Wispa and Jody, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, November 2025
I was lucky enough to be present when this piece was being painted, but stupid enough not to say hello to one of the artists. I had been chatting for a while with Esme Lower who was painting next to this piece, and needed to get back home, so said a quick hello to Jody and unfortunately didn’t talk to the lady who was painting with him as I didn’t recognise her and had to dash. What an idiot – it wasn’t until I returned to the piece that I was realised I had been standing in the presence of the brilliant Wispa. Note to self – always say hello if you get a chance.
Wispa and Jody, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, November 2025
Jody and Wispa have painted this wonderful combination piece, with the letters W_SPA from Wispa and the masked character by Jody. I don’t know who the character is, but the metallic shine to the mask and helmet is superb. Wispa’s letters are, as ever, immaculate. Next time I’ll make sure I say hello.
Aimes, Esme Lower, Jody and Conrico, Jamaica Street, Bristol, November 2025
There was a time a few years back when this superb hoarding, the People’s Republic of Stokes Croft outdoor gallery, would be refreshed on a regular basis with all manner of collaborations, these days it tends to be used more for social commentary and messaging, which is not entirely surprising, and welcome. On the downside, it doesn’t get painted with the same frequency, as the messages have longevity. This is a superb, and rather eclectic collaboration from Aimee’s Esme Lower, Jody and Conrico in support of Bristol’s homeless.
Aimes, Jamaica Street, Bristol, November 2025
The collaboration begins on the left with a colourful piece by Aimes. The creative piece hints at homes with the brick wall, and also recognises one of the backers of the campaign, the Big Issue, an outstanding set up that has been supporting homeless people for years through a model of engagement in the process of creating and selling print/digital newspapers.
Esme Lower, Jamaica Street, Bristol, November 2025
The next piece is by Melo who has been on fire recently. The comforting piece is a combination of an illustrative cartoon style that verges on the abstract in places. Two characters, one of them drinking a hot drink and some beautiful flowers, gives us a scene full of hope and opportunity.
Jody, Jamaica Street, Bristol, November 2025
The portrait piece by Jody, is, I believe a copy of the front cover of the Big Issue, featuring DJ James Hype, who was holding a fundraising event at the Beacon to support homelessness. Jody, as ever has smashed it with the greyscale piece.
Conrico, Jamaica Street, Bristol, November 2025
Finally, Conrico has painted some low-cost container houses amidst a floral display, and the words ‘building homes from house’ making the connection between the fundraiser and the outcomes. All in all these four artists have combined to support a powerful and valuable message to the people of Bristol.
It is obvious that two paint jams have been giving me plenty of material to write about; Dibz’ and Minto’s birthdays, I think both turned 50 this autumn. This Halloween Count Dracula piece by Jody was to celebrate Dibz half- century.
Jody, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, October 2025
As portrait pieces by Jody go, this one isn’t, in my view, his best, not because of the obvious quality, but because it somehow doesn’t quite sit right with me. It happens from time to time and I can’t explain it. Perhaps it is the cape, which could do with more texture and folds, or maybe the red lips… of course, I am being unbelievably picky, it is a great portrait piece by a superb artist.
What better way to celebrate Goldie’s birthday than to paint a rather slick tribute, which is what we see here from Dibz and Jody. The sharp letters are by Dibz and the unusual fill by Jody, who is perhaps better knows for his characters and portraits.
Dibz and Jody, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2025
As well as providing the ‘canvass’ for Jody’s work, Dibz has also painted a Metalheadz logo (Goldie’s record label) and THK to the right. The fill of Goldie’s trademark gold teeth by Jody is quite remarkable, and notable for the reflections (probably of the photographer or viewer). The whole thing is crisp, neat and tidy. A little bit more attention to the black buff (a second coat?) and this would be perfection.
Fade, Jody, Dibz, Cheo and Acid Face with a Brace, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2025
In Bristol, we are really lucky and get to see a lot of collaborations and paint jams about the place, bringing together local artists who are often joined by visitors, invited or passing through. We get to see all sorts of different styles and levels, and then occasionally a top drawer special production like this one from Fade, Jody, Dibz, Cheo and Acid Face with a Brace.
Fade, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2025
Photographing this production in its entirety was something of a challenge due to its sheer length and some difficult light conditions, with so much open sky above the wall. To start us off on this wall we have a semi-submerged piece by Fade, with the water level cleverly portrayed using different shades of colour above and below the water line, a theme continued by each artist through the production. Some dramatic skies round off Fade’s section nicely.
Jody, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2025
Next up is a portrait piece by Jody featuring a warrior with a deep fur collar and long sword, so I am imagining a Viking theme going on, although I can’t help feeling that the hairdo doesn’t quite match the machismo of the character.
Dibz, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2025
In the centre and holding the whole production together is a piece of typically brilliant writing from Dibz, again, with the water line running through it and incorporating a wonky long sword. The dramatic skies also continue through this story.
Cheo, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2025
Cheo brings a whole different style to the piece, while faithfully following the Viking idea. His cartoon warrior, wading through the water, is festooned with long blonde hair tied up with red bands. His snarling face is made rather comical with the tilt of his helmet. Of course, a trademark bee, also with a helmet, is in attendance.
Acid Face with a Brace, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2025
Rounding off the production is some more writing from Acid Face with a Brace, whose collaboration with Dibz and Fade in Dean Lane from earlier in the summer is still very much intact. The theme is beautifully embraced by Acid Face with a Brace, and he has included a wave breaking over his letters, mirroring the Fade piece at the other end. Awesomeness all round.
