Hemper is simply an outstanding graffiti artist verging on genius in my view. He appears to have taken a liking to the tunnel in Boiling Wells Lane, which historically doesn’t get anything like the attention that St Werburghs tunnel receives only a couple of hundred meters away. It is a smaller tunnel and there is no lighting, which might account for the smaller turnover.
Hemper, Boiling Wells Lane, Bristol, January 2026
These gorgeous letters, spelling HEMS, appear to be bursting out from the wall and the purple void beyond. I love the way he has worked cracks into the background and some fallen bricks underneath his letters. The piece is so full of movement and depth – the work of an artist at the top of his game.
With the exception of commissions or permitted walls, street art and graffiti art in Bristol is largely an illegal activity that can at times be edgy in either content or placement or indeed both. The former Salvation Army building, on which this writing by Raid has been sprayed, has recently been converted into flats/accommodation and abuts the skate park. Historically, this has been an area with a high level of graffiti and tagging, but the redevelopers cleaned up their walls, presumably to tidy up the building to make it more attractive to buyers/tenants. There is nothing more tempting for graffiti writers, in particular, than a nice freshly cleaned wall in an area of high graffiti activity, and it looks like Raid gave in to the temptation.
Raid, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2024
From my perspective, not only is this a really nice piece from Raid, but it looks great against the clean brick wall… and there we have it, the edge, the mischief, the anti-establishment stance and so on that graffiti and street art have come to represent. We will all have our views on this, and that is what keeps the culture vibrant and the discussions fresh. For my part, I love street art and graffiti art (naturally) and prefer it to be in the right places. Sometimes you just have to admire the outliers too, and I admire this piece from Raid.
Throughout the winter, Laic217 has been in a good rhythm of painting, and I think that it has a lot to do with teaming up with the PWA. Although this wonderful piece isn’t part of a collaborative wall, it was painted at the same time as an adjacent PWA collaboration.
Laic217, M32 roundabout, Bristol, February 2024
This skull piece draws on so many of Laic217s trademarks, such as the brick wall, which hasn’t made an appearance for a little while, and the wonderful folds in the fabric of the clothes the skeleton is wearing. I don’t think I will ever tire of his work, or lose that spark of excitement I get every time I find one of his pieces.
Not far from Brunel Way bridge along the river is a little brick wall ruin, which includes two sides of what was once a little utility building of some sort. It is curious that it was never demolished completely. The wall is a bit of a favourite with taggers, but occasionally it gets a little make over, like this one from Sirens.
Riverside, Sirens, Bristol, November 2019
I get it that Sirens is not everyone’s cup of tea, but I happen to really like his work, bringing a little window of hope and light into our lives. His framed works (a feature I really like) often incorporate large horizons and a meeting of the urban/industrial with rural landscapes, in this example, the intrusion is of wind generators. There is a good balance to the piece and Sirens loves working in corners to add an anamorphic touch. I really like this piece.
Possibly this piece needs no introduction because the artist features in Natural Adventures rather a lot although this one is a little more cryptic than some of his other works. It is of course by Rezwonk and spells out REZER.
Rezwonk, St Werburghs, Bristol, October 2019
Because of the light conditions in the tunnel, this photograph really doesn’t do the piece justice at all and the colours have been somewhat bleached out. This is highly accomplished and complex writing with so many elements crossing over between letters in what looks like a rather haphazard way and yet perfectly creating great letters. When I see complex work like this, I just scratch my head and wonder how on Earth he does it. Great skills.
This is an unmistakable piece by My Dog Sighs, which was one of several little ‘gifts’ left behind in Cheltenham by him at the Paint Festival in 2018. Having never been to a Cheltenham Art Festival before I was discovering so many of these beauties for the first time this year. I love this photograph… there is something about the placement of the piece on this particular wall and its immediate environment, such as the carpet and the weeds that come together to make an outstanding image.
My Dog Sighs, Paint festival 2018, Cheltenham, September 2019
I don’t think I’ll ever tire of these eyes, and although they are one of My Dog’s trademark pieces, each is individual and independent of the others. The most amazing thing about this one is how you can look at it and in your mind know that it is on a flat surface, but the skillful artwork has a depth and the shine on the iris makes it look aqueous, just like a real eye. Magnificent in so many ways.
Absolutely no prizes for guessing the artist…besides which his signature is strikingly obvious in this piece. Laic217 favours this wall, and I must have six or seven of his works from here over the past three years or so. Incidentally, Moon Street is one of my favourite haunts too, but there seems to be less and less turnover here than there used to be.
Laic217, Moon Street, Bristol, September 2018
In this piece, we have many of the things you can expect from Laic217 Including the bucket hat and brick wall motif. But what I particularly like about this character is his eyes which are actually spray can caps – a great idea. You have got to like the rather manic ‘Joker’ mouth too, which adds a touch of menace to the piece.
Laic217, Moon Street, Bristol, September 2018
Laic217’s pieces are often highly colourful and this one is no exception to that. The turquoise background acting as a perfect foil to the red brick shirt and purple face. I’ve always been a fan and likely will always continue to be one.
Natural adventures 