I am so pleased to be able to post this piece by 210. Pleased because I have many of his pieces in my archive, but until recently didn’t know his name. Now I have to go back and dig some of his other works out, because to my eye this is fantastic. The artist can often be found painting alongside, ARSA, RBN One and Mesk. I don’t know much more about him yet, but will try to find out.
210, Peel Street Green, Bristol, July 2026
The bilaterally symmetrical piece is so easy on the eye. Although the pattern is quite complex, there is a softness and clarity to it that steers clear of being ‘too clever for its own good’ which some technical pieces can be at risk of falling into. The colour selection works exceptionally well, even if they aren’t my favourites. A really classy piece by 210. Watch this space as I attempt to unlock some more from my archives.
As mentioned in my previous post, I have recently discovered a treasure chest of hoardings in the Fishponds area of Bristol, and can’t quite believe that it has taken me so long to find them. I have also managed to track down countless Subtle pieces that I have been aware of, because they are here too. This feels like an enormous weight lifted from my shoulders, as it has been bugging me that I couldn’t find them.
Subtle, Enfield Road, Bristol, July 2026
This is a wonderful combination piece by Subtle, with his characteristic letters intertwined with characters and scenes from Disney’s ‘Sword in the Stone’ film. The background woodland scenery is truly brilliant and is such an amazing backdrop to his letters. Several more pieces by the artist to come from this honeypot spot.
Minto, Upfest 2026, Greenway Bush Lane, Bristol, May 2026
Another Bristol artist to grace the Upfest stage this year is Minto, who somehow managed to get away with painting two pieces rather close together. Sometimes artists pull out at the last minute, and opportunists make the most of the blank space.
Minto, Upfest 2026, Greenway Bush Lane, Bristol, May 2026
This first simple white on black piece shows what is possible, using only one colour with some great outlines and a bit of shading. I can’t imagine that it would have taken Minto more than a few minute to create this cartoon doodle, and it is very much an extra piece thrown into the mix.
Minto, Upfest 2026, Greenway Bush Lane, Bristol, May 2026
His other piece only a few yards away is also a bit of a quick one, but more along the lines of what we see frequently in Bristol. The letters spell Minto, and the pig character has been nicely incorporated alongside them. If I am honest, I don’t think Minto put too much effort into these pieces, and probably turned up more for the crack than the artistry, because he has been smashing it with much more sophisticated and well-finished pieces than this recently.
Shade One and Rusk, Upfest 2026, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026
Upfest 2026 was arguably the best so far in terms of the number of artists attending and breadth of talent from Bristol, the UK and from overseas. It really was a feast for the eyes, and it was gratifying too for local artists to be able to show off their work to a ‘home’ audience. Two Bristol-based artists, Shade One and Rusk collaborated under the name Stone Crowz, which they have done previously at street art festivals, to create this stunning piece.
Shade One, Upfest 2026, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026
To the left, Shade One painted one of his glorious portrait pieces that have a crossover between comic-book and photorealistic styles. So beautiful to look at. Shade One is an artist who likes to take his time with his work, and This piece took him a couple of days at least to complete. He also painted a smaller portrait as part of the central section of the collaboration.
Shade One and Rusk, Upfest 2026, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026
The central panel is full of Japanese iconography. Lanterns, a Japanese flag and warrior character are all presented in the most incredible detail. I just don’t k now how they managed to paint the dragons on the lanterns – fine work indeed. I think that the bold writing is likely by Rusk, who is a highly accomplished graffiti writer and has done a superb job with these blocky metallic letters.
Rusk, Upfest 2026, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026
The Godzilla-type character stepping through a ‘Hokusai’ sea is by Rusk and shows off his skills as a character artist as well as a writer. I love the bamboo frame to the monster piece. Overall the elements of the collaboration come together in a very pleasing way. Brilliant work from the Bristol duo.
