Dirtygypo

7764. Brunel Way (390)

Dirtygypo, Brunel Way, Bristol, June 2026

Having been quite quiet over the winter months, Dirtygypo has had a recent pulse of activity, painting in several of the spots around the city. This piece was painted next to one by Biers which I posted yesterday.

As ever, I struggle to read Dirtygypo’s letters – I have managed it once or twice – but in the main he outfoxes me (it is possible it reads DIRTY). Characteristic of his work is the skull-like first letter and the lightening bolts that separate letters in his writing. The whole thing hangs together nicely, and I rather like his lettering style. More to come.

A gallery of intricate, colourful and disguised graffiti writing from Bristol’s Dirtygypo.

Instagram: @dirtygypo

All photographs by Scooj

Dirtygypo, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2025

Dirtygypo, Brunel Way, Bristol, October 2025

Dirtygypo and Posh, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, July 2025

Dirtygypo, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2025

Dirtygypo, Greenbank, Bristol, March 2025

Dirtygypo, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2025

Dirtygypo, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, March 2025

Dirtygypo, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2025

Dirtygypo, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2024

Dirtygypo, Cumberland Bain, Bristol, July 2024

Dirtygypo, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2024

Dirtygypo, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2024

7413. St Werburghs tunnel (558)

It is a jungle out there, and I have said it many times on Natural Adventures, and it can be hard to follow the protocols and conventions at times. Dirtygypo has painted this small piece over a birthday tribute piece for Minto. During the same visit (I assume) he tagged a piece at the entrance of the tunnel by Logoe and Mamil, who had previously painted over a tribute piece to Dorns under Brunel Way. It is a pity that there is quite a lot of strife around these things, as most artists are good and simply want to paint walls. The ‘rules’ such as they are tend to be interpreted in the interests of those who adopt or ignore them. In my view the rules are ‘there are no rules’.

I really like Dirtygypo’s writing, and am slowly beginning to get to grips with his letters. The artist gives us a clue with this writing with the word QUICHE in the bottom right. Look carefully at his graffiti writing and you can make out each of the letters. The Q and U are separated by a yellow lightening bolt. The I is a very slender light blue line, the C and E in dark blue sandwich a very slim H. It is all there, but beautifully disguised. A cracking small piece from Dirtygypo.

7225. Brunel Way (338)

This tidy little piece of graffiti writing is Dirtygypo’s contribution to a tribute wall painted in honour of Dorns recently. I betray my lack of knowledge at times like this when I say that I am not entirely sure that I ever met Dorns nor featured any of their work in Natural Adventures. What is clear from this wall is that Dorns was well-loved and respected by many in the graffiti community in Bristol.

What is deeply frustrating from my perspective is that I find it quite easy to read the letters DORNS in this piece, but I can’t decipher the letters used in Dirtygypo’s normal writing. There are some great colours in this piece, and a rather special 3D drop shadow in purple with pink dots. A thin white highlight enhances the feeling of depth. RIP Dorns.

7103. Sparke Evans Park (139)

Although this superb piece of graffiti writing from Dirtygypo isn’t really a collaboration, it does have a cheeky collaborative element from the inclusion of one of Posh’s distinctive characters, of which there appears to have been an outbreak of across Bristol in the last couple of months.

As with many of Dirtygypo’s pieces, each of the letters are assigned a different colour and the word it interspersed with bolts of lightening. I won’t drift into trying to interpret the word this time, I’ll simply have to wait until I meet him to find an answer. All good stuff, and another fine piece from Dirtygypo.

7085. Dean Lane skate park (855)

Wow! This colourful piece by Dirtygypo is difficult not to notice. The letters are splashed with so many colours and great shapes, accompanied by lightening bolts and crowns. The piece is a single-handed festival. I would describe it as a combination piece, as the character at the start is rather well-developed, and adds fun and mischief to the whole piece.

I have pretty much given up trying to work out what the letters spell, despite many attempts. I can see so many letters and words, but would need to confirm with the artist, who I haven’t yet met. Today I am going for the obvious and guess that it says DIRTY.

6939. Greenbank (159)

I think that I must have delved back into my archives a little with this one from Dirtygypo. I also recall that it was my second attempt to capture the piece, because the light conditions here make photography challenging to say the least. Even here there are shadows of tree branches!

This is a really classy one from Dirtygypo, with lightening strikes flashing through the lettering. I am still no clearer to working out the letters, but feel that I can see the word DIRTY there somewhere. The whole piece is clean, the colour palette subtle, and the drop shadow very nicely executed. It is always a pleasure to find Dirtygypo’s work.

6829. Cumberland Basin

Dirtygypo has returned to the streets with a few pieces this spring, and this is a rather nice one painted in Cumberland Basin. The letters still puzzle me. There are thoughts that they could spell Pilger or Dirty, but I don’t think it is either of these.

The letter forms are consistent with his usual approach, but he has added in some great colours, and the lightening breaks in white really stand out through the piece. The characterisation of the first letter is one of several signatures that aid with identification, but to be honest, his writing is unlike anything by any other artists in Bristol and is easy to identify. It is just those damn letters that perplex me.

6811. Sparke Evans Park (126)

Although he doesn’t appear to paint all that frequently, Dirtygypo has an instantly recognisable style. I have tried on several occasions to work out what his letters spell, and I have come to the conclusion that they say DIRTY, although I have little confidence in this. I guess I’ll just need to meet him while he is painting sometime.

The colour scheme adopted by Dirtygypo for this piece is elementary, but I have to say that the jade green background colour works very well indeed with the white letters. There are a couple of splashes of lime green and yellow around the edges that add some extra interest. The letters are in the standard format that Dirtygypo uses and includes a stylised face at the start. Really nice graffiti writing, with some mystery sill to solve.

6682. Cumberland Basin

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.

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.

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