7743. North Street – Upfest 2026 (27)

Luke Smile, Upfest 2026, North Street, Bristol, May 2026
Luke Smile, Upfest 2026, North Street, Bristol, May 2026

Luke Smile has been to Bristol a few times over the years, mainly for Upfest, and this year he painted this beauty in North Street in his fantastic deep and hollow 3D block letter style.

Luke Smile, Upfest 2026, North Street, Bristol, May 2026
Luke Smile, Upfest 2026, North Street, Bristol, May 2026

This piece took Luke Smile a fair while to paint, I guess with something so geometrically focussed, there is no room for error. The letters spelling MANIFESTATION are beautifully presented in a tidy, untidy manner, if you get my drift. The colours are magnificent and the shadows too. A fascinating piece, with such depth that draws you in to take a while to enjoy it.

7741. Cumberland Basin

Werm, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2026
Werm, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2026

Werm is going through something of a purple patch lately, and I am really enjoying his ‘next level’ pieces. As his style develops and evolves he is growing in confidence and technical ability. I think that he is also discovering that sometimes less is more, and that clarity of presentation pretty much trumps all else.

Werm, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2026
Werm, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2026

In this piece of graffiti writing, Werm has written his name into a kind of symmetrical diamond shape, partially framed on a light blue rectangle. The red colour stands out nicely on the turquoise background. A neat and tidy piece that shows off Werm’s talent well.

7739. East Street

Inkie, East Street, Bristol, May 2026
Inkie, East Street, Bristol, May 2026

Another revelation while wandering about in East Street during Upfest 2026, was this lovely shutter piece by Inkie. Being a Sunday, the shutter was down on the front of this National Health Service pharmacy.

Inkie, East Street, Bristol, May 2026
Inkie, East Street, Bristol, May 2026

Some lovely words ‘Love NHS Community’ written in superb chunky Inkie style, sit on top of a subtlely patterned background. This is a lovely commission, offering community art in a shared community space. Bravo Bedminster NHS and Inkie.

7736. Dean Lane skate park (930)

Awkward and Benjimagnetic, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2026
Awkward and Benjimagnetic, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2026

I’m not sure I have seen Benjimagnetic and Awkward collaborate since last year, but here they are in fine fettle, on the side wall of the swimming pool, tucked behind a bushy fence, well out of sight of most passers by.

Awkward and Benjimagnetic, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2026
Awkward and Benjimagnetic, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2026

The letters in this collaborative piece are by Benjimagnetic, and I can’t for the life of me read them. He normally writes 3 letters, so this is quite different. The cheeky, creepy red and yellow characters are by Awkward and augment the letters really well. A nicely integrated collaboration from the pair.

7735. M32 roundabout J3 (781)

ARSA, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2026
ARSA, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2026

Another strong and reliable piece from ARSA. His symmetrical blocky letters present as very solid and confident both structurally and also in the manner of their impact. You can spot an ARSA piece from a mile away, due to the distinctive style.

ARSA, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2026
ARSA, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2026

The colour fills in the ARSA letters follow a regime, but are not uniform, which is quite unusual for the artist – perhaps he is loosening up? The piece is set on a silhouetted urban landscape and was part of a larger paint jam.

7734. Dean Lane skate park (929)

Veks and Bandito, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2026
Veks and Bandito, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2026

I have had a very challenging day. Super-busy at work. Laptop overheating and running extremely slowly, I’m overheating and running extremely slowly, and I have had to squeeze this post into a compressed lunch break. At least this post features a top combination collaboration by Veks and Bandito.

Veks, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2026
Veks, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2026

Veks has painted a classic b-boy character wearing the uniform of hoodie and baseball cap, and clutching a spray can. Beautifully presented is a timeless retro style. Perfect.

Bandito, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2026
Bandito, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2026

I haven’t seen anything by Bandito for years, so it was a very pleasant surprise indeed to see this piece in a tickz memorial wall paint jam. His slim letters are so characteristic of his work. The letters spell TICKZ and filled with horizontal colour bands that are beautifully blended. The slim yellow border finishes it of nicely.

7733. St Werburghs tunnel (584)

Hypo, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2026
Hypo, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2026

There was a rather nice little birthday paint jam for Donz in the tunnel a few weeks back, and this is the contribution from Hypo. This was good to see, as he has dropped his frequency of painting lately.

Hypo, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2026
Hypo, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2026

The HYPO letters are replaced with DONZ, proving Hypo can apply his magical style to any letters. The fresh piece is immaculately presented, with some superb colour matching, and great definition of letters provided by the slim white border. The piece is decorated with triplets of small spheres dotted bout the place and adding movement and interest to the whole. Nice work from Hypo.

7730. Sparke Evans Park (153)

Solar, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2026
Solar, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2026

Solar is smashing it out of the park everywhere I look at the moment. He seems to have upped his game over the last few months and is reaching new level of confidence, creativity and execution.

Solar, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2026
Solar, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2026

This is a banging piece on the long wall at Sparke Evans Park. The irregular letters, fringing on anti-style, have a space age look to them, with the ‘S’ looking like a space ship and the ‘R’ looking like the visor of a space helmet. All of this might be just what I see, but it is now difficult for me to unsee it. Definitely a fresh and vibrant piece of writing from a writer at the top of his game, so far.

7723. Dean Lane skate park (928)

Dibz and Fade, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2026
Dibz and Fade, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2026

This collaboration in Dean Lane from Dibz and Fade is as near to graffiti writing perfection as you are likely to see anywhere (in my view). The wildstyle lettering spells out DIBZ on the left and FADE on the right.

Dibz and Fade, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2026
Dibz and Fade, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2026

There is a superb metallic effect going on here, a little like the one I was explaining a few days ago by Hire, a stone’s throw away from this wall. The letters look like they are made of shiny chrome metal and reflecting the ground and sky – clever work. The writing is set on a purple splash with magnificent shadows, and the deep 3D drop shadow on the letters adds tons of perspective. Great collaboration perfectly executed.

Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2026
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2026

7222. Cumberland Basin

Tizer, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2026
Tizer, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2026

I haven’t seen a piece by London graffiti writer Tizer for a very long time, so it was great to come across this one on the long wall recently. The piece was painted as part of a paint jam that included ARSA, Minto and RBN One amongst others.

Tizer, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2026
Tizer, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2026

The combination piece features his TIZER letters bookended by a pair of characters, one liking rather sweet and the other ghoulish and sinister. Tizer’s style isn’t crisp and clean, but rather more detailed and brush-strokey if you know what I mean. A very nice surprise from the occasional visitor.