6749. Cumberland Basin

Donz, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2025
Donz, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2025

Every now and again, Donz ventures beyond his L Dub ‘manor’ and visits the centre of Bristol, and this little wall is one he has painted before. With views of the Clifton Suspension Bridge, and some cover from the rain and (in summer) the sun, this is a tidy little spot, adjacent to the long wall in Cumberland Basin.

Donz, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2025
Donz, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2025

This graffiti writing is typically colourful, and set on a plain, neutral background, that helps to give focus on the letters. The seemingly random colour patches are semi-blended, as if they were thrown at a canvass. The piece is finished with a bunch of little circle decorations. Interesting to note, that even without a drop shadow, the writing manages to offer some depth.

6722. Cumberland Basin

Sait Bare, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2025
Sait Bare, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2025

Sait Bare is a wonderful graffiti writer who paints just often enough to get himself notices, and has a style of writing all of his own. He tends to present irregular letters that have an organic feel about them, as there were a live being in there somewhere.

Sait Bare, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2025
Sait Bare, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2025

This writing, which was painted alongside some Hire piece, has a wonderful deep, rich colour palette. The letters, spelling SAIT, merge with one another and it is the fills that drift through the piece that pick out the individual letters, but in an ephemeral way. Sait Bare’s work is really unusual and quite unlike anything else we see in Bristol.

6718. Cumberland Basin

Cartoonneros, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2025
Cartoonneros, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2025

Argentinian artist Cartoonneros has made a few appearances on these pages over the years, and it is always fun to find his diminutive stencil pieces. I think that I might have a bunch of unpublished pictures of his work from trips to London a few years ago too, which I ought to dig out of my archive.

Cartoonneros, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2025
Cartoonneros, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2025

This piece features a black stencil portrait of Lionel Messi (I think), augmented with an underlayer of rainbow colours. This is decent, simple and impactful work that instantly catches the eye. It is the only recent piece I have found by the artist, but I will be keeping my eyes open, because I find it hard to believe that he would visit Bristol and only drop one piece during his visit. I don’t quite yet have enough pieces to make a gallery, but when I do…

6712. Cumberland Basin

Lupa, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2025
Lupa, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2025

With some artists, there is a simple honesty, integrity and a resultant authenticity that makes their work so attractive. There is nothing pretentious about Lupa’s work, and this great big chunky presentation of the letters LUPA ‘does what it says on the tin’.

Lupa, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2025
Lupa, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2025

The big yellow letters stand out on the deep red background. The fills have an electric plasma shock running through them, and I love the black swirl on the ‘P’ and the sad/angry face on the ‘A’. With this piece there is nothing but the letters and the joy. Nice shout-outs to Klofe, Lee Roy and RBF.

6710. Cumberland Basin

Hire, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2024
Hire, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2024

January is usually quite a quiet month for street/graffiti art, with activity building into the spring and summer months. However, this year it was an incredibly busy month, and I still haven’t posted more than half of the pictures I took – unfortunately they will likely not see the light of day, unless get more capacity to post in years to come (a retirement project?).

Hire, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2024
Hire, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2024

This rich piece of writing is by Hire, one of my favourite graffiti writers in Bristol, and spells out BF, although I am not entirely what it stands for. Set on a dark background, the letters are painted in black (blue-black?), with fine midlines in red. The sumptuous red border and drop shadow (in a slightly different tone of red) round off this very attractive work.

6704. Cumberland Basin

Andy Council and Acer One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2025
Andy Council and Acer One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2025

There is never a time when it isn’t a genuine pleasure to come across an Acer One/Andy Council collaboration. These two have been painting together for a long time, and although their styles couldn’t be more different, there is a harmony in their work that is probably supported by their familiarity with one another.

Andy Council, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2025
Andy Council, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2025

This wonderful composite creature piece by Andy Council is stitched together in his unique style. Andy has said that he is aiming to paint one dinosaur piece each month to celebrate 20 years since he painted his first. If this feathered velociraptor is anything to go by, we are in for a treat in 2025. I like the way that the cloudy puffs span across to Acer One’s piece.

Acer One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2025
Acer One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2025

Acer One is constantly inventing ways to dazzle us with his graphic lettering and design. Always executed to perfection, his pieces are quite different to anything else we see in Bristol. In this piece he has combined peace and heart symbols to come up with a single entity. It is beautiful and meaningful, and I expect we’ll see more of this icon from Acer One. A fine collaboration.

6682. Cumberland Basin

Dirtygypo, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2025
Dirtygypo, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2025

It almost felt as though Dirtygypo had been forgotten. His pieces just weren’t appearing from last autumn onwards, and I was wondering whether he might have left town. It was great, therefore, to come across this recent piece in Cumberland Basin, and all is well.

Dirtygypo, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2025
Dirtygypo, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2025

It doesn’t matter how hard I try, I simply can’t make out Dirtygypo’s letters – I am beginning to think that the word ends with GG, but even then I am uncertain. There is plenty of movement in his letters and I like the incorporation of the character on the left-hand side. I’m sure that his work will all make a great deal more sense once I can decipher the writing.

6676. Cumberland Basin

Grimes, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2025
Grimes, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2025

I met Grimes for the first time while he was laying down the foundations for this exceptional chrome piece. I have to say it is so much better than I was expecting it to turn out, which is saying something, because when it comes to Grimes’ work, the bar is already set pretty high. The artist is a lovely man, and we chatted for quite a while. One of the things I found out is that he has been living in Bristol for seven years, so I think I am going to have to revisit my archives to see if I can find any of his older work.

Grimes, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2025
Grimes, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2025

This piece simply oozes class, and energy. Sometimes Chrome pieces, although impressive, and ‘a thing’ they are prone to being a little on the dull side. Not so with this explosive piece by Grimes. The chrome letters, spelling Grime, are filled with some nicely worked traditional patterning, but it is the sparks and plasma threads running through the piece that take it to the next level. Excellent work from the graffiti writer of the moment (‘says who?’ says me!).

6672. Cumberland Basin

Mr Draws, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2025
Mr Draws, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2025

I have met Mr Draws a great many times, which is not surprising, given the frequency with which both of us are out and about in the more popular graffiti spots of Bristol. I can honestly say that he is a gentle and really decent man, who’s good nature comes out in his light-hearted writing.

Mr Draws, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2025
Mr Draws, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2025

This transition piece was painted at the end of 2024 and start of 2025 (I hope not on New Year’s Eve itself). Some nice letters spelling out DRAW, and a rather tired and emotional looking Smiley positioned in the centre of the piece, perhaps representing some exuberant celebrating and welcoming of 2025.

6670. Cumberland Basin

Acer One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2025
Acer One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2025

After a reasonably quiet winter season, Acer One has pulled this beauty out of the hat. The piece is painted on a wall that Acer One has made his own over recent years, and this is a rather special instalment.

Acer One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2025
Acer One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2025

The stylised letters spell out ‘peace and love’ which are placed over a swirling ribbon of colour and a neutral grey background. Acer One specialises in his stylised fonts, and tends to execute them to perfection. A nice sentiment and great piece.