St Werburghs – Page 11 – Natural adventures

6835. St Werburghs tunnel (488)

Hemper, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2025

More from the irrepressible Hemper, this time at the farm end of the tunnel. His recent run of form has been quite extraordinary, and I imagine quite liberating for the artist himself. Although he always paints original designs, he has been pushing the boundaries a lot lately.

This is a chrome piece with brass knobs on, and unusually for Hemper it looks to be rather political or at least a social commentary piece. The chrome letters have anthropomorphic limbs which are crushing and vandalising a Tesla Cybertruck, a sentiment probably shared by many people in the current political climate. I feel that Cybertrucks should be side lined on their ugly appearance, let alone the hideousness of their owner. I am teetering on a bit of a rant, but simply don’t have time, so I will round off the post here. Superb work from Hemper.

6824. St Werburghs tunnel (487)

Mr Klue, St Werburghs, Bristol, March 2025

I would say that Mr Klue is the (undisputed) king of St Werburghs tunnel, on a measure of number of pieces painted there. It seems to be the place he enjoys painting most, and it is rare to not be able to find something of his at any one time.

This is a colourful one, as ever spelling out KLUE, which is notable perhaps for the way the wispy tops of the letters bleed into a cloudy mass, which might have been there from a previous piece. The central colours are green and orange, which often work well together, but there are also injections of purple and white. The use of these colours combines to create depth to the piece which is on the cusp of being anamorphic. We can be certain that there will be more to come.

6818. St Werburghs tunnel (486)

Badger Feral and Stivs, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025

This slightly unusual collaboration from Badger Feral and Stivs has been turning a few heads, and not surprisingly, as it is rather striking. While I am very familiar with Stivs’ work, I believe this is the first piece I have come across by Badger Feral.

Badger Feral, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025

Starting with the Badger Feral piece, we are presented with a portrait of a hooded woman, with red hair and gold earrings. Her blue eyes are matched by the hood around her head. The portrait has a slightly darker side, with an inverted cross on the woman’s forehead, and her hood is suspended by a line of little skulls. Lots to take in here, and plenty of symbolism too.

Stivs, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025

Stivs on the other hand has painted a portrait of a jolly fellow wearing a cap. I don’t know who the character is, but there might be a clue in the ‘Jim Bitch’ that accompanies the piece. Stivs has painted the portrait in a photorealistic style, and it looks like, from subsequent pieces, that he is rather enjoying portrait work at the moment. There is so much to take in from this ever so slightly weird collaboration.

6817. St Werburghs tunnel (485)

Hemper, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025

This stunner by Hemper (who else?) has caused me a lot of grief. It was painted at the farm end of the tunnel, and had a black van parked in front of it every time I went to visit. I never did get a clean shot of the piece, so I have had to decide whether to share some rubbish pictures of it or not to share at all. I chose the former.

This is one of a series of outstanding pieces from one of the most imaginative graffiti writers in Bristol. He has been operating at full tilt this year, and has already clocked up countless pieces, no two looking even remotely similar. It is probably a good time to update his gallery (I have just done it), which is swelling, in a positive way. These bubble letters spell out HEMS and are set on a delicious red background. The pink and blue fills are expertly worked, as you would expect. So much more to come from Hemper’s renaissance.

6815. St Werburghs tunnel (484)

St Werburghs, Lezaxer, Bristol, March 2025

When I first saw this piece, I was puzzled. The style felt familiar, but I couldn’t match it to any of the artists I am familiar with. There was a reason for that, it is a wonderful piece by visiting artist Lezaxer, and one of at least two painted during a trip to Bristol earlier this month.

The beautifully crafted writing spells out ZAXER, I think, with a perfectly complementary colour scheme, set on a cloudy background. Clearly the work of an experienced graffiti writer, and one who certainly doesn’t look out of place in Bristol. From Lezaxer’s Instagram profile, it appears that home is Sheffield, and we are privileged that the artist made the long trip south.

6808. St Werburghs tunnel (483)

Aha! There is a certain consistency and reliability with Nips’ pieces that I am really attracted to. Her letters tend to be similar in shape from piece to piece, but it is in her fills where she really excels and shows off what she can do.

Set on a fairly elementary yellow backdrop, the letters NIPS are filled with a stunning patterned mix of pinks and blues, with some great designs and reversed out spots. The eye is drawn to the female symbol in the dot of the ‘i’, which is assertive and proud. Nips has included a couple of nice shout-outs to Basik and Roma too. I hope we see plenty more of Nips in 2025.

6798. St Werburghs tunnel (482)

Mr Klue, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025

This trio of pieces in the tunnel, show how busy Mr Klue has been of late in his favourite spot. The one on the left was painted a day or two before the other two, which I think might have been created in a single session.

The left-hand piece, as with all of them, spells KLUE and has a green base palette. Ephemeral, smoky, abstract letters are part of the USP I would expect to see from Mr Klue and he rarely disappoints. There is little more to add from these three pieces, other than their colour differences.

Pinks and purples dominate in this middle piece, with some yellow highlights along some edges.

Finally, the trio is rounded off on the right with a piece that is predominantly white, again with some yellow highlights. All three together show how Mr Klue’s abstract writing is based around the same simple concept, but can look completely different depending on the design details and colour palette. A busy man.

6793. St Werburghs tunnel (481)

Benjimagnetic, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025

I am well used to seeing outstanding pieces by Benjimagnetic, but I think that this recent one in the tunnel is the cream of the crop so far. The graffiti writing is so striking in form and colour, and it is difficult to walk past without stopping and admiring it.

When I look at the design elements, I am reminded of a kind of 1960s retro feel about it, bringing things like magazine racks and shelving units that were oh so modern when I was growing up. There were a few TV cartoons at that time that really picked up on this modern style. Perhaps I am imagining things, but that is what I see in this amazing work. I’m not entirely certain what the letters spell, but I have a good feeling that it spells GRO. Tight, colourful, beautifully designed and superbly presented. What more could a man want?

6783. St Werburghs tunnel (480)

Bloem, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025

I have said it many times, but Bloem is one of the most improved and gifted new artists painting the streets of Bristol, whose outstanding talent and creativity is put to good use for all to enjoy. It took me a long wait to finally get a decent picture of this piece, as there was a large black van parked in front of it for what seemed like an eternity. Patience is a virtue, and it was well worth waiting to get a shot from the front.

Once more, Bloem includes some of her favourite elements, including the hand with pointy fingernails, a chain and a beautiful flower. These elements bind together nicely, and I daresay that there is a fair amount of conscious or unconscious symbolism going on here. I think that the grey plants are orchids and if we are talking of symbolism, they are associated with love, beauty and refinement.

The big orange centrepiece flower looks like a chrysanthemum and acts as a fabulous focal point of the piece. Not only is the composition original and beautiful, but it is really well executed too. Great work from Bloem.

6761. St Werburghs tunnel (478)

Hemper and Hypo, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025

Hemper and Hypo have been smashing it recently, and this is a wonderful recent collaboration in the tunnel. I fear that while I am away in France I will be missing a whole bunch of their work.

Hemper, like Kid Krishna, has had something of a lifestyle change and has come out of it all guns blazing. This is a combination piece of writing and little blue characters, which might have been a joint effort from both artists. Vibrant and energetic.

Hypo, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2025

After a quiet January, Hypo too has been in outstanding form through February and this is yet another fine piece from him, with great colour transitions and his familiar HYPO moniker. An outstanding collaboration.

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