Hemper is one of the great experimenters and innovators of wildstyle graffiti writing in Bristol and no two pieces are the same, and the styles and letter fonts he uses vary considerably from piece to piece. This way he gets to express his creative ideas to the maximum, not constrained by familiar patterns or shapes. It takes extreme talent and confidence to do what he does.
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, September 2025
This HEMS piece is really very unusual and has a kind of mirage effect created by the wobbly yellow interventions, working with the purple and blue letters, that manage to both clarify and at the same time disguise the word. This is very clever stuff. Writing like this is definitely not something you will see every day. Love it.
Tunnel entrances are always difficult to photograph, especially on sunny days, as you can see from this light/shadow image taken at the second tunnel in St Werburghs. The poor photo doesn’t detract from the quality of the graffiti writing by Hemper.
Hemper, Boiling Wells Lane, Bristol, August 2025
Writing in his short-form HEMS, Hemper has provided a checked background, which is inspirational, and, using three colours, one step age and of the simple concept. The yellow letters, incorporating two characters, are outstanding, with brilliant use of black and white highlights to give 3D depth to them. The work of a genius (I rarely use the term, but in this case I believe it to be true).
Hemper, Dun Sum and Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2025
What a wonderful collaboration from Hemper, Dun Sum and Hypo, one that slipped a little under the radar and didn’t perhaps receive quite the fanfare it merited. Three rather different pieces, each making an individual visual impact.
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2025
To the left is one of Hemper’s shortened ‘HEMS’ pieces, where the overlapping letters are compressed laterally. This is a pattern he has been following for the last month or so, perhaps marking a quieter phase after his expansive work earlier in the summer. As ever, the piece, which has some lovely fill patterns and expert white highlights, is oozing with class.
Dun Sum, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2025
It is impossible not to be drawn to the cat character by Dun Sum. Although I have (and love) a dog, I have always been a cat person at heart. I have to say that there is something that creeps me out a little bit about this cat, perhaps it is the smile or maybe the eyes, but the overall effect bis a little intimidating, but isn’t that cats all over? It is really nicely painted and a great focal point for the graffiti writing either side of it.
Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2025
To the right is another fine piece from Hypo – I say another, because he has been turning out so many great works with alarming regularity this summer. The aquamarine colours used for the fills of this piece have a tranquility about them, and with all the bubbles and spots has a distinctly aquatic feel. As I said before, three distinct individual styles coming together in this great collaboration.
The tunnel, under the railway, at Boiling Wells Lane is usually pretty useless for graffiti, more commonly used for throw ups and tagging than serious artworks, but some new pieces from Hemper and friends have rather upgraded this spot, and I wonder if it will encourage others to paint there a little more.
Hemper, Boiling Wells Lane, Bristol, August 2025
Hemper has arisen from his mini-slumber for the last month or so and started producing these slimline ‘Hems’ pieces of which this is an absolute cracker. The black and white letters, portraying local scenes of trains and caravans, and full of mischievous characters, contrast superbly with the quilt-like patchwork of colourful patterns surrounding the piece. This is masterful work from one of the very best writers in the country.
Hemper has had an interesting year so far, at one point there was no stopping him, producing multiple pieces in multiple styles, after which he went a little quiet, but recently he has returned with another burst of energy and a short-form theme to his lettering, of which this piece is typical.
Hemper, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2025
The cartoon-style letters, spelling HEMS, are made rather more cartoony with the inclusion of character features in the ‘E’ and ‘S’. What sets this apart from other similar pieces of writing is that it oozes class, confidence and experience, from the yellow spiky splash background to the sharp black and white borders. There are only a few artists who can carry off small pieces like this with such perfection.
Hypo, Cheo and Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2025
Birthday paint jams have definitely become more of a thing since I started writing about street art (about ten years now). This was a well attended birthday celebration for Hypo, which turned out some superb pieces. This is a triptych from the birthday boy, Cheo and Hemper.
Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2025
I’ve pretty much said all there is to say about Hypo’s work in so many posts over the last couple of years, and this is another fine example of his wildstyle writing, perhaps more cryptic than some of his pieces. What an accolade that so many great artists came out to celebrate with him.
Cheo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2025
Cheo is one of the ‘godfathers’ of character work in Bristol, and this is a superb cartoon-style piece featuring an artist (is it Hypo?) pondering whether he should be using red or yellow paint. The animation is so full of humour and movement, it almost feels like watching a film clip. Of course, a signature bee is in attendance.
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2025
Hemper always, always turns out outstanding pieces. This one is as creative as ever, and spells out Hems in blue and white dappled letters set on a red splash. Everything in on point, and it is easy to see that this is the work of a graffiti writing genius. Three great pieces coming together in this birthday collaboration.
There are some newish hoardings at the bottom end of Stokes Croft, as the gentrification of the area once more picks up momentum. Kid Krishna has, as you would expect, pounced on these blank canvasses, but he left this space for Hemper, and what a banging piece it is too.
Hemper, Stokes Croft, Bristol, April 2025
Overall, the piece has a copper metallic feel to it, with the highly illustrated letters spelling out HEMS. The piece is obviously an homage to DJing and to sound systems, perhaps a reference to the Blue Mountain Club that was knocked down behind these hoardings. There is too much to describe in this sensational piece, so perhaps the best way to enjoy it is to spend a moment looking at each element of it.
Hemper, Stokes Croft, Bristol, April 2025
Of course, you can take a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. These two are symptomatic of the world we live in, where shutting yourself off and hiding behind headphones is the norm – no effort required, no thought given to exploring the world right in front of your eyes. C’est la vie I suppose.
When I first started out noticing street art in Bristol, and subsequently writing about it, The Carriageworks was my ‘go to’ spot to find some really classy work. Alas, the gentrification of Stokes Croft, eliminated half of the spot, and what remains is rarely painted. How pleasing it was to see this beauty from Hemper, and a piece adjacent to it by Kid Krishna (posted).
Hemper, The Carriageworks, Bristol, April 2025
It took me a couple of attempts to photograph this piece, because the first time I went there was a van partially covering up the writing, but I photographed it nonetheless just to make sure I had it in the can. These pictures are a much cleaner version and really highlight the magnificent of this extraordinary graffiti writing from Hemper, who has been on a roll this spring (a spring roll, if you like🙂). There is so much colour, beautifully blended, and a perfectly painted contrasting blue and black drop shadow. Another masterpiece of graffiti writing from Hemper.
More from the irrepressible Hemper, this time at the farm end of the tunnel. His recent run of form has been quite extraordinary, and I imagine quite liberating for the artist himself. Although he always paints original designs, he has been pushing the boundaries a lot lately.
Hemper, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2025
This is a chrome piece with brass knobs on, and unusually for Hemper it looks to be rather political or at least a social commentary piece. The chrome letters have anthropomorphic limbs which are crushing and vandalising a Tesla Cybertruck, a sentiment probably shared by many people in the current political climate. I feel that Cybertrucks should be side lined on their ugly appearance, let alone the hideousness of their owner. I am teetering on a bit of a rant, but simply don’t have time, so I will round off the post here. Superb work from Hemper.
This stunner by Hemper (who else?) has caused me a lot of grief. It was painted at the farm end of the tunnel, and had a black van parked in front of it every time I went to visit. I never did get a clean shot of the piece, so I have had to decide whether to share some rubbish pictures of it or not to share at all. I chose the former.
Hemper, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025
This is one of a series of outstanding pieces from one of the most imaginative graffiti writers in Bristol. He has been operating at full tilt this year, and has already clocked up countless pieces, no two looking even remotely similar. It is probably a good time to update his gallery (I have just done it), which is swelling, in a positive way. These bubble letters spell out HEMS and are set on a delicious red background. The pink and blue fills are expertly worked, as you would expect. So much more to come from Hemper’s renaissance.
Natural adventures 