Writer – Page 2 – Natural adventures

7720. Dean Lane skate park (927)

A huge spin-off benefit of Upfest is that some artists hang around the city for a few days and leave behind a few ‘extras’ in some of the spots that locals like to paint. In my view this is a great way to get better acquainted with artist’s work from outside Bristol.

One artist that left at least one ‘extra’ is Molar, based in Brighton. His name is more associated with his toothy character pieces, but it would seem that he is enjoying his writing that looks like letters taken out of newspapers and magazines and stuck to the wall independently resembling a collage. It is a very effective technique that is well carried out. Here his letters simply spell out ‘Do it’. More from Molar soon.

7719. Cumberland Basin

Kid Crayon, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2026

This is a very tidy piece by Kid Crayon on the long wall at Cumberland Basin. The combination of letters and characters works really well, and the whole thing feels like an integrated cartoon-style burner.

The large blocky letters are not uniform in distribution and size, but do stick to a font style. The character in the centre of the piece is holding a balloon fish – don’t ask me why, he just is. Another example of Kid Crayon’s creative and humorous work. Brilliant.

7718. M32 roundabout J3 (779)

Avem808, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2026

This is an infrequently painted fence which was in need of a bit of a tidy up, and Avem808 has duly obliged. The combination piece features some lovely intricate lettering spelling AVEM with a very deep drop shadow offering a strong three dimensional aspect. Very much two-dimensional is the well-known cartoon character – the Pink Panther.

Avem8078 is on a bit of a roll. Last year I had only seen one or two pieces by him, now he seems to be turning out pieces on a regular basis and massively expanding his repertoire. One or two of the most recent ones have moved entirely away from writing and focussing on some of his characters – definitely watch this space for an artist who is growing in confidence and status.

7717. Dean Lane skate park (926)

Hire has been pushing all sorts of boundaries lately and varying his work considerably, including a character piece from a week or two back. In this superb piece of graffiti writing he spells out ODIAH, one of two words he tends to write.

What is really special about this piece is that it has a metallic appearance that is complete deception. The combination of blues and greys leaves the brain figuring out whether to look at those colours individually or to see what looks like a solid piece of reflecting metal. This is a technique used by many artists, perhaps the best being Fanakapan – see below to understand what I mean.

Fanakapan, Hawley Mews, Camden, September 2016

7714. M32 roundabout J3 (778)

Regular readers will know that I love Lupa’s work and the authenticity of her pieces. This was painted alongside Desi and Bloem and bought into the predominantly red colour scheme of the collaborative wall.

Another link to Bloem’s piece is a little flash of leopard spot design on the star. Lupa’s blocky letters have a special charm, almost a personality which I think contributes to the overall uplifting appearance of her work. In addition to the star, Lupa has added a dice on the bottom left – perhaps symbolic of luck? Fun piece from Lupa.

7706. M32 roundabout J3 (777)

Stivs, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2026

Stivs has been turning out some sensational portrait pieces lately, and this combination piece on the roundabout is really rather special. Perhaps the most surprising thing about it is that the letters D and S look rather amateurish alongside the portrait.

Although the letters look at odds in this piece, it must have been deliberate, because Stivs is capable of truly great writing, and also, the shadows are perfect, which gives away a talented hand at the helm.

The star of the combination is the portrait of the woman. Stivs has developed this style of near-photorealism with a touch of cartoon to perfection and this is one in a series of stunning portraits. There is some beautiful shading and great use of highlights and tones in this piece. Outstanding work by Stivs.

7705. Cumberland Basin

ARSA, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2026

Just a quick one this afternoon – the day has somewhat run away from me and I have a very busy schedule. Painted as part of a paint jam, this is a bold and colourful piece by ARSA.

The chunky, regular letters that give the word a bilaterally symmetrical appearance are filled with blocks of colour that follow a pattern through the piece. I wonder to myself whether the pink is a bit too much, but I guess that without it there would be a risk of it being a bit flat. ARSA is becoming a bit of a regular this year, stepping up both the quality and quantity of his graffiti writing pieces.

7704. St Werburghs tunnel (583)

Logoe has been turning out some wonderful pieces lately, but this one, for sheer boldness and vibrancy has to be my favourite from this particular visit to Bristol. The overriding red colours are captivating.

His script writing, filled with red and orange, is decorated with a scattering of blue and yellow oval spots, so characteristic of his style, and he has added the words ‘hanging on by a thread’, which probably means more to Logoe than it does to me. Fabulous piece of graffiti writing.

7703. North Street

I’ve been waiting a long time to photograph this shutter when it is both closed and doesn’t have a car parked in front of it. On one of my recent Upfest walks I got lucky. While Inkie is a graffiti legend in Bristol, he also has to make a living, and commission pieces like this one, however big or small, help to pay the bills.

Inkie has used a nice typeface for the words ‘Ashton Fruit & Veg’ which is easily identifiable as his work, but not as ‘Inkie’ as some of his pieces. Some fruit and vegetables decorate the bottom of the shutter and more Inkiesque rays and stars adorn the top. A nice jobbing piece from the artist.

7702. M32 roundabout J3 (776)

Bloem, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2026

Bloem is an absolute delight and always happy to have a chat while she is painting. I managed to catch her as she was finishing off this wonderful piece in the evening sun. It was painted alongside Lupa and Desi as part of a mini-paint jam.

The combination piece is quite sublime, with a stunning leopard spot fill and Betty Boop cartoon character. You can see from the image above how important the small details and highlights that are added at the end of a piece can turn it from a good work to an outstanding one. For example the white border tidies up all the edges and the starburst on the earring creates a focal point.

There are a few artists in Bristol whose work has a strong and positive impact on my sense of wellbeing, and Bloem is definitely one of them.

	Laura Newhampshire on 7745. Greenway Bush Lane…
	Laura Newhampshire on 7746. Ashton Gate Terrace…
	Sheree on Goat’s Beard
	Wes Vinglun (aka) Ni… on Goat’s Beard
	scooj on 7743. North Street – Upf…

	hitandrun1964 on Goat’s Beard
	scooj on 7745. Greenway Bush Lane…
	scooj on 7746. Ashton Gate Terrace…
	scooj on Goat’s Beard
	scooj on Goat’s Beard

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