7861. Brunel Way (366)

Shade One, Fade, Dibz and Sikoh, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2026
Shade One, Fade, Dibz and Sikoh, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2026

This is a fabulous production collaboration painted back in June this year by Shade One, Fade, Dibz and Sikoh. It is a difficult wall to photograph in its entirety at the best of times, because of the light incursion creating reflections at different times of the day. These four really are the crème de la crème of their field.

Shade One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2026
Shade One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2026

Starting at the left, Shade One has painted an incredible cartoon realism portrait of a futuristic woman wearing pink-tinted glasses with gold rims. I’m not quite sure what the apparatus on her head is all about, but it is imaginative and creative. The pink surround creates a grerat hard defined edge to the portrait.

Fade, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2026
Fade, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2026

Next up is some graffiti writing from Fade which I think reads SMOOTER and is likely dedicated to a friend. There is little more I can write about Fade and his work that I haven’t already written many times before. Precise and perfectly presented like the adjacent piece by Dibz.

Dibz, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2026
Dibz, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2026

The third piece in this production is by Dibz and mirrors the writing by Fade in terms of colours and to a point style. I cannot for the life of me decypher the letters, but that is wildstyle writing for you, it is intended to be disguised.

Sikoh, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2026
Sikoh, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, June 2026

Moving on finally to Sikoh, one of the most talented artists around, in my view. He has overlaid his piece on top of Dibz’ writing, bringing it forward and lifting it from the wall. The colours match Shade One’s bringing about a symmetry to the whole collaboration. Here a tortured skull, part human part machine appears to be yelling out, whether in pain or rage  it is difficult to know. So full of movement expression and perfectlky painted. What a collaboration!

7791. Stillhouse Lane – Upfest 2026 (37)

Shade One and Rusk, Upfest 2026, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026
Shade One and Rusk, Upfest 2026, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026

Upfest 2026 was arguably the best so far in terms of the number of artists attending and breadth of talent from Bristol, the UK and from overseas. It really was a feast for the eyes, and it was gratifying too for local artists to be able to show off their work to a ‘home’ audience. Two Bristol-based artists, Shade One and Rusk collaborated under the name Stone Crowz, which they have done previously at street art festivals, to create this stunning piece.

Shade One, Upfest 2026, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026
Shade One, Upfest 2026, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026

To the left, Shade One painted one of his glorious portrait pieces that have a crossover between comic-book and photorealistic styles. So beautiful to look at. Shade One is an artist who likes to take his time with his work, and This piece took him a couple of days at least to complete. He also painted a smaller portrait as part of the central section of the collaboration.

Shade One and Rusk, Upfest 2026, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026
Shade One and Rusk, Upfest 2026, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026

The central panel is full of Japanese iconography. Lanterns, a Japanese flag and warrior character are all presented in the most incredible detail. I just don’t k now how they managed to paint the dragons on the lanterns – fine work indeed. I think that the bold writing is likely by Rusk, who is a highly accomplished graffiti writer and has done a superb job with these blocky metallic letters.

Rusk, Upfest 2026, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026
Rusk, Upfest 2026, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026

The Godzilla-type character stepping through a ‘Hokusai’ sea is by Rusk and shows off his skills as a character artist as well as a writer. I love the bamboo frame to the monster piece. Overall the elements of the collaboration come together in a very pleasing way. Brilliant work from the Bristol duo.

7431. Cumberland Basin

Turoe, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026
Turoe, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026

Turoe is one of the most reliable and consistent writers in Bristol, and it is a shame that he doesn’t write nearly as much these days as he has done in the past.

Turoe, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026
Turoe, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026

This is a fine price celebrating Shade One’s birthday, and spelling out SHADE. Some great letter shapes picked out with fine black lines are surrounded by pink and purple bubbly decorations. This birthday paint jam turned out some real gems, as is often the case with this group of artists.

7420. Cumberland Basin

Soker, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026
Soker, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026

The turnout for Shade One’s birthday paint jam might have been relatively small in numbers, but was of the highest calibre. You know that you are well respected as an artist when Soker turns up and paints you a birthday celebration piece.

Soker, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026
Soker, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026

Soker is simply one of the best graffiti writers around, and although this looks like a relatively ‘quick one’ it still oozes class. The letters spell out shade with beautifully blended fills. The black outline picks out the letters beautifully and the cloudy pink, purple and green bursts around the edge of the letters rounds the piece off perfectly.

7406. Cumberland Basin

Dibz, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026
Dibz, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026

Most artists in Bristol have good days and bad days and everything in between, when it comes to their artwork. One artist whose work is consistently near-perfect is Dibz. I can’t think of a time when he has turned out a piece of writing and thought to myself ‘that’s a bit shoddy’.

Dibz, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026
Dibz, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026

This is a beautifully finished piece painted for Shade One’s birthday, hence the letters SHADE. It would be easy to describe the piece as simple, but that isn’t necessarily the case. The white letters are decorated sparingly with green accents. The pink drop shadow is immaculate, and there is a tight thin blue border around the letters. To add some extra interest, Dibz has painted some glowing cubes around the piece, rounding it all off perfectly. Flawless.

