7161. M23 roundabout J3 (709)

Cheo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2025
Cheo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2025

This superb little character piece by Cheo was painted in celebration of Ulow’s recent birthday. Although the piece is unsigned, it looks like it is by Sled Onebut is actually one of two by Cheo. It piece depicts a cheeky spray can eating a taco. Quite why I do not know, but it doesn’t matter.

Cheo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2025
Cheo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2025

Cheo has had a busier than usual year, and it was great to see this piece, celebrating Ulow’s recent birthday. One of a number of superb pieces from a gathering of some of the best and most established artists in Bristol. Top work.

Minto, Cheo, Hypo, Ulow, Dibz, Soker, Rusk, Shade One and Turoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2025
Minto, Cheo, Hypo, Ulow, Dibz, Soker, Rusk, Shade One and Turoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2025

7160. Cumberland Basin

DFC1848, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2025
DFC1848, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2025

A few of the pieces that were painted as part of Werm’s birthday celebration didn’t last more than 24 hours, including a rather striking piece by Zake and some writing by 3F Fino. Fortunately, however, this character piece by DFC 1848 remained untouched.

DFC1848, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2025
DFC1848, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2025

Spot the difference

There are two differences between the two photographs, taken about three minutes apart. Can you see them? Clue, one is on the elephant, the other is not. DFC1848 continues to expand his repertoire, and this elephant is quite a beauty.

DFC1848, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2025
DFC1848, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2025

There is something about the style of this piece that reminds me of 1960s and 1970s TV cartoon shows. It is really nicely painted, with good solid fills, some great three colour shading and a superb thick border. It was really good too to be able to catch up with the artist, just as he was finishing up.

7159. Brunel Way (333)

EMCE, Brunel Way, Bristol, August 2025
EMCE, Brunel Way, Bristol, August 2025

From time to time in the past I am sure I have seen the letters EMCE before, but it appears that I haven’t posted anything from the artist before, so this is, I suppose, a debut piece on Natural Adventures, and one of two, at least, painted in Bristol recently.

EMCE, Brunel Way, Bristol, August 2025
EMCE, Brunel Way, Bristol, August 2025

The overlapping letters, in a solid style with pointy bits, each have their own colour presented in a pleasing transition. Lift is provided by a thin orange border and some nicely painted white highlights,, all finished off with some decorative drips. A nice piece of graffiti writing.

7158. M32 roundabout J3 (708)

Minto, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2025
Minto, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2025

Without doubt, the paint jam celebrating Ulow’s birthday was the best I have seen this year, fending off some very stiff competition. The whole wall on the western side of the roundabout was colour themed and coherent and each contributing artist absolutely nailed it.

Minto, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2025
Minto, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2025

Starting at the right hand side of the wall, the collaboration begins with this superb car piece by Minto. The old Citroen vehicle has been brought to life as an animation full of character. The van is one of those converted for street food, selling Mexican food… I love the sombrero on the roof. The words read ‘Ulow, Me, High, Tacos’, which obviously makes some kind of sense to Minto.

Minto, Sled One, Cheo, Hypo, Ulow, Dibz, Soker, Rusk, Shade One and Turoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2025
Minto, Sled One, Cheo, Hypo, Ulow, Dibz, Soker, Rusk, Shade One and Turoe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2025

I managed to get a wide-angle shot of the whole wall, which I will share at the end of each post from this paint jam. A real humdinger.

7157. River Avon (92)

Bags, River Avon, Bristol, August 2025
Bags, River Avon, Bristol, August 2025

I said a week or two back that I would try to feature Bags from the No Frills crew more often, and true to my word, here is another piece by the graffiti writer. I am writing this post yesterday, because at the time of publishing, I will be somewhere in the air between Bristol and Madeira.

Bags, River Avon, Bristol, August 2025
Bags, River Avon, Bristol, August 2025

As with the last piece I featured by Bags, He has separated the BA and GS of his letters with different colour regimes, a device that sems to work rather well for him. The solid fills are decorated minimally by some reversed out circles and a white star. Bags has added a little extra interest with some red zigzags that look like they have come from an oscilloscope (does that age me?). Addressing underrepresentation one day at a time.

