In Bristol we are spoilt and have become accustomed to seeing extraordinary wildstyle graffiti writing from Hemper on a regular basis. This wonderful organic piece is simply the latest in an outstanding series from the talented artist.
Hemper, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2024
The letters spell out HEMS and have remarkable depth to them created through both incredible design and technique using light and shade. The whole thing almost looks like a metal plate or buckle slapped onto the wall. Subtle colours, shiny light and a cool drippy border all contribute to the overall 3D effect. What a beauty.
Regular visitors to Natural Adventures might have noticed that I am posting three street art pieces a day more frequently than I used to, as if I were a man in a hurry. The truth is, I am. The sheer intake of new artists in the city, and the large number of established ones, means that there has never been such a high turnover of art in Bristol before, and I have never had more wonderful pieces to share. An added complication is that we are in the midst of the Upfest 2024 paint festival, and there is a huge influx of international artists whose pieces I’d like to share. This is a great first-world problem for me to have, but also means I have to post more often, and leave more pieces languishing in my archives.
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2024
This outstanding piece is from one of the best graffiti writers around, Hemper, and quite frankly is pretty much perfect in every way. Spelling out HEMS, the multicoloured fills are utterly sensational, blending and bleeding through the piece with consummate ease. Hemper is a master of his craft, and I can only stand back and admire the rich depth of this masterpiece.
There was no stopping Hemper during the Covid period, but now things have returned to relative normality, his productivity has fallen back considerably, which makes it extra special when he does get out and paint one of his stunning burners.
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2024
This is a wonderful piece of graffiti writing bursting with colour and energy, spelling out the letters DRAPE, which I am guessing is a shout-out, rather than a tribute. Each letter in this piece has been given a different colour treatment and fill patterns. There is lots to look at and enjoy in this skilfully pulled together writing.
I think I have COVID. I am not well at all and not really in the mood for writing blog posts, but I have a rhythm, and don’t like to interrupt it. It is amazing just how much COVID has disrupted our lives, not only with the illness and suffering it brought with it, but the battles between sectors of society around anti-vax and conspiracy theories about big pharma etc. The pandemic appears only to have divided us, or at least influencers and politicians have jumped onto the back of ‘wedge’ issues with glee to suit their own agendas. Surely the focus should be on mourning the dead, caring for the sick and creating a better more functional society.
It almost feels like a dream, when lockdowns were in place, and we all wore face masks, what a crazy period in our history. One of the upsides to the pandemic and lockdown is that some street artists, made good use of their out of work time to paint and paint, and one of those was Hemper. Since things have returned to normal, Hemper’s productivity has dropped and we only see occasional pieces from him these days.
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2023
This is one of those rare pieces and what an absolute banger it is too. The joyfully colourful letters spell out Hems, but are very well disguised. Hemper has painted a beauty with extraordinary blended fills, some of which bleed beyond the borders of the letters. The whole thing feels very organic, almost alive. Simply put, this is an outstanding piece of wildstyle writing from one of the very best in Bristol.
Since the weather improved, which has been about a four-week spell now, this wall has been hit pretty hard with a high turnover of graffiti art, so you have to be on your toes if you want to see it all. Although I have missed several recent pieces here, I was lucky enough to see this absolute beauty by Hemper.
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2023
This piece of graffiti writing is indescribably good. Incredible colours, an outstanding 3D effect and stunning design combine to make this one of the best pieces I have seen this year. The letters HEMS are blasting out of the wall from a central vanishing point and smacking you around the face, forcing you to pay attention. One of the best from one of the best.
Always incredible, always on point, Hemper manages to turn out extraordinary pieces every time he paints, without fail. Hemper is one of the best graffiti writers in Bristol, and quite probably in the country right now, whose imaginative renditions of the letters HEMS are truly awesome.
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, April 2023
This piece on the roundabout has an organic feel to it and Hemper has created an extraordinary sense of depth, with clever use of borders and 3D drop shadows as well as white highlights, circles and shading in the letters. He has used a fabulous pastel colour palette, that while eye-catching, isn’t brash. This piece from Hemper is about as good as it gets.
Benjimagnetic and Hemper, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2023
Now this is a proper mash-up collaboration, a conflation of two distinct styles from two outstanding artists, Benjimagnetic and Hemper. It is rare to find something of this nature where the artists fully collaborate so that the whole piece is one, and not two.
Benjimagnetic and Hemper, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2023
Although it is one combined piece, it is possible to disentangle which artist painted which bits. Broadly speaking the letters with straight bits and geometric elements are by Benjimagnetic, and the more curvy elements are likely to be by Hemper. It doesn’t really matter who painted what, because the end result is a wonderfully complex piece of writing that is jam-packed with great artistry.
Hypo and Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2023
It has been a joy to watch some recent collaborations from Hypo and Hemper, and this is the most recent on the M32 roundabout. What is immediately apparent is that their styles are quite different, and that this is less a collaboration and more a painting together, and that is part of the gig, knowing that friends paint together having fun.
Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2023
The Hypo piece is a rhapsody in green, accompanied by four graffiti arrows, adding a bit of dynamism to the letters. Due to the recent burst of activity by Hypo, I feel I now have enough of his pieces to post a gallery of his work, so watch this space.
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2023
Hemper has absolutely smashed it again with this outstanding HEMS piece, which is technically (and visually) brilliant. The burst of colours cross-faded through the lettering is masterful, and filling in the gaps between the letters with little green spheres in genius. Hemper has a knack of creating perfectly unique graffiti writing pieces every time he splashes paint on a wall. Love it.
Hemper and Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2022
This collaboration by Hemper and Hypo was painted at least a month ago, and I photographed it is November, I also photographed it this month as a way of reminding me to post it. It would appear that these two have been encouraging each other to get out more often lately, as they have painted together a few times in the latter part of the year.
Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2022
Hemper’s writing is never, ever duplicated. Every piece is a spanking brand new and creative design, way too complex to ever be repeated. This piece is a joy to behold, crazily explosive, with so much happening on each of his HEMS letters, and the graduated fills are simply perfect. Incredible writing from one of Bristol’s masters.
Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2022
To the right, we have a rather calmer piece by Hypo, whose neat letters contain an interesting fill colour selection, not exactly what I would call natural bedfellows. It almost feels like two independent colour selections have been squished together and I’m not too sure it works as well as it might have done with other selections. But then again, what do I know? The letters are nicely crafted and this modest piece by Hypo is the perfect counterbalance to Hemper’s energetic piece.
There have been quite a few new Hemper pieces lately, but I have been slow to post them. I’m afraid, even the most talented artists are competing for my time to publish posts on Natural Adventures. Writing only two or three posts a day is very limiting, and in no way represents the daily activity of street artists and graffiti writers in Bristol.
Hemper, St Werburghs, Bristol, November 2022
This is a gorgeous piece by Hemper in the tunnel, looking a little like soapy suds escaping from a washing machine or a bubbly bath. Beautifully painted in shades of blue with white highlights, the letters spell HEMS, and the piece simply adds to Hemper’s extraordinary and vast repertoire. This is outstanding graffiti writing.
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