Serm is a Bristol graffiti writer whose work I don’t get to see all that often, and I think he is probably on the lower end of the productivity scale. His quality, however, shines through, and it is always great to see his pieces when they do appear.
Serm, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2025
This is a fine red and white piece (colours close to my heart) spelling out SERM, which has a few small hints at Halloween, the biggest of which is the ‘happy Halloween’ message bottom left, and a scattering of bats and bloody drips. His 3D drop shadow is customarily deep, and it looks like he was running low on grey-white paint, an occupational hazard for graffiti/street artists. Another fine piece to add to his gallery.
Serm is an artist who doesn’t paint all that often, but his distinctive pieces are always a welcome addition. This time, he has gone for something a little different and cryptic, hiding his letters in the design.
Serm, Peel Street Green, Bristol, June 2025
The green fills and yellow drop shadows work well together, although I’m not sure about the white background that makes the whole piece look a little washed-out, and doesn’t create enough contrast with the letters. The green fills is a subtle blend of at least three tones which come together perfectly. I hope the wait for the next one isn’t too long.
Although he only paints occasionally, Serm always leaves a good impression. This is a nice large piece of graffiti writing on the long wall at Peel Street Green. One of the interesting features of this wall is that it is broken down into about eight equal sized sections, each one just the right size (actually on the slightly large size) for an individual to showcase their work. Each ‘frame’ is rarely dogged, and some pieces can remain here for quite a while.
Serm, Peel Street Green, Bristol, February 2024
Serm writes with large chunky letters and a deep 3D drop shadow, in this case in lilac/purple shades that contrast with the green/yellows in the letter fills. There is a certain amount of panache about his work, and it is a genuine pity that he doesn’t manage to get out and paint more often.
He doesn’t paint all that often, but when he does, Serm pretty much always does a grand job of it. I think it might have been the polite thing to do to buff the wall a little first, because you can still see the Hypo piece beneath, but it is no big deal, because overpainting is part of the way of life for graffiti writers.
Serm, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023
Although the writing clearly spells SERM, I keep reading SESK, because there used to be a writer in Bristol called Sesk some time ago, a writer of some notoriety I might add, but that is another story. The chunky letters are really nicely filled with a complex layering of patterns, topped with some thin line bubbles. To go with the chunky letters is a very deep 3D drop shadow drifting to the right, in a range of blues. This is a nice tidy piece by Serm, and after a couple more from him, I’ll have enough for a gallery.
In Bristol, we have several what I would call ‘occasional’ artists, who are accomplished in their own right, but simply don’t paint walls all that often and Serm would fall into that category. For example, I have only spotted five of his pieces since February 2021, and although he may have painted more than that, his pieces are few and far between.
Serm, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2023
The great thing about these occasional writers is that it is always extra special when you do come across a piece. Serm tends to paint large block letters, which he has done on this occasion with a yellow background and shades of purple and lilac in his letter fills. There is a strong sense of industry and solidity in the piece looking like it would weigh a lot if you could pick it up. A few more years, and I might have enough Serm pieces to cobble a gallery together.
This piece by Serm, tells a story not only about his work, but also about the street art scene in Bristol, or any other place with a graffiti culture. As a photographer and chronicler of street art and graffiti in our city, I and others like me, have a pretty good grasp of what is going on, of who painted what and when. It is an earned privilege to have this overview, but it is also a rare one. Most artists, quite rightly, are interested in finding a spot where they can paint their new idea, without much consideration for what was there before.
I came to photograph a new piece by Petro, but instead found this lovely piece by Serm. It is obvious that Serm didn’t know that the Petro piece was so new, otherwise he would have perhaps found another space. Serm has, however, broken a convention by painting over half a piece, which is considered to be a bit rude. A collaboration might have been a better option to paint over Petro’s piece. Enough background.
Serm, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2022
I have only seen a handful of Serm pieces and none of them with a character, so this was rather special. The writing is skilfully done in white with some shades of grey fills, but overall rather minimalist. The colour comes in the shape of the Yosemite Sam character on the right-hand side.
Serm, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2022
I am minded to do a gallery of cartoon characters, just for fun, because there have been so many painted by artists over the years, and all of them worth celebrating (of course time will be the limiting factor). The last time I saw a Yosemite Sam was in New York in October 2017, by Crash. This one by Serm compares very well to that one.
I don’t see pieces from Serm all that often, so it was a pleasant surprise to come across this one a couple of weeks ago on the roundabout. The colours, I am guessing, represent the colours of Ukraine, and I imagine that this is another piece in support of the Ukrainian people suffering at the hands of the Russian dictator Putin.
Serm, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2022
It is interesting that we have two artists with very similar names, Serm and Werm, and both like to write using these large block capitals, most likely a coincidence, but maybe there is something about the letters that lend themselves to this style. Very nice writing indeed from Serm.
This is another very short-lived piece on the M32 roundabout from Serm, who runs a commercial street art outfit under a different name. He has only recently started writing the letters SERM and this is only the second piece I have found.
Serm, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2020
Clearly an experienced and accomplished writer, Serm has finished this piece beautifully. The colours work really well on the off-white backwash and the shadows lift the piece really well away from the wall. I look forward to seeing a whole load more from Serm.
Many street artists and graffiti writers have dual or multiple personas when they throw paint at a wall. There are many reasons for this, for example sometimes it is to obfuscate their identity as most of this activity isn’t strictly legal, other times it is to separate out professional from personal identities. Here we have an artist who I have met before under a different name, but here he is with his new moniker ‘SERM’.
Serm, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2021
I was fortunate enough to bump into SERM when he was half way through painting this piece and we chatted for a little while. It is interesting to see how he works and that the little smoke wisps along the top of the piece are one of the first bits he paints, which is counterintuitive for a non-artist like me.
Serm, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2021
This is a very nice piece of writing with some great colour selections and the yellow 3D shadow works particularly well. I hope this is the first SERM of many.
Natural adventures 