Cumberland Basin – Page 4 – Natural adventures

7055. Cumberland Basin

Totosoapcity, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2024

Every once in a while I take a trip through my archives and spot pieces that I failed to post first time round, and give them a second chance. This is a piece by Totosoapcity from a year ago, July 2024, before I knew his name, which is why I probably didn’t post it then.

All of Totosoapcity’s pieces are instantly recognisable, because of the shape of his letters, which is quite unique, and doesn’t seem to deviate too much from piece to piece. I think the letters spell ARSA, with the ‘S’ reversed. In this piece he has gone form the trusty pink and blue combination with a cream and red striped drop shadow and red border with decorations. Decent, unusual and distinctive writing. Watch this space for more of his work from my archives.

7043. Cumberland Basin

Squarms, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2025

I think that this year, perhaps more than any other year, I have seen an increase in the number of visiting artists painting in Bristol, which tells me that it is very much a destination city for street/graffiti artists. This is, in my view, a really great thing and opens up opportunities to get acquainted with a huge diversity of artwork from across the country and beyond.

I’m not too sure exactly when these colourful skeletons, painted by Squarms, appeared, but it was probably around the same time as some others under Brunel Way, perhaps in late June. These skeletons are brilliantly presented and have a feel of graphic design about them, as if they could be found on cards, posters, t-shirts etc.. Something a little different to enjoy.

7042. Cumberland Basin

Scrapyardspec, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2025

Scrapyardspec has returned to Bristol recently and dropped a whole load of pieces at spots all over the city, which seems to be his modus operandi when he visits. This multicoloured goofy face is in the little ‘tunnel’ area alongside the long wall at Cumberland Basin.

There is something completely loveable about Scrapyardspec’s characters. You pretty much know that you are going to get a wobbly face with lots of teeth and googly eyes, but there is enough variability within that formula to ensure that each piece is interesting and unique in its own way. The background colours are what mark this piece out from some of the others, being much more colourful ‘a la fruit salad’ I would say. More to come from our welcome visitor soon.

6998. Cumberland Basin

Endz, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2025

Unsigned pieces are always difficult to identify, but I have hit upon a bit of reverse engineering in my thinking; as well as looking for clues in the lettering or style of the piece, I also think about which artists I know that never sign their work, and this often leads me to a small pool of artists to investigate. Endz is one of those artists, and closer scrutiny of the style (which varies considerably) helps to draw conclusions.

Endz also paints under another name in Bristol, but likes to keep the two identities separate. The sketchy style, which some might interpret as untidy, is deliberate and feels like it might have dropped out of a scrap book or something. The grey tones of the letters are interspersed with small blocks of orange that jazz the whole piece up a bit along with an orange border. Interesting work from Endz, and certainly a little different from the mainstream.

6979. Cumberland Basin

Zake, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2025

This piece by Zake is something a little different, a variation on a theme from the artist. It is rare to see Zake paint anything approximating to letters, but here we are with an unusual combination piece.

Two letters and two faces, making up the vowels, are nicely designed and set on a grey background with watery bubbles. For once, I will forgive the use of brown paint, because it is subtle and in keeping with the ‘slatey’, earthy, feel of the whole composition. It is always a pleasure to see artists try something new.

6971. Cumberland Basin

Kush, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2025

Although I see a little bit of his work around the place, this is only the third piece by Kush that I have posted on Natural Adventures. His selection of ‘fruit salad’ colours gives his writing an uplifting presence. The letters KUSH are nicely designed and uniform with nicely graded fills.

Some nice depth is achieved with his orange 3D drop shadow, but the piece is probably most notable for the message ‘Free Palestine’ which is a common theme in street art in Bristol. Kush has also filled his letters with loads of shout-outs, and a smaller message in case you didn’t get it first time, ‘stop arming Israel’. While the world disintegrates and wars dominate the headlines, these guys modestly protest and document the world around them.

6965. Cumberland Basin

Astrea, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2025

Many artists in Bristol seem to have temporarily slowed or perhaps disappeared altogether, such as Fiver, Mudra, Kosc, Laic217, to name just a few, but hot on their heels are new artists who are emerging or establishing themselves as part of the mainstream, including Bloem, Sub, Bean, Lis and the featured artist of this post Astrea.

Astrea, or Astra as she signs herself these days is experimenting with both writing and characters, and has in the past played with abstract designs too. It feels like she is settling on some preferred colour combinations, in particular red and black. For an artist who is still developing her street technique, this is an accomplished piece of writing with lots of common design ideas incorporated. Interestingly, she hasn’t painted a border line, instead opting for a white outline interrupted with dots. I think borders are really tricky until you get your can control perfected. Nice to see Astrea pushing her boundaries.

6957. Cumberland Basin

Lis, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2025

Lis (Le Imposter Design) continues on her street art journey, developing new ideas and techniques along the way. Imagination and creativity seem to come quite easily to her and every new piece is distinct and quite different from the last.

Described as a ‘silly one’ by Lis, this looks like an alien piece, with the words ‘They’re coming’ in rather nice neon-style writing at the top. The character shows some development, and although perhaps not the greatest piece of art in the world, it demonstrates her desire to push boundaries and try out new ideas and styles. I am so much enjoying her journey.

6935. Cumberland Basin

Todoaciem, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2025

I believe that Todoaciem has moved back to his native Spain, which would explain the absence of his outstanding calligraffiti on Bristol’s streets in recent months. I think he makes the journey back from time to time, probably to see his Bristol friends, and when he does he drops a piece, and this was a recent one from Cumberland Basin.

As ever, the writing is inch-perfect, spelling out CIEM, with incredible precision and discipline. The horizontal depressions in the wall make it a little easier to gain the uniformity of the letters, but that doesn’t take away from the skill needed to paint with this level of accuracy. Todoaciem’s fills transition beautifully in horizontal layers, and create a kind of metallic sheen for the piece. It is always great to find a piece by Todoaciem, especially as they are fairly infrequent these days.

6912. Cumberland Basin

Rozda, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2025

I love this kind of slightly unconventional, not quite anti-style, unconventional graffiti writing, which, although it looks a bit scruffy is actually technically really well thought out, designed and pulled together.

It was painted as part of a large collaboration, with each piece sharing a common background and base colours, but each with its own unique style. I know nothing of Rozda, the artist, so would guess that they were in Bristol as a visitor for this paint jam. I like this a lot.

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