piece by Solar that got left behind in my archives.

Solar, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2025
Solar, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2025

The colours are absolutely magnificent and the piece delivered in Solar’s inimitable semi-antistyle fashion. Great work.

7420. Cumberland Basin

Soker, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026
Soker, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026

The turnout for Shade One’s birthday paint jam might have been relatively small in numbers, but was of the highest calibre. You know that you are well respected as an artist when Soker turns up and paints you a birthday celebration piece.

Soker, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026
Soker, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026

Soker is simply one of the best graffiti writers around, and although this looks like a relatively ‘quick one’ it still oozes class. The letters spell out shade with beautifully blended fills. The black outline picks out the letters beautifully and the cloudy pink, purple and green bursts around the edge of the letters rounds the piece off perfectly.

7416. Cumberland Basin

Shade One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026
Shade One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026

There are a few artists in Bristol who specialise in portrait pieces, and at the top of the tree are Shade One, Mind49 and Stivs. Shade One celebrated his own birthday paint jam with this magnificent portrait of a young woman on the long wall at Cumberland Basin.

Shade One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026
Shade One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026

What makes this piece super-special is that it has been painted using greyscale colours, but somehow that is not the first thought one has when first seeing it. The cartoon style is more forgiving than photorealism, but nonetheless equally effective. The blue background complements the detail in the portrait. Superb work.

7414. Cumberland Basin

Slim Pickings (Tes), Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026
Slim Pickings (Tes), Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026

I call this artist Slim Pickings, because that was his Instagram name when I first started writing about his work. Several changes to his Instagram account have followed since then, but I have stuck to the first. Most people refer to him (obviously) as TES.

Slim Pickings (Tes), Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026
Slim Pickings (Tes), Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026

There was a time when pretty much all of his pieces followed the same precise shape, with only a variation in colour and accessories. Now it feels like each new piece he paints is different from the last. These TES letters were painted for Shade One’s birthday, I think. While the composition is really nicely worked, the paint looks thin in places, giving it the impression of being a throw-up, but it is much more than that. Nice on from the No Frills writer.

7406. Cumberland Basin

Dibz, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026
Dibz, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026

Most artists in Bristol have good days and bad days and everything in between, when it comes to their artwork. One artist whose work is consistently near-perfect is Dibz. I can’t think of a time when he has turned out a piece of writing and thought to myself ‘that’s a bit shoddy’.

Dibz, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026
Dibz, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026

This is a beautifully finished piece painted for Shade One’s birthday, hence the letters SHADE. It would be easy to describe the piece as simple, but that isn’t necessarily the case. The white letters are decorated sparingly with green accents. The pink drop shadow is immaculate, and there is a tight thin blue border around the letters. To add some extra interest, Dibz has painted some glowing cubes around the piece, rounding it all off perfectly. Flawless.