A major feature of the resurgence of Hemper recently has been the way he has experimented and embraced a whole raft of different styles. He has always painted original pieces, full of imagination, but I am not sure that I have seen such variation in letter shapes and overall appearance before.
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2025
This large and unusual piece spells out HEMS, obviously, but is also surrounded by a subtly coloured background of mini ‘Hems’ in a kind of bubble graffiti style of writing. This must have taken quite a while to paint, but the overall effect was worth it. Lots more to come from an artist who is on a journey of rediscovery.
Hemper’s odyssey continues with this rather nice chrome piece alongside the M32 motorway. He seems to be omnipresent at the moment and is stretching his creativity to the maximum.
Hemper, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, February 2025
This piece is perhaps a little bit more conventional for Hemper, in so much as it is not too different from pieces he has been producing in the past. What makes it special is that as chrome pieces go (which are often a little rushed or crude) this is one of the best examples you will find. The writing, spelling HEMS is relatively low-key, but decorated to a higher standard than most chromies, and the finishing, borders etc, is completely on-point. More to come soon from a man on a mission.
Here we have yet another creative piece coming off the Hemper production line, which has gone into overdrive of late. If the cheeky worm piece didn’t spell out Hems, I’m not sure that I would ever have been able to trace it back to him. It is so different to his writing work.
Hemper, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, February 2025
This alley is always pretty grotty, with a fair amount of fly-tipping that goes on here, as you can see from the pictures. At least we can rely on street artists brightening up the walls at the very least. Hemper has worked hard, not only to create a cheery worm spelling out Hems, but also provides a clean and happy background to round the piece off nicely. It is fast becoming impossible what Hemper might dream up next, and I am very much enjoying the ride.
Hemper continues with his odyssey through various styles and ideas, so much so that I am beginning to wonder whether some of his new pieces can possibly be by him, such as this curious combination piece in Peel Street Green.
Hemper, Peel Street Green, Bristol, February 2025
It looks like there is a message here ‘open your mind’ and perhaps that is a mantra he is working with currently. The letters are in the style of the monster energy drink logo, and the character looks like he has been drinking a little too much of it. It is so refreshing to see Hemper pushing so many boundaries, not only creatively, but also energetically. A wonderful and weird piece.
Hemper and Hypo, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025
Hemper and Hypo have been smashing it recently, and this is a wonderful recent collaboration in the tunnel. I fear that while I am away in France I will be missing a whole bunch of their work.
Hemper, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025
Hemper, like Kid Krishna, has had something of a lifestyle change and has come out of it all guns blazing. This is a combination piece of writing and little blue characters, which might have been a joint effort from both artists. Vibrant and energetic.
Hypo, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025
After a quiet January, Hypo too has been in outstanding form through February and this is yet another fine piece from him, with great colour transitions and his familiar HYPO moniker. An outstanding collaboration.
There is no question about it, Hemper has found a new level of energy, the likes of which I haven’t seen since around Covid lockdown, when he was pretty busy also. Barely a day goes by when there isn’t a new piece by this exceptionally gifted artist. One of the most notable things about Hemper is that every piece he paints is new and creative, he rarely, if ever, revisits old designs and copies them, each one is utterly unique.
Hemper, Cowmead Walk, Bristol, February 2025
This outstanding piece is like a ‘sampler’ where each letter shows off his astonishing technique and gift for colour, shapes, patterns, design and can control. Spelling out HEMS, the H, E and S all have white accents which provide depth and a 3D effect, whereas the E is much flatter and hugs the wall. There is so much to enjoy in this piece, that it is probably wiser not to describe it, but to let you enjoy it at your leisure. I rarely use the word genius, because it is in my view overused – in this case, however, I believe it to be appropriate.
Hemper and Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2025
Hypo and Hemper have been super-busy this February, Hemper in particular. This collaboration has taken up quite a lot of space on the long wall on the northern side of the M32 roundabout, and it is a really impressive production piece.
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2025
Hemper has produced a stunning piece of writing to the left spelling out HEMS. He has a vibrant colour horizontal gradient running through the letters, and his subtle white trims and flashes give it all a super depth and lifts it away from the wall. I think that the B boy character is also by Hemper along with the urban landscape behind.
Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2025
Hypo, who often paints with Hemper continues the colour scheme bringing balance to the production. This might just be one of the best pieces I have seen from Hypo. The depth of his letters is great, and the graded fills perfectly done. I particularly like the interstitial spots between the letters. There is a superb ‘old school’ vibe about this collaboration.
I know exactly why I never posted this piece at the time I photographed it. Although I was blown away by it, I didn’t know who the artist was, and so it remained in my archive unseen. I have revisited it several times over the years, but now feel confident enough in suggesting it is by Hemper.
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2016
The location, the ASK tag, and the possibility that the disguised letters may spell HEMS and the sheer quality of the piece draws me to the conclusion that it is by Hemper. Whoever the artist, it remains one of my favourite pieces of crazy graffiti writing ever. Everything about it is near perfect, from concept to execution. Those stones/bubbles must have taken an age to paint, and the black ‘web’ draped around the letters is exceptional. The work of a genius.
I came across Hemper while he was painting this beast, and I think that even he was wondering if he might have bitten off more than he could chew. It is a tribute to an old crew DMT, and quite unlike much of the work I am used to seeing by the artist, although there are hints of his style in the words within the DMT letters.
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2025
These pictures also demonstrate how the light can impact on the quality of photography. In the first picture, the sun is behind a cloud, in the second, the cloud has passed, and the sun is casting shadows of the trees onto the wall, all of this changed in the space of seconds. Hemper appears to have got his mojo going early this year, and is a very busy man, creating some superb graffiti writing.
In this last look back at 2019 (for the time being), I am posting five pieces from the wall on the M32 Cycle path, which never made it onto Natural Adventures at the time. There is some poignancy to this post and the feature piece by Mena (Menas), because I have recently heard that Mena is currently recovering from a bad accident she had while travelling in Thailand. She is back in the UK, but quite unwell. This is my small way of wishing her a full recovery, and I dedicate this retrospective post to her. I expect you’ll see a few pieces, from various artists, in the coming days and weeks that will be wishing her well.
This is a particularly fine example of her work, and although she doesn’t paint all that regularly, her pieces are always welcome. I am not certain that all of the following pieces were painted as part of a paint jam, but I suspect they were.
Ryder, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2019
Ryder is most definitely a graffiti writer’s writer, if you know what I mean, he is highly respected in the community and turns out some of the best graffiti writing in the city which he has done for quite some while. This piece is rather more subtle than most of his work, and perhaps doesn’t quite have the impact we would normally expect. I’m not sure these light shades quite work (for me).
T-Rex, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2019
Finding anything by T-Rex is always a treat, and this is a classy example of her great work. the writing/character combination always works a treat. The dinosaur always adds a touch of light-heartedness to the edgy nature of graffiti writing.
Hemper, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2019
Hemper has used a similar colour palette to Ryder, and for me it all just looks a little washed out. There is no doubting the superb skills of the artists, but on this day, I think they chose a weak colour palette, and perhaps that is why I never posted these pieces back in June 2019.
Soker, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2019
Finally, and very possibly not part of the paint jam, is this bright and colourful piece from Soker, displaying his graffiti writing credentials to the max. Superb letter shapes and fills mark this piece out, I only wish my photographic skills could do it justice.
Natural adventures 