Tag: Ments

7689. Greenway Bush Lane – Upfest 2026 (12)

Ments Upfest 2026, Greenway Bush Lane, Bristol, May 2026
Ments Upfest 2026, Greenway Bush Lane, Bristol, May 2026

At Upfest this year, there was a strong contingent of local artists, and some wall space made available to showcase everyday talent that I am privileged to see every time I walk out to take pictures, but that visitors to the festival might not be so exposed to. This balances out the presence of high-end murals in harmony with authentic street and graffiti art.

Ments Upfest 2026, Greenway Bush Lane, Bristol, May 2026
Ments Upfest 2026, Greenway Bush Lane, Bristol, May 2026

Ments is a Bristol artist who spans the gap between graffiti art and something more sophisticated. I spent a while chatting with Ments as he was finishing off this piece, and he explained that it was loosely based on the letters MENTS, although the ‘T’ kind of melted away. He was interested in the soft shapes and colours, presenting as an abstract form, being simultaneously both familiar and alien. A brilliant artist, and a fine Upfest piece.

7547. Cumberland Basin

Ments, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2026
Ments, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2026

This piece by Ments came as a real surprise a couple of weeks ago. The wonderful organic writing was painted alongside Smak in a high-class collaboration on this popular wall. It was especially good to see this outstanding work from Ments as he doesn’t paint all that often these days.

Ments, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2026
Ments, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, March 2026

Ments has a very individual style to his writing, which creates a whole imaginary universe of its own with shapes and colours blending in unusual, but strangely recognisable ways. For once, his letters MENTS are almost legible. I really like Ments’ work, and see in it something very special. I hope this isn’t a one-off for the year.

7188. Cumberland Basin

Ments, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, September 2025
Ments, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, September 2025

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
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.

6224. Cumberland Basin

Ments, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2024
Ments, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2024

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
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.

6061. Upfest 2024 (10)

Ments, Hen and Chicken, Greville Road, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
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
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
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.

4506. Cumberland Basin

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
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
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
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.

4226. Clift House Road (5)

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
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
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 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.

4186. Cumberland Basin

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
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
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
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.

3932. Upfest 2021 75×75 (59)

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, 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
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.

3752. Cumberland Basin

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
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.