Cumberland Basin – Page 4 – Natural adventures

7251. Cumberland Basin

Rusta, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, October 2025

Every once in a while I find a piece of graffiti or street art and I say to myself, ‘I really like that’. This is one of those pieces. It is by a graffiti writer I haven’t come across before, Rusta, and I am guessing that they were visiting Bristol and took the opportunity to have a little paint.

I love the big fat letters and rather sketchy style of the piece, and I also like the way it has been painted on a clean white buffed background to help it make its mark. The colour selection is great and the way the colours blend and jump about is rather cool. The little pink shock lines through the piece give it that little something extra. A very nice piece indeed.

7249. Cumberland Basin

Pl8o, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, October 2025

I have included this piece, not because it is amazing, but because it is by PL8o whose work I like and because it is representative of a great many tribute pieces in Bristol to Dorns who recently passed away.

There is something easy and accessible about PL8o’s letter style, and the colours in this piece certainly stand out. It is a nice tribute. Interestingly, this piece was over-painted by an artist who is not local and who probably didn’t know about Dorns or the tributes to him. That piece has since been tagged with ‘Dorns’ written all over it, and a comment which reads ‘You had the whole wall…’ basically telling the artist off for painting over a tribute piece – an example of the politics and rules (there are no rules) of street/graffiti art.

7239. Cumberland Basin

Minto, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, September 2025

It has been rather good to see Minto maintaining a regular drumbeat of pieces going this year, continuing on from a strong 2024. This piece has quite a heavy feel to it, probably exacerbated by the dark blue buff background, which I fear slightly dominates the overall presentation.

In my mind, Minto’s work feels like it has been deconstructed and then reconstructed, like an apple crumble on Masterchef. There is a lot of busy work and colour throughout the writing, which spells a well disguised MINTO. There are lots of shapes and design elements which appear to have been carefully thought out, and which come together nicely to create the whole. I thought this would be a good time to share an updated gallery of his work.

7207. Cumberland Basin

Sled One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, September 2025

It is, I think, entirely coincidental that Sled One painted this lucky cat (maneki-neko), around the same time that two of them appeared during a paint jam in Lucky Lane. This piece encapsulates Sled One’s skill at creating depth in his pieces through the subtle application of shading and light throughout the piece.

The gold disc contains Sled One’s signature, but there are tell-tale signs of his paw print here, in particular, for example, the floating eyebrows. There is mischief and movement in this cat, and Sled One doesn’t simply create a character, he animates it with emotions and attitudes. Outstanding work.

7188. Cumberland Basin

Ments, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, September 2025

Aha! how absolutely blooming brilliant to come across this outstanding piece from Ments, an artist whose abstract work I have long admired, but who rarely seems to paint these days. This piece was painted alongside Sled One, both of whom were pioneers in ‘colonising’ this particular wall – now a firm favourite with local and visiting artists.

There is a fluidity to Ments’ work, which comes across in this piece. Everything is carefully thought out, the colours and shapes, and even the scatter of blue shards bursting from left to right. A very classy piece that highlights how much Ments’ absence is felt.

7169. Cumberland Basin

Daz Cat, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2025

What a strange piece from Daz Cat. A cat and a character, but what brings these two together? I can’t figure out the story at all. I think this is the first cartoon-style figure I have seen of a person like this from Daz Cat.

The character reminds me of Cletus Spuckler from The Simpsons, he has that kind of hillbilly look about him. I love the way that Daz Cat is always pushing his own boundaries, and loves to tell a good story through his art.

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.

7139. Cumberland Basin

Pura Decadencia, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2025

This is a pretty difficult damp wall to paint, but that didn’t stop Pura Decadencia and some friends from giving it a go a few weeks back, and because turnover here is very slow, her work is still there to enjoy.

The chrome letters in this piece are accompanied by a red drop shadow and bordered with a thin yellow strip. Each of the letters is split with a red line and little ‘rivets’ either side, giving the look of steel plates hanging together, a device used by quite a lot of writers, and a really effective one. There is a white plasma bolt running through the letters, adding a little bit of extra interest, but not detracting from the big bold letters themselves. Nice work from Pura Decadencia.

7137. Cumberland Basin

Cort, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2025

It was a sunny day when I took these pictures, and I’m afraid you are stuck with a rather unattractive shadow, cast in the afternoon sunshine. I’m glad I took the pictures when I did though, because the piece was gone by the next time I visited. This is another in a recent spate of pieces by Cort, and I have to say that he is hitting a rich vein of form, in my view at least.

Cort plays a lot with his writing, both in his choice of his letters and in his unique styling of each one. Here he spells Kortos, a corruption of his usual Cort, and presents each of his asymmetric letters with a different fill that across the whole piece forms a regular Patton or concept. The beautifully painted letters sit on top of a contrasting yellow and turquoise background. Great work from Cort.

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	scooj on My Dog Sighs

	M. on 7460. M32 Roundabout J2 (…
	scooj on 7460. M32 Roundabout J2 (…
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	scooj on My Dog Sighs
	scooj on My Dog Sighs

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