7404. Cumberland Basin

Ware, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026
Ware, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026

One of the nice things about birthday paint jams is that they tend to encourage artists who don’t paint all that often to come out of the woodwork. One of those artists is Ware from the RAW crew. I have only ever seen his work a few times in Bristol, and it is possible that he lives and paints elsewhere, which may be why I don’t see his stuff all that often.

Ware, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026
Ware, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026

This is a wonderful and technical piece of wildstyle writing. Each of the letters is assigned a colour, from green to light grey to dark grey and pink. The design of the letters is verging on a kind of Gothic or calligraphy font, but not quite. This is very nice writing, beautifully presented, and a great way to celebrate Shade One’s birthday.

7223. M32 roundabout J3 (721)

Shade One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2025
Shade One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2025

One of the very best character portrait artists in Bristol, who doesn’t paint as often as I’d like is Shade One. Fortunately the draw of joining a Ulow birthday celebration was enough to bring him out to create this absolute beauty.

Shade One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2025
Shade One, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2025

Shade One is a specialist at painting caricature portraits, where the subjects are completely on point, but don’t fall into the realm of photorealism. The girl, wearing a bucket hat, painted in greyscale, is absolutely beautiful. Her expression somewhat moody as she glances to her right. Shade One is surely an artist at the very top of his game.

Shade One

A gallery of extraordinary portrait pieces by the magnificent Shade One.

Instagram: @shad.eone

All photographs by Scooj

Heat One and Shade One, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023
Heat One and Shade One, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023

Shade One, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023
Shade One, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023

Shade One, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2023
Shade One, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2023

Rusk and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023
Rusk and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023

Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023
Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023

Shade One, St John's Lane, Bristol, June 2023
Shade One, St John’s Lane, Bristol, June 2023

Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2023
Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2023

Rusk and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2022
Rusk and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2022

Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2022
Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2022

Rusk and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2022
Rusk and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2022

Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2022
Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2022

Shade One, Goldie and 3Dom, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022
Shade One, Goldie and 3Dom, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022

Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022
Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022

Dibz and Shade One, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, November 2021
Dibz and Shade One, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, November 2021

Dibz and Shade One, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, November 2021
Dibz and Shade One, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, November 2021

Dibz and Shade One, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2021
Dibz and Shade One, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2021

Shade One, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2021
Shade One, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2021

Dibz and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2021
Dibz and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2021

Dibz and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2021
Dibz and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2021

Dibz and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020
Dibz and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020

Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020
Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020

Shade One and Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2020
Shade One and Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2020

Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2020
Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2020

Dibz and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2020
Dibz and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2020

Dibz and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2020
Dibz and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, September 2020

Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020
Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2020

Shade One, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018
Shade One, Upfest, Bristol, July 2018

6204. Cheltenham 2023 (16)

Everything is catching up with me. The Cheltenham Paint Festival begins next weekend, although I believe some pieces are already well underway. The problem for me is that I still have loads of pieces from last year’s festival that I haven’t posted, so here are a few pieces that I’d like to share by way of a warm-up act for next week. I will do this as a mini gallery, because I don’t have time to write up each individual piece.

Paul Monsters, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023
Paul Monsters, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023

Bristol artist Paul Monsters doing what he does best.

Heat One and Shade One, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023
Heat One and Shade One, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023

Shade One, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023
Shade One, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023

superb collaboration from Shade One and Heat One.

Joe Greenaway, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023
Joe Greenaway, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023

An interesting piece from Joe Greenway

Philth, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023
Philth, Cheltenham Paint Festival, Cheltenham, July 2023

Finally an outstanding floral piece from Philth, which was tricky to photograph because of the car parked directly in front of it.

More from the Cheltenham Paint Festival 2023 in tomorrow’s post.

5762. Brunel Way (251)

Dibz, Shade One and Rusk, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2023
Dibz, Shade One and Rusk, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2023

This is one of the last pieces I photographed in 2023, and what a belter of a collaboration it is, bringing together the outstanding skills of Dibz, Shade One and Rusk. As always, the light under Brunel Way rarely allows photographs to do the street/grafitti art pieces justice, but I think that it is possible to see what a classy collaboration this one is.

Dibz, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2023
Dibz, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2023

On the left is some superb writing from Dibz, which is a tribute piece to a supporter of his work, ‘Marie’. What this piece of graffiti writing shows is that you can give Dibz any number or combination of letters, and he will be able to create something beautiful with them. The pink and black drop shadow against the gold letters works so very well.

Shade One, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2023
Shade One, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2023

Shade One’s work is really something special, and this portrait piece of a young person wearing a hoodie and baseball cap set against the moon and silhouetted buildings, is exceptional. The portrait is painted in greyscale, and although there is a lack of colour, it doesn’t matter one jot, because the shade and shadows provide perfect depth and texture. A very fine piece indeed.

Rusk, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2023
Rusk, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2023

On the right, Rusk, who is often found painting alongside Shade One, has created some gorgeous letters spelling RUSK, reflecting the gold and pink colours seen in Dibz’ piece. By using two tones of gold  (bronze/brown) transitioning horizontally through the letters, it gives the illusion that the letters are a solid bar being tilted and catching the light in different ways. A tight and classy piece and collaboration.