Unknown artist, Upfest 2026, North Street, Bristol, May 2026
Regular readers of Natural Adventures will know that I don’t much like posting pieces by unknown artists, because a part of what I do is introduce the artist and their work. I feel this even more when it comes to Upfest, because there is so much noise and material, not least from the Upfest team, that it seems almost impossible not to know who every participating artist is. In this instance, however, I have drawn a complete blank, but I felt the piece was too good to be left out.
Unknown artist, Upfest 2026, North Street, Bristol, May 2026
The words ‘Free your soul’ are beautifully presented in a geometric block, with all the shading inch perfect. The lines couldn’t be crisper, and I watched the artist paint for a while, and the operation was painfully slow and methodical. Many hours over more than 2 days was put into this relatively small piece – time well spent in my view. The result is a work of dedication and perfection. I will strive to find out the artist’s name, and when I do will update this post.
A quick jaunt back to May this year. Somehow this beauty by Mesk got left behind in my archives. Actually this year, more than ever before, I have struggled with the volume of artwork on the streets and what appears here on Natural Adventures is only a fraction of what I have seen and photographed.
Mesk, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2026
This is a wonderful colourful piece from Mesk, with colours arranged in vertical strips and with lines that give a subtle ‘barcode’ effect. The icy blue drop shadow is gentle with some nice curves to it, and Mesk has finished off the work with some faux drips along the bottom. This piece is so easy on the eye, and rather satisfying.
Sled One and Oust, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2026
I was very happy to catch up with Sled One as he was finishing off his snail, way back in April – a piece that nearly slipped through the net. Happy, because I hadn’t seen him for a long while, which was perhaps not too surprising because he told me that he was a bit of a ‘fair weather’ artist with regard to his street work. Here he teamed up with Oust, amongst others is an outstanding collaborative wall under Brunel Way.
Sled One, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2026
The Snail is so full of character and a multitude of charming details – his face with those eyes on stalks is a picture. Three cheeky ladybirds are hitching a ride on the snail’s back and his shell is a clever representation of planet Earth. The snail is sliding his way through the grass.
Oust, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2026
Next to the snail set in a grassy landscape is a wonderful piece of graffiti writing from Oust. The letters and drop shadow pick up on and reflect the colours used in Sled One’s adjacent snail. The wildstyle writing is beautifully presented with organically blended colours in the letters, with some spots, and a blue background with further spot decorations. This is a superb pairing from the overall collaboration.
It feels like I have posted a lot of pieces by Werm recently, probably because I have. This is another in a sequence of high quality and original pieces of graffiti writing the artist is producing with great regularity and panache.
Werm, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, April 2026
The symmetry, while there, is less strict than in other pieces, with the ‘W’ and ‘M’ being opposite ways up and the ‘E’ and ‘R’, being readable. The overall shape however is symmetrical. Three central colours dominate, orange, green and light blue, although the latter is a little lost alongside its stronger neighbours, which unbalances the piece a little. Some nice squiggles break up the solid fills enough to add variety, without being over-fussy. Another very nice piece by Werm.
I am enjoying Solar’s ‘renaissance’ very much. In recent months there appears to have been an upwards shift in the quality of and confidence in his work. He has always had a recognisable style, and now he appears to be firming it up and creating consistent excellence.
Solar, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, April 2026
This is a lovely tribute piece to Paroe on the long wall at Sparke Evans Park, which must be an anniversary piece a year or so on from the original tribute wall. The anti-style writing, spelling PAROE is painted in beautifully blended yellow and turquoise colours, presented on a neutral beige background. There is some nice marbling and detailing throughout the piece, which is a fine tribute to a popular artist who is obviously much missed.
I am so pleased to see that Mr Draws is getting out and painting more regularly once again. He is an artist who goes through peaks and troughs of activity, and it looks like he is approaching another peak. I have followed his work for 10 years, and he has always been great for a chat every time I have met him – his work always feels a bit special to me.
Mr Draws, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2026
This is a colourful piece at the end of the tunnel in which he has switched up his letters to spell RAWSD. Mr Draws is often playful with his letters, but it is always easy to identify his work, because his style is so recognisable. This is a piece which has a lot of freedom, with colours seemingly randomly blending throughout to great effect. A happy piece from Mr Draws.
