Aha! how absolutely blooming brilliant to come across this outstanding piece from Ments, an artist whose abstract work I have long admired, but who rarely seems to paint these days. This piece was painted alongside Sled One, both of whom were pioneers in ‘colonising’ this particular wall – now a firm favourite with local and visiting artists.
Ments, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, September 2025
There is a fluidity to Ments’ work, which comes across in this piece. Everything is carefully thought out, the colours and shapes, and even the scatter of blue shards bursting from left to right. A very classy piece that highlights how much Ments’ absence is felt.
This piece from Ments, painted as part of a wider paint jam, is a joy to behold. I am always going on about how we just don’t see enough of Ments’ work these days, and here is the second piece since May, the other being at Upfest. There is no doubt that Ments has pulled out all the stops with this one.
Ments, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2024
His characteristic ‘organic’ writing is full of mystery and shapes and textures of planet earth, like chemistry mixed up with geometry and art – a delightful combination. From what we see, there is no way of knowing what the letters spell, but it is probably a good guess to imagine that it says MENTS. There is so much to admire in the intricate details and interactions between the forms and colours in the piece. Outstanding.
Ments, Hen and Chicken, Greville Road, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
It has been a while since I last saw Ments painting, so it was great to see him working on this piece for Upfest. The nature of this year’s Upfest has meant that there is far less graffiti writing than in previous years, with more of a focus on high-end murals. Knowing that, it was extra-cool to see this abstract writing from Ments.
Ments, Hen and Chicken, Greville Road, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
There is a beautiful flow through this piece, which has a wonderful natural vibe running through it. The gentle colours are held together in geometric ‘crystalline’ forms and transition markedly from left to right. I am guessing that this Bristol-based artist has been busy over the last couple of years, because I don’t recall seeing any street work for a very long time.
Ments, Hen and Chicken, Greville Road, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
If you like this you can see more of his incredible ‘organic’ writing in this gallery.
It is not only the quantity of graffiti and street art that is being painted in Bristol at the moment, but the outstanding quality of some of it that is quite mind-boggling, and you know that when Smak, Sled One and Ments get together that you are going to be in for a treat.
Smak, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2022
On the left of this triptych Smak has absolutely smashed out his letters with extraordinary class and style in what I can only describe as a very Smacky way, which I hope makes sense. Although quite well disguised, once you get your eye in you can clearly see the letters SMAK. Great colours and a confident piece.
Sled One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2022
A surreal and utterly bonkers elephant character by Sled One is in the middle section of this collaborative wall. Alongside 3Dom, Sled One is the leading character artist in Bristol and his weird creations are always something to look forward to. It is his details and textures, tones and depth that makes his work completely stand out from the crowd.
Ments, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2022
To the right is a fabulously etherial piece from Ments, who seems to reinvent his style on an annual basis while always maintaining an organic and rather abstract nature with his letters. This piece feels almost more like a canvas study than a piece of graffiti writing. Superb skills all round, this is a wonderful collaborative wall.
There is a little bit of magic in this remarkable collaboration between Paul Monsters and Ments. The more obvious style is that of Paul Monsters with his colourful geometric patterns, but look a little closer and you can see some distortions in the patterns which are the work of Ments.
Paul Monsters and Ments, Clift House Road, Bristol, January 2022
I’m not sure if I can remember these two collaborating before, but it seems to be a match made in heaven. This is what I would call a true collaboration, where the whole piece is seamless and complete and there is total fusion between the artists.
Paul Monsters and Ments, Clift House Road, Bristol, January 2022
The effect of the regular patterns melting away in the middle works so well and plays to Ments’ strengths of creating fluid patterns that look at times like molten metal. I could look at this piece for hours, such it it’s mesmerising effect.
Paul Monsters and Ments, Clift House Road, Bristol, January 2022
Paul Monsters building a reputation as something of a collaboration king, and I am aware of a new collaboration with Tom Miller that I will be hunting down over the next few days. An awesome piece.
