Wispa – Natural adventures

7352. Cumberland Basin

Wispa and Jody, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, November 2025

I was lucky enough to be present when this piece was being painted, but stupid enough not to say hello to one of the artists. I had been chatting for a while with Esme Lower who was painting next to this piece, and needed to get back home, so said a quick hello to Jody and unfortunately didn’t talk to the lady who was painting with him as I didn’t recognise her and had to dash. What an idiot – it wasn’t until I returned to the piece that I was realised I had been standing in the presence of the brilliant Wispa. Note to self – always say hello if you get a chance.

Jody and Wispa have painted this wonderful combination piece, with the letters W_SPA from Wispa and the masked character by Jody. I don’t know who the character is, but the metallic shine to the mask and helmet is superb. Wispa’s letters are, as ever, immaculate. Next time I’ll make sure I say hello.

7038. St Werburghs tunnel (503)

J Archer, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2025

There were a lot of ‘out-of-town’ artists who converged on St Werburghs tunnel for Wispa’s birthday paint jam, many of whose work I haven’t seen before, including J Archer. I know little of the artist and haven’t been able to find out very much either, so I will stick to what I can see.

This is a beautiful portrait of a woman in blue and purple tones. The proportions of the face are all good, and the features nicely picked out with light and dark shading. Although the portrait doesn’t look very big, It is probably about 7-8 foot square, which is actually a decent size. The squiggles through the face break up the piece and add to what might be a straightforward portrait. A fine tribute to Wispa – there were so many on the day.

7022. St Werburghs tunnel (512)

Kool Hand, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2025

Kool Hand has been having a great 2025 so far, producing numerous characters and writing pieces all over the place, each contributing to a noticeable and steady improvement over time. This is a lovely piece that was painted in the tunnel as part of Wispa’s birthday paint jam.

This KOOL writing is very well produced, although in my least favourite range of colours. He is experimenting with some interesting fill pattern, which all look rather nice, and his fat white highlights work quite well to give the letters some depth. This is a nice piece to add to Kool Hand’s ever-expanding portfolio.

7012. St Werburghs tunnel (511)

There is never a time when I am not utterly made up when finding a portrait piece by Pekoe. This is a modest piece in the tunnel, which was painted as part of the Wispa birthday celebration paint jam in June.

Pekoe’s subject and style has been a consistent landmark in the Bristol street art scene for years, and her corralling of the RBF crew is admirable. This portrait has some great colour contrasts – I love those glossy green lips, and green eyes. Pekoe has had a relatively quiet year so far, but I live forever in hope to find more of her work.

7006. St Werburghs tunnel (510)

The Last One, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2025

Such is Wispa’s popularity that when she celebrated her birthday with a paint jam in St Werburghs tunnel, it drew several artists from out of town, who might not have otherwise painted here. One of those artists, who is, in my view, one of the best combination (writing/character) artists I have seen, is The Last One.

The Last One has painted a few times in Bristol, but it is a rarity, so to have this magnificent piece taking pride of place in the tunnel is a privilege. Usually The Last One’s letters spell ZFG, but in this instance I think they might spell WISP – although I might be imagining things. The character is exceptional, painted with exaggerated features and incredible detail. The whole thing is as sharp as you’ll ever see, demonstrating great skill and complete mastery of the can. Bravo! A brilliant piece.

6997. St Werburghs tunnel (510)

I think I have probably laboured the point in blog posts passim about my aversion to brown tones in street art, but it seems to be the ‘flavour of the month’ at the moment, so I will just have to get used to it. Strictly speaking, this piece by Werm isn’t brown, but it has that brown complexion to it.

Colour selection aside, this is a marvellous technical piece of graffiti writing, spelling WERM, but cunningly designed to almost disappear as letters and reappear as shapes instead. The spheres around the outside soften the hard edges of the writing in this beautifully presented piece, painted as part of Wispa’s birthday celebration paint jam.

6989. St Werburghs tunnel (508)

Wispa’s birthday paint jam in the tunnel is a gift that keeps on giving. The turnout for her birthday was excellent, and about half the wall space in the tunnel was re-decorated, which is a good thing as it needed a bit of freshening up.

This is a wonderful piece by the very talented Unity who is a well-established and important member of the of the all-female RBF (Resting Bitch Face) crew. Although she doesn’t paint nearly as much in Bristol as I would like, it is always a pleasure when she does. I don’t think the photographs do this piece justice, as it was taken in the gloomiest part of the tunnel. Her writing is sublime, with superb blended fills and intricate patterning. A deep, double drop shadow in cream colours rounds the writing off perfectly. Great graffiti writing.

6985. St Werburghs tunnel (507)

It speaks volumes to the popularity of Wispa that there was such an enormous turnout for her birthday paint jam in St Werburghs tunnel, especially as she isn’t even a resident of the city. I know that she is admired by her RBF friends and that she is super-talented.

This is a wonderful birthday piece, spelling out her name. The letter fills are spectacular and so full of ideas, neatly enclosed in as light blue border and accompanied by a black and red drop shadow. I believe the clock character is by Wispa too, as it contains the same lilac paint that surrounds her letters. This is yet another very nice piece of work by Wispa.

6683. Sparke Evans Park (116)

Wispa, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, January 2025

It would be great to know a little bit more about Wispa. She floats in and out of Bristol like a Willow the Wisp. Her Instagram is @willow_the_wispa, which might speak to her itinerant lifestyle. OK, news just in – I checked her Instagram that leads you to her web page, and here is an excerpt from her biography which helps to unravel the mystery somewhat:

I write Wispa, and am a female graffiti/street artist from the south of the U.K. I have been painting for 2 years. I paint all over the country, and have painted in Miami (United States) and Barcelona (Spain) as well as London, Bristol, Brighton and other U.K. spots I like to hit. Writers that really inspire are the likes of: Miss Motel (40hk), Samer, Dime, Isie Ldn, Spat, Zoegen (Miss Buns), Sterling & Skore.

In this combination piece, part of a huge paint jam celebrating the birthdays of RBF friends Desi and Even, Wispa has painted some stunning letters and a Japanese animation character from the Studio Ghibli. The letters are beautifully laid out with great colour selections and wonderful fills, and the character is so very neat and tidy. Wispa is without doubt an extraordinarily talented artist.

6612. Dean Lane skate park (790)

Wispa, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2024

It is always, always a great pleasure to welcome Wispa to Bristol, and finding her pieces (almost always an unannounced surprise) is such sweet joy. This recent piece was painted to celebrate Pekoe’s birthday, hence the shout out top left.

Wispa’s work is always immaculately turned out, and the clever fills in this piece read across from letter to letter. Simply a wonderful piece.

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	scooj on Thursday doors – 11 Dece…

	Sheree on 7352. Cumberland Basin
	paulh121 on 7350. Hillgrove Street (9…
	Bill Bisgood on Thursday doors – 11 Dece…
	scooj on Thursday doors – 11 Dece…
	scooj on Thursday doors – 11 Dece…

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