Frome side – Page 2 – Natural adventures

7231. Frome Side (58)

Mr Riks, Frome Side, Bristol, September 2025

I know that Mr Riks has painted in this spot before, but I was still rather surprised to stumble across this one. There are two notable things about the piece, the first is that there is no buffed wall or background, so the writing is at risk of being overcrowded by the surrounding graffiti, the second is the day glo colours that go some way to mitigating that risk.

The nicely rounded letters spell RIKS in his distinctive font, and he has given them a bit of a lift with a deep 3D drop shadow drifting to the right. If I am honest, I think a little bit of extra background would have given this piece a bit more prominence, however, he might have been short of paint or time. Vibrant work.

7221. Frome Side (57)

Sketch, Frome Side, Bristol, September 2025

I am thrilled to introduce you to an artist who is gently emerging from the bowels under the M32. I believe he signs his work ‘Sketch’ and although I have met him one time, holding a discussion over a fence, he said he didn’t really have a name as such as he was building up his profile and his work.

This is a really strong column piece that has overtones of the work of Picasso, and both the cubist and surrealist art movements. There is a portrait here with lots of eyes and a strong presence of colours beautifully worked together. There is a ‘black book’ quality to the work, like a sketch (for example the cross-hatches and white space), which I guess is how his name has come about. Lots more to come from this talented young artist.

7209. Frome Side (56)

Mesk, Frome Side, Bristol, September 2025

I don’t know if I am imagining things, but Mesk appears to have upped his game significantly in recent months, with each piece being classier than the last. Maybe he has always been this amazing and I just haven’t latched on to it, but I have now, and this one in Frome Side is a belter.

His letters are bounded with a strong yellow border which contains coloured fills running in horizontal strips in warm tones running from light to dark to light, creating an almost kaleidoscopic effect. Adding to the overall blast of visual excitement, Mesk has painted a vibrant blue stripy drop shadow, that creates a ‘blockiness’ to the whole piece. Very nice work indeed.

7206. Frome Side (55)

Totosoapcity, Frome Side, Bristol, September 2025

Totosoapcity is one of those graffiti writers whose letter shapes remain broadly constant and whose magic happens with his colour selections and patterns. The letters ARSA or ARZA have a symmetry about them, which really establishes Totosoapcity’s ‘brand’ or presence.

The letters are given depth with the 3D drop shadow in red and white stripes, and further uplifted by the four ‘starbursts’ whose contribution should never be underestimated. The colour scheme has a bit of a confection feel to it, maybe trifle or rhubarb and custard chews. An all-round nice piece from Totosoapcity.

7199. Frome Side (54)

Marckinetic, Frome Side, Bristol, September 2025

I first encountered Marckinetic’s work when he used to paint alongside Kid Krishna, but the frequency of his pieces dwindled to virtually nothing, that is, until now. This is an absolutely stunning piece under the M32 to which access has been freed up, having been more difficult over the summer months. This piece was painted as part of a collaboration with another artist whose work I didn’t recognise.

Unfortunately, there is a bit of unavoidable glare in these pictures, which don’t really do the piece justice. The whole thing looks like it is a spaceship travelling through space, there is certainly movement from left to right with the black smoke trails. Inside the letters of the piece, Marckinetic has produced his incredible cosmic patterns, a trademark of his work. The whole piece is awesome, and it is great to see his work after what feels like a long time.

6717. Frome Side (53)

Pekoe, Frome Side, Bristol, January 2025

Pekoe is my heroine for coming up with this series of portrait pieces with the wonderful words ‘hot girls hate fascists’. We live in an uncertain time, when nationalism and the far right are on the rise, and we need look no further than to Trump and Musk to see the devastating effects and chaos caused by self-interest and populism. Pekoe provides a powerful and simple message for these people – it is not a good look.

I have always admired Pekoe’s work and every single time I find one of her pieces I get an endorphin kick, which I guess is why I like finding and photographing street art, it is my rest and recreation. In this portrait piece the lady is either a devil or is wearing a devil hairband. I love the white streaks in the hair, providing gloss, and the lady’s face has a wicked smile. A wonderful piece under the M32.

6711. Frome Side (52)

Jest Soubirquet, Frome Side, Bristol, January 2025

When I see pieces like this one from Jest Soubriquet (@likes12_art), I wonder how incredible our brains are at normalising and making sense of a patchwork of colour (all the wrong colours) to build an image of a tiger. Our capacity to ‘fill in the blanks’ is awesome.

Equally awesome is Jest Soubriquet’s ability to paint a tiger portrait in a multitude of colours, and he has done a superb job in this challenging spot underneath the M32. I always find it interesting that artists come here to paint, because footfall is practically zero, and these pieces won’t be seen by many people. Perhaps this simply emphasises the point that many street artists paint for the pure joy of it.

6706. Frome Side (51)

Bloem, Frome Side, Bristol, January 2025

I never hide the fact that I am a huge admirer of Bloem’s work, whether it is her character pieces, scenes or graffiti writing. Bloem has transitioned seamlessly between her themes, and although she has only painted a few pieces of writing, her obvious talent and technique would make you think she had been a graffiti writer for some years.

The letters spelling BLOEM are imaginatively filled and well where the solids are blended perfectly, and the patterns are delightful. The ‘O’ is a character with horns, which adds a little spice to the piece. Stepping back, the piece appears to be bursting through a wire mesh fence, which is a creative take on smashing through a wall, which is a common idea in graffiti writing. Very nice work indeed.

6702. Frome Side (50)

It is really important to give credit where credit is due and to recognise the determined efforts of artists looking to practice and improve. One such artist is Sub, whose giant letters are to be spotted all over Bristol. I think it is fair to say that his pieces are impressive but not quite exceptional, and with more work refining his style, we could be witnessing something quite special developing.

This combination piece includes a pink anime cat, which I think might be a Pokemon character called Mew. The big bold letters have a characteristically deep drop shadow, making them look very chunky indeed. It is great to see Sub experimenting with bubbles and some mesh work on the background. Sub is definitely one to watch.

6697. Frome Side (49)

Regular readers will know that I have a special liking for the work of Nips. It is difficult to pin down exactly what it is about her writing that I like, but it just somehow appeals to me. This chrome piece was painted under the M32, on the far bank of the River Frome, which involves crossing the river on a slender concrete beam, not one for the feint-hearted.

In this piece, Nips’ usual creative fills have given way to something much simpler (which is often the way with chrome writing). I like the double border, which creates just enough separation between the letters and the graffiti wall. The lasting thought though is I really want to know who ‘Evil David’ is.

	Bill Bisgood on Eager beaver
	paulh121 on 7479. Cumberland Basin
	Chuckster on Thursday doors – 19 Febr…
	China Dream on Thursday doors – 12 Febr…
	bushboy on Thursday doors – 19 Febr…

	Bill Bisgood on Eager beaver
	paulh121 on 7479. Cumberland Basin
	Chuckster on Thursday doors – 19 Febr…
	China Dream on Thursday doors – 12 Febr…
	bushboy on Thursday doors – 19 Febr…

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