The collection of artists gathered together for the Knowle West paint jam was really out of the top draw, bringing together a variety of Bristol styles and one or two visitors too. This is a stunner from the outstanding Jody.
Jody, Knowle West, Bristol, July 2025
The only downside to this fabulous new spot is that there are quite a lot of cars to navigate around, and being a residential area, I can’t imagine there being a time when there won’t be parked cars. Some wide-angle shots partially overcome this problem, but not entirely.
Jody, Knowle West, Bristol, July 2025
Jody has painted a gorgeous portrait piece of a woman with a wonderful feather headdress. There is a calm, ethereal feel to the piece which clearly brings out Jody’s amazing talent. A very fine piece indeed.
Fade, Jody and Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2025
Here we have yet another epic production collaboration from Fade, Jody and Dibz, who have been knocking it out of the park for a couple of years now, creating some breathtaking triptychs from the two writers and the ‘character’ artist.
Fade, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2025
I watched them for a short while while they painted this piece, and while the two writers were well advanced with their work, Jody’s skull portrait was still some way off. On the left, Fade has produced some gorgeous ‘lava’ letters tinged with some turquoise highlights and some purple smoke plumes. His letters look like CREAM, but I can’t be sure.
Jody, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2025
The centrepiece is an outstanding screaming skull by Jody. He really is a most talented artist, both in his studio work and his street art. His technique is simply awesome, and he manages to create such depth and texture with the deft strokes of the spray can. Brilliant stuff.
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, April 2025
Dibz, to the right, mirrors the colours of Fade, as is so often the case with these production pieces. The letters spell DIBZ, a little easier than Fade’s to read, and contain the same hot lava look. The triptych as a whole has a searing heat about it, as if the poor soul in the middle is trapped in hell. Outstanding collaboration.
Fade, Jody and Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2025
After a few posts from a trip to Liverpool, I return to my comfort zone of Bristol with this magnificent production piece from Fade, Jody and Dibz on the long wall at Dean Lane.
Fade, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2025
The triptych begins with some great writing from fade on the left, where the absence of colour and decoration within the letters demonstrates the artist’s talent in its rawest form. All the artwork is beautifully tight, and he switches up things a little with the black border fading to orange on the right.
Jody, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2025
In the middle is a superb portrait by Jody – I think the first I have seen this year – which presents a woman in three-quarter profile with loads of interesting light and shade cast across her face in red and blue tones, creating so much depth and interest. So very well painted, and as an example, have a look at the shadow cast under her nose. Brilliant. The hair is sensational too.
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2025
To the right, Dibz continues with the white letters, reflecting those of Fade on the left. This piece from Dibz is pretty much an archetypal work by the maestro and rounds the collaboration off perfectly.
I happened to glance up at the right time when I was driving past this piece by Jody. First the pink caught my eye, and then the distinctive signature led me to stop the car (pulling over safely). The board is in a really unusual spot, attached to the wall on the side of Triodos Bank, and very close to the building where I work, and not a place you’d expect to find street art.
Jody, St George’s Road, Bristol, October 2024
The piece is a commission for the organisation called One Question, and this is the information I could find on the Interweb:
One Question is a global advisory organisation that seeks to understand how societal forces impact businesses. In Bristol, One Question launched a pilot project in September 2024 to explore the question, “Who is responsible for our mental health?”. The project involved a conversation with businesses, policymakers, the local community, and institutions. The conversation was intended to share challenges, find common ground, and explore new ideas.
Regular readers will know that I am not all that keen on advertising street art, but with this piece I am trying to see beyond the corporate identity and promotion and focus on Jody’s wonderful artwork which presents some wonderful themes and scenes from Bristol. An unusual piece in an unusual place, which demonstrates how commissions contribute to the overall street art scene.
Dibz, Jody, Urge, The Art of Sok and Fade, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2024
This is another stunning production piece, led and bookended by Dibz and Fade, incorporating work from Jody, Urge and The Art of Sok. The themed colours of orange and light blues works exceptionally well in this spot that can have a tendency to be a bit gloomy.
Dibz, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2024
Starting with Dibz on the left (and rather annoyingly, capturing that shaft of light which makes an appearance in the afternoons), the collaboration gets off to a great start, with as sharp and tidy wildstyle graffiti writing as you would expect from Dibz.
Jody, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2024
With five artists in the line-up, and three of them writers, the character pieces appear in the second and fourth slots. This astonishing Godzilla piece is by Jody, who has been on fire since joining up with Dibz and Fade over the last year or so (although, to be fair, he is always on fire, but perhaps more so recently).
Urge, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2024
Next up is a piece by Urge, who I know nothing about, but whose writing looks completely at home with the Bristol artists. I guess that Urge was visiting, or passing by, and got invited to join in. I love it that Bristol artists are so welcoming of others from around the country.
The Art of Sok, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2024
The fourth slot is taken up by the Art of Sok, whose distinctive style of cartoon characters, while so utterly different from the other four pieces, somehow manages to complement them very well. His characters are always beautifully presented in as close to a perfect state as they could be.
Fade, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2024
Things are rounded off by Fade, who along with Dibz ‘owns’ this manor. His beautiful letters, immaculately filled with two shades of blue and bordered with an orange 3D drop shadow, reflect the writing that comes before it. This is a very classy production piece from these five artists. Bravo!
Natural adventures 