Urban – Page 31 – Natural adventures

7129. M32 roundabout J3 (702)

Lis and Elsa Bee, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2025

This wonderful piece is far and away the largest mural I have seen from Lis (Le Imposter Design) to date, and I was really lucky to find and photograph it, as it only lasted a day or two. Watching Lis develop and grow in confidence over the last year or so has been one of the great joys of doing what I do, and this piece brings together a whole bunch of ideas into a natural ensemble.

Let’s start with the writing – I think this is the first time I have seen Lis write anything, and it really isn’t a bad effort, and the letters and fills are commensurate with the mood of the whole piece (UPDATE: Lis tells me that the writing and the Octopus are by her friend and collaborator Elsa Bee). The pond scene with the dragonflies and bulrushes is unusual and uplifting, and although the octopus is a bit incongruous, he seems to be having a great time (which knowing it is by another artist now makes complete sense). A natural salsa. Lis is developing a lovely style all of her own, and I hope very much to meet her one day to tell her how good I think her work is.

7128. Dean Lane skate park (861)

Cheo and Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2025

This wall has hosted some utterly outstanding pieces over the years, and this combination collaboration from Dibz and Cheo is right up there with the very best of them. The first thing to notice about this wonderful piece is just how neatly it has been executed and how well it stands out on the black background.

The comic character, painted by Cheo is holding up a small board on which Dibz has written his name – it is a brilliantly clever way to present a character and graffiti writing together in a contextual storytelling scenario. There are so many details in the collaboration to enjoy, such as the signature bee, the laminate wooden board peeling and drips from the letters, and my favourite bit, the plaster on the character’s nose. Pure genius from Dibz and Cheo.

7127. Greenbank (166)

Amy McHugh, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2025

Another powerful combination of imagery and words from the Bristol Mural Collective paint jam that was themed on Palestine. This particular piece by Amy McHugh is visually impactful using the image of a dove of peace carrying a flower, and shedding a tear.

The colours, as with most of these paint jam pieces, pick up on the colours of the Palestinian flag, which are all represented. The words “None of us are free until we’re all free – Palestine” are interesting, especially their approximation to the Jewish poet Emma Lazarus who wrote in 1883, “Until we are all free, we are none of us free.” It is a sentiment I believe many of us can agree with, but I fear we might be in for a long wait.

This is a strong message of support for Palestine and the people of Gaza and the West Bank by Amy McHugh.

7126. M32 roundabout J3 (701)

Sait Bare, M32 roundabout, Bristol, August 2025

In Bristol we have so many different styles of graffiti writing, and a lot of these fit into certain defined categories such as wildstyle, anamorphic, calligraffiti, anti-style, script, bubble writing and so on, but with some artists, it is really difficult to stick them in a particular pigeonhole, and I think Sait bare is one of those,

This is a nice piece painted alongside Hire, a pairing that seems to be increasingly common. There is a bilateral symmetry emerging in this piece, which is perhaps the key focal point, as the fills are quite plain. The drop shadow converging on a central vanishing point and the glowing green border highlights provide plenty of depth. Also, the eyes, which are common to both this piece and the adjacent one by Hire, definitely add interest.

7125. M32 Cycle path (294)

Face 1st, M32 cycle path, Bristol, August 2025

Well this piece by Face 1st is as unusual as it was unexpected. Face 1st moved to Herefordshire earlier this year and only visits occasionally (to scratch that itch), so it is always a bonus to find one of his pieces. This looks like it was painted in a bit of a hurry, but has some interesting deviations from his typical work.

The stacked letters spell ‘Face’, with the word ‘First’ in the bottom right, so there is no mistaking the artist, with a PWA (Pirate Wall Art crew) just for confirmation. The script letters with some diagonal hatching have an extremely deep drop shadow in turquoise and is quite different from his usual writing style. The colours and lines make the whole thing look a little bit like an illustration, and has a bit of a look of Alex Lucas about it. An unusual addition to his portfolio.

7124. Montpelier Park

Stivs, Montpelier Park, Bristol, August 2025

I don’t visit Montpelier Park all that often, but every time I do go, there seems to be new stuff there, so maybe I ought to increase the frequency of my trips so that I don’t miss out on beauties like this one from Stivs.

