I would say that 2025 has been the year when Posh upgraded from being a bit-part player to a fully fledged star of the Bristol street art scene. His occasional little characters have developed into a diverse range of larger combination pieces that show off his unquestionable talent.
Posh, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2025
In this piece Posh has combined his mischievous toffee-nosed imps with some unusual writing, which I can’t read, both in his sketchy style. The writing is full of colour and movement and quite unlike any other graffiti writing I have seen before. His characters continue to amuse, and I particularly like the fellow riding the bicycle. This piece is clear evidence of Posh’s growth and development.
In recent weeks, Corupt has been painting loads of pieces, concentrating his efforts on the M32 roundabout, and this STICK piece is an absolute belter from the very highly regarded Hungarian graffiti writer.
Corupt, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2025
This beauty showcases Corupt’s class and skill in equal measure. The letters are superbly designed and the proportions work so well. It is the fills which I find most captivating, especially the translucent effect where the letter ‘T’ crosses over the letter ‘I’. BS3 is a postcode reference (which is actually in the Bedminster area of south Bristol). Rounding off the piece is Corupt’s trademark border, which has about an inch of separation from the letters and drop shadows, framing the writing uniquely.
I had only met Esme Lower a couple of times before I met her again while she was painting this piece, and every time she has been ever so friendly and patient with my rambling conversation. She painted this wonderful, piece with a couple of friends on a rather nice sunny afternoon (remember those?), and she has done a really great job.
Esme Lower, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2025
The piece spells out ‘MELO’ which is the middle section of a conflation of her first and second names. The characterful letters are beautifully decorated with flowers, and the whole piece has a hint of art nouveau style about it. This is a really neat and tidy piece, quite different from a lot of the writing we see in Bristol, which has a strong artistic flair running through it. More to come from Esme Lower.
Lis and Elsa Bee, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2025
This wonderful piece is far and away the largest mural I have seen from Lis (Le Imposter Design) to date, and I was really lucky to find and photograph it, as it only lasted a day or two. Watching Lis develop and grow in confidence over the last year or so has been one of the great joys of doing what I do, and this piece brings together a whole bunch of ideas into a natural ensemble.
Lis and Elsa Bee, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2025
Let’s start with the writing – I think this is the first time I have seen Lis write anything, and it really isn’t a bad effort, and the letters and fills are commensurate with the mood of the whole piece (UPDATE: Lis tells me that the writing and the Octopus are by her friend and collaborator Elsa Bee). The pond scene with the dragonflies and bulrushes is unusual and uplifting, and although the octopus is a bit incongruous, he seems to be having a great time (which knowing it is by another artist now makes complete sense). A natural salsa. Lis is developing a lovely style all of her own, and I hope very much to meet her one day to tell her how good I think her work is.
In Bristol we have so many different styles of graffiti writing, and a lot of these fit into certain defined categories such as wildstyle, anamorphic, calligraffiti, anti-style, script, bubble writing and so on, but with some artists, it is really difficult to stick them in a particular pigeonhole, and I think Sait bare is one of those,
Sait Bare, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2025
This is a nice piece painted alongside Hire, a pairing that seems to be increasingly common. There is a bilateral symmetry emerging in this piece, which is perhaps the key focal point, as the fills are quite plain. The drop shadow converging on a central vanishing point and the glowing green border highlights provide plenty of depth. Also, the eyes, which are common to both this piece and the adjacent one by Hire, definitely add interest.
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.
It has been quite difficult trying to keep up with Tera’s incredible output this summer, and I have had to do a little trawl through my summer archive to find some of his pieces that I haven’t yet posted, including this one painted alongside Kid Crayon, back in May this year.
Tera, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2025
This is one of Tera’s earliest pieces (he touched the ground running), and demonstrates a certain amount of experimentation. It is an interesting piece of writing spelling out his name, but definitely feels like something that hasn’t yet formed an identity. The technique is good throughout, with some nicely graded fills and some good interlocking letters. Given some of his more recent large character pieces, this one looks like a stepping stone towards improvement.
Kid Crayon and Tera, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2025
This is a wonderful character collaboration from Kid Crayon and Tera, otherwise known as the Doordie crew (do or die). What is extra special about this is that it has lasted a couple of weeks, which is quite rare for a Kid Crayon piece these days, and should be celebrated.
Kid Crayon, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2025
The character on the left is by Kid Crayon and on the right by Tera, between the battling zombies we see a collection of bones spelling UZI (Undead Zombie Infection). The green zombie looks very much like the characters from Plants vs Zombies, a game that my kids very much enjoyed a few years ago. There is so much detail and expression in this zombie, brilliantly crafted by Kid Crayon.
Tera, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2025
Tera, continues to amaze with his rapid progress this summer with this fantasy style zombie, a little more menacing and scary than his counterpart. There is, once again, plenty of detail in the piece, with the bony fingers taking a prominent role. Altogether a fine and fun collaboration. It is so good to see Kid Crayon out so often this summer, with a regular painting partner.
Sub had a busy month in July and appears to be pushing the boundaries with his work. This piece tucked away on the M32 roundabout seems to be a practice for a combination piece he followed up with in Peel Street Green (to follow soon).
Sub, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2025
Sub’s chunky letters and deep drop shadows in icy blues, together with a couple of decorative cracks, are accompanied by a Mario character which I would describe, perhaps a little harshly, as a good first effort. It doesn’t help that the eyes are a bit untidy. What you might notice, when I post the next version of the character in a few days the vast improvement. The learning journey with Sub continues.
I am rather liking it that Sub is starting to switch things up a little and push his boundaries. Because he has only three letters to play with, his pieces tend to be quite large and impactful, perhaps at the expense of subtlety or detail, but this piece is quite different from his usual fare.
Sub, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2025
Sub has offered up a scorching scene of burning letters, that meld into one block, set in a nighttime landscape. This is a great creative advance, and probably took him some distance from his comfort zone. One small detail that I’m sure he will have learned is to do the border last, so that it retains the crispness between the letters and the background. All good stuff, and plenty more to come soon.