It is not often that I am in the right place at the right time, but I got lucky with one of my lunchtime walks with the dog when I bumped into Ments and Sled One painting this collaboration. Actually I made my own luck a bit, because I spotted them painting from the other side of the river and gave myself enough time to swing by and have a chat.
Ments and Sled One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, December 2021
Sled One reminded me, not for the first time, that it was he and Ments who first started painting this wall, before it became one of the more popular Bristol spots. I think it is good for artists and photographers/viewers alike due to the open space and length of wall, although with long shadows and reflections photography can at times be a bit of a challenge.
Ments, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2021
On the left of this beautifully prepped wall is Ments’ contribution, with a rather jazzy rendition of the ASK crew letters. Wall prep can definitely enhance a piece, and with this collaboration, the reddy-magenta works a real treat. There are definitely some strong Ments elements in the piece, but I am not certain I would have known it was by him if I hadn’t seen him painting it.
Sled One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2021
To the right is an interesting piece by Sled One, because it says 3Dom. It is most vexing, deceitful and confusing when artists write other artist’s names as a kind of shout-out to their mates, and makes misidentification a strong possibility. Again it was lucky I saw them painting this or I might have had egg on my face. This is a stylish collaboration from two very classy Bristol artists.
I’m not sure that Ments has painted for Upfest before, but it is wonderful to see him rewarded for his consistently excellent graffiti writing with this unusual bordered wall in Dean Street for the 75 walls in 75 days event. Looking at it, this spot has been crying out for street art work, and thanks to Upfest there are now two stunning new pieces opposite one another.
Ments, Dean Street, Bristol, September 2021, Upfest 21
Ments has been experimenting for about a year or so with his fluid/molten metal pieces, and it has been fun watching him develop his technique. This abstract piece is the culmination of a lot of work and is perfect for the wall – colours and tones Ments has used complement the red brick wall superbly well.
Ments, Dean Street, Bristol, September 2021, Upfest 21
Because the piece is set quite high up the wall, the closer you get to it, the more you are looking up and as a result there is more reflected light interfering with the piece. It is so good to see Ments moving into this abstract art arena, but I hope he keeps up his graffiti art work, which is so enjoyable for us to see.
It is a funny thing, that I don’t fully understand, but consistently, whenever I post Ments pieces on Instagram they just never get as many likes as other artists’. The only conclusion I can draw from this is that these complex organic pieces don’t translate very well onto the small screen of a mobile device. In the flesh, these are always magnificent.
Ments, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2021
I love Ments’ work, it is always carefully considered and technically challenging and while it might not be to everyone’s taste it is consistently of the highest quality. In this one Ments presents us with his disguised writing in fairly angular lines, softened by the ‘marble’ decorations. A very nice piece indeed.
I have kept it as no secret that I have been struggling to keep on top of the sheer amount so street art and graffiti that is being painted in Bristol at the moment. I find myself constantly looking back into my monthly archives to see if there are any gems I have missed. Once I have hung up my camera for the last time, I will still have plenty of material to post, albeit historical.
Ments, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2021
This is a gorgeous piece from Ments, painted in April, that shows off his talents perfectly, incorporating his newer techniques with his older organic style of writing. Believe it or not, these abstract forms actually spell out MENTS although it takes a bit of creative thinking to make out some of the letters. A very nice piece indeed that fully deserved its moment in the spotlight last month. Blame the backlog.
Although not a frequent painter, Ments is quite regular, so one’s year is nicely sprinkled with these fine organic pieces. This one was painted as part of a three-way collaboration, including Sled One and Smak from a couple of weeks ago.
Ments, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2021
Ments has adapted his style a fair bit over the past year and although still organic and irregular in structure he has moved to a more fluid and metallic look and feel. His pieces are a thing of abstract beauty, and still spell out MENTS. The white triangle reminds me a little of a Voyder piece in London from a few years back. All good.
Natural adventures 