Stivs is something of an enigma. His work is so varied, he is unbelievably talented, and you never really quite know what he is going to come up with next. He used to be heavy on the calligraffiti, but these days he is painting more of these portrait pieces. This one is a real stunner, and drifting ever-closer to photorealism. I am very much enjoying the ride.

7123. Greenbank (165)

This is another contribution to the Bristol Mural Collective paint jam, protesting against the war in Palestine from a couple of weeks back, painted, quite obviously, by Werm.

Werm has used has symmetrical writing to great effect, incorporating three horizontal stripes of red, green and white to represent the Palestinian flag, with the tidy 3D drop shadows providing the black colour. While I wholeheartedly support such protests, I wonder how much they will change anything. It seems that while Trump is in power, the Israeli Government will act with impunity, knowing that Trump is only interested in some kind of business transaction outcome that will make him richer and adored. He cares nothing for people, for victims.

Thank you, Bristol Mural Collective, for organising this paint jam.

7122. River Avon (91)

Scrapyardspec, River Avon, Bristol, August 2025

I was fortunate enough to meet Scrapyardspec for the first time last weekend, and had a conversation with him that helped me to put his work into some kind of context. I’d also add that he was a really nice bloke (I was going to say young man, but somehow it sounds patronising, when it really isn’t meant to).

Scrapyardspec has been painting the streets for about two years and has lived in London, but now lives in Cheltenham (I think) but manages to get to Bristol about once a week, which would account for his productivity over recent months.

Like so many artists who work on a theme, Scrapyardspec spent a long time replicating the same basic character, but in recent weeks has been expanding the theme with additional elements. In short, he has mastered his basic approach and style and is now modifying and adapting it, adding more interest and variety to his work.

This pair of goofy characters share the same basic DNA, but one has three eyes and a wobbly tongue, where the other is more like the basic model. Both have the inclusion of brown teeth. Where this will all end up, who knows? But it is a privilege to be observing Scrapyardspec’s development.

7121. M32 roundabout J3 (700)

Hemper, Dun Sum and Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2025

What a wonderful collaboration from Hemper, Dun Sum and Hypo, one that slipped a little under the radar and didn’t perhaps receive quite the fanfare it merited. Three rather different pieces, each making an individual visual impact.

Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2025

To the left is one of Hemper’s shortened ‘HEMS’ pieces, where the overlapping letters are compressed laterally. This is a pattern he has been following for the last month or so, perhaps marking a quieter phase after his expansive work earlier in the summer. As ever, the piece, which has some lovely fill patterns and expert white highlights, is oozing with class.

Dun Sum, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2025

It is impossible not to be drawn to the cat character by Dun Sum. Although I have (and love) a dog, I have always been a cat person at heart. I have to say that there is something that creeps me out a little bit about this cat, perhaps it is the smile or maybe the eyes, but the overall effect bis a little intimidating, but isn’t that cats all over? It is really nicely painted and a great focal point for the graffiti writing either side of it.

Hypo, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2025

To the right is another fine piece from Hypo – I say another, because he has been turning out so many great works with alarming regularity this summer. The aquamarine colours used for the fills of this piece have a tranquility about them, and with all the bubbles and spots has a distinctly aquatic feel. As I said before, three distinct individual styles coming together in this great collaboration.

7120. Dean Lane skate park (860)

Benjimagnetic, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2025

Benjimagnetic I would describe very much as an occasional painter these days, but his pedigree is flawless and the works he turns out are unique and well presented. This is a recent one from the artist and spells out GRO, I think.

I have said many times about Benjimagnetic’s work that it is as much to do with the spaces between his lines as it is with the lines and shapes themselves. He is less about fills and more about geometry, although he manages to blend in some gently fills into parts of this piece. The small writing says “The izmz of iz and iznts” a new EP from the artist. An all-round artistic talent.

	Cethru Cellophane on 7414. Cumberland Basin
	Cethru Cellophane on 7412. BB Gallery (11)
	scooj on 7408. Greenbank (177)
	Cethru Cellophane on 7408. Greenbank (177)
	scooj on Thursday doors – 15 Janu…

	Cethru Cellophane on 7414. Cumberland Basin
	Cethru Cellophane on 7412. BB Gallery (11)
	scooj on 7408. Greenbank (177)
	Cethru Cellophane on 7408. Greenbank (177)
	scooj on Thursday doors – 15 Janu…

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