Please excuse the next week of posts, they are likely to be a little haphazard while I am on holiday.

7156. Station Road

Dobz, Station Road, Bristol, August 2025
Dobz, Station Road, Bristol, August 2025

A little while back I was walking home from the wonderful Italian deli in Montpelier, when this toadstool caught my attention. I instantly recognised it as a fungi piece by Dobz, who made a visit to Bristol earlier in the summer. I don’t know if she painted this one then or whether it has been her for some time.

Dobz, Station Road, Bristol, August 2025
Dobz, Station Road, Bristol, August 2025

I like it when artists leave behind a trademark character or object in spots around a city, almost as if they are ‘collectables’ to be sought and found. This toadstool is nicely presented, with some great blended shading, and the gills are very nicely observed. Artists like Dobz are always welcome in Bristol.

7155. M32 roundabout J3 (707)

Slim Pickings, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2025
Slim Pickings, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2025

It is a very long time since I last posted anything by Slim Pickings (TES), not because he hasn’t been painting, but because I have been so squeezed by unbelievable volume of street/graffiti art being painted over the last few months. To make up for lost time, here are two pieces painted during the same session in August.

Slim Pickings, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2025
Slim Pickings, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2025

For a long time Slim Pickings would repeat the same basic form of his TES letters, rarely deviating from the archetypal form other than adjusting the fills and the odd accessory decoration. With these two pieces he has thrown in some slightly different designs. The one with the pink background is a bit of  beauty.

7154. Peel Street Green (43)

Cort, Peel Street Green, Bristol, August 2025
Cort, Peel Street Green, Bristol, August 2025

I have mentioned a couple of times recently that Cort has been having a surge this summer, not only in the quantity of his graffiti writing pieces, but also in the quality of them. This is another example of his unusual writing style on one of the large wall spaces at Peel Street Green.

Cort, Peel Street Green, Bristol, August 2025
Cort, Peel Street Green, Bristol, August 2025

Cort has been playing with all sorts of variants of his letters this year, and this one spells out KORTOS. The irregular shaped letters are verging on the ‘anti-style’ form, but have enough regularity and recognition to remail as conventional graffiti writing. The fills are nicely designed to run through the letters in a coherent pattern. I love the two characteristic black spots on the ‘T’. The wall is sensibly buffed, helping the letters to really stand out on the irregular white background. This is a beautifully designed and presented piece of graffiti writing.

7153. M32 roundabout J3 (706)

Biers, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2025
Biers, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2025

I have waited a long time to see this wonderful piece from Biers. Over the last few months, Biers appears to have lost his mojo a little and has been painting infrequently and tending to use the short-form version of his WD40 moniker. It happens for artists from time to time – you can’t be on top of your game all of the time.

Biers, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2025
Biers, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2025

I hope this piece marks a return of the longer form combination pieces that are so typically the wonderful work of Biers. I don’t know who the character is meant to be, but I really like him (looks like a teddy boy to me) and I love the way he contrasts with the colours of the letters and background. The fills in the letters are outstanding With some nicely done reversed out circles in black and gold. The res patterns look like little viruses wafting over the piece. All in all a great piece and one, I hope, that encourages Biers to return to his former glory.

7152. Cumberland Basin

Scrapyardspec, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2025
Scrapyardspec, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2025

When I look through my archives from this summer, I keep finding pieces by Scrapyardspec, and so what you see here on Natural Adventures is only a proportion of the pieces he has painted in Bristol. This one is a relatively recent piece created at a paint jam celebrating Werm’s birthday, and at which I met Scrapy for the first time.

Scrapyardspec, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2025
Scrapyardspec, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2025

The most notable thing about this piece is the inclusion of hair and the addition of rudimentary arms and feet. Scrapyardspec and I discussed his development a little and I think that now he has grown in confidence and has his archetype nailed, he can play around a lot more with his characters and improve as an artist. I am very much looking forward to watching his onward journey.