Writer – Page 22 – Natural adventures

7139. Cumberland Basin

Pura Decadencia, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2025

This is a pretty difficult damp wall to paint, but that didn’t stop Pura Decadencia and some friends from giving it a go a few weeks back, and because turnover here is very slow, her work is still there to enjoy.

The chrome letters in this piece are accompanied by a red drop shadow and bordered with a thin yellow strip. Each of the letters is split with a red line and little ‘rivets’ either side, giving the look of steel plates hanging together, a device used by quite a lot of writers, and a really effective one. There is a white plasma bolt running through the letters, adding a little bit of extra interest, but not detracting from the big bold letters themselves. Nice work from Pura Decadencia.

7138. Peel Street Green (47)

Mesk, Peel Street Green, Bristol, August 2025

Pinning down the names of street artists can be really difficult sometimes. I call Mesk ‘Mesk’, because that is the word he most commonly writes, but his Instagram profile is @lazureness which leaves me with a bit of a dilemma. By which name do I refer to him in my blog posts. I have chosen to use Mesk.

This is a stunner in one of the wall segments at Peel Street Green, which are the perfect dimensions for writers to do their stuff. The letters here are beautifully laid out with an interesting and eye-catching array of colours blending in horizontal strips. These colours contrast neatly with the two-yellows and black lines used on the 3D drop shadow. The writing is set on a pair of blue rectangles, again contrasting with and complementing the letters. A vibrant and enjoyable piece from Mesk, or should that be lazureness?

7137. Cumberland Basin

Cort, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, August 2025

It was a sunny day when I took these pictures, and I’m afraid you are stuck with a rather unattractive shadow, cast in the afternoon sunshine. I’m glad I took the pictures when I did though, because the piece was gone by the next time I visited. This is another in a recent spate of pieces by Cort, and I have to say that he is hitting a rich vein of form, in my view at least.

Cort plays a lot with his writing, both in his choice of his letters and in his unique styling of each one. Here he spells Kortos, a corruption of his usual Cort, and presents each of his asymmetric letters with a different fill that across the whole piece forms a regular Patton or concept. The beautifully painted letters sit on top of a contrasting yellow and turquoise background. Great work from Cort.

7135. Dean Lane skate park (862)

Asre is back! Back from what or where, I don’t know, but it is great to see his reappearance after an absence of three long years. This piece was tucked away behind the hedge on the swimming pool wall at Dean Lane, a wall that has had quite a high turnover of late and where there always seems to be something new to enjoy.

Unusually, this is a piece of writing from Asre, who is better known for his character faces. Everything is very neat and tidy. Some great colourful fills, clean letters, and two sharp borders, one black and one white. I very much hope that this signals more from Asre – I already have at least one other new piece to share. Welcome back!

7134. L Dub (78)

I like character artists who create new ideas and scenes, and DFC 1848 has been spending much of the summer introducing us to a raft of fun cartoon animals to enjoy. This humorous piece demonstrates his willingness to look at new things and constantly evolve.

Two dogs need to ‘water’ the fire hydrant. One is freely relieving himself, while the other crosses his legs, waiting for his turn. As a dog owner, this piece appeals to me, although my dog never seems to cross his legs, he’ll just pee on twenty different tufts or objects every time we go on a walk – even if he’s run out, he’ll still squeeze out another drop. Some nice DFC letters and DFC on the hydrant leave us in no doubt about the artist.

7133. M32 Cycle path (295)

Kid Krishna, M32 cycle path, Bristol, July 2025

Although Kid Krishna is going through one of his slower periods at the moment, it provides me with a little space to catch up on his work. This is a cracking piece on one of the less pleasant walls to paint, but, because of that, turnover tends to be quite slow. The ‘flowerbed’ is used as a public toilet, and there is a nasty piece of razor wire that has been deposited some years ago and never dealt with.

It is difficult to make out the letters CRIE in this piece, but I have to take it on trust that they are there. The pink letters appear to be breaking their way through a purple cloud, and then there is a little character, an eye with limbs and wings adding further interest to the dynamic piece. I was there yesterday and it is still intact.

7131. L Dub (77)

Posh has without doubt flourished this summer, turning his occasional small doodles into lively vibrant pieces filled with his mischievous top-hatted, monocled characters, these painted at L Dub, a spot that Posh seems to rather enjoy.

I love Posh’s style that has a sketchbook quality to it, with a lot of action crammed in and plenty to occupy the viewer as you uncover layer after layer of story. There is some highly decorated writing that underpins the whole piece, but I am not too sure what is spells out. I could easily see these little rascals forming the central thread of illustrated children’s picture books. Great work.

7129. M32 roundabout J3 (702)

Lis and Elsa Bee, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2025

This wonderful piece is far and away the largest mural I have seen from Lis (Le Imposter Design) to date, and I was really lucky to find and photograph it, as it only lasted a day or two. Watching Lis develop and grow in confidence over the last year or so has been one of the great joys of doing what I do, and this piece brings together a whole bunch of ideas into a natural ensemble.

Let’s start with the writing – I think this is the first time I have seen Lis write anything, and it really isn’t a bad effort, and the letters and fills are commensurate with the mood of the whole piece (UPDATE: Lis tells me that the writing and the Octopus are by her friend and collaborator Elsa Bee). The pond scene with the dragonflies and bulrushes is unusual and uplifting, and although the octopus is a bit incongruous, he seems to be having a great time (which knowing it is by another artist now makes complete sense). A natural salsa. Lis is developing a lovely style all of her own, and I hope very much to meet her one day to tell her how good I think her work is.

7128. Dean Lane skate park (861)

Cheo and Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, August 2025

This wall has hosted some utterly outstanding pieces over the years, and this combination collaboration from Dibz and Cheo is right up there with the very best of them. The first thing to notice about this wonderful piece is just how neatly it has been executed and how well it stands out on the black background.

The comic character, painted by Cheo is holding up a small board on which Dibz has written his name – it is a brilliantly clever way to present a character and graffiti writing together in a contextual storytelling scenario. There are so many details in the collaboration to enjoy, such as the signature bee, the laminate wooden board peeling and drips from the letters, and my favourite bit, the plaster on the character’s nose. Pure genius from Dibz and Cheo.

7127. Greenbank (166)

Amy McHugh, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2025

Another powerful combination of imagery and words from the Bristol Mural Collective paint jam that was themed on Palestine. This particular piece by Amy McHugh is visually impactful using the image of a dove of peace carrying a flower, and shedding a tear.

The colours, as with most of these paint jam pieces, pick up on the colours of the Palestinian flag, which are all represented. The words “None of us are free until we’re all free – Palestine” are interesting, especially their approximation to the Jewish poet Emma Lazarus who wrote in 1883, “Until we are all free, we are none of us free.” It is a sentiment I believe many of us can agree with, but I fear we might be in for a long wait.

This is a strong message of support for Palestine and the people of Gaza and the West Bank by Amy McHugh.

	Suzette Benjamin on Thursday doors – 26 Febr…
	scooj on Thursday doors – 26 Febr…
	scooj on Thursday doors – 26 Febr…
	scooj on Thursday doors – 26 Febr…
	scooj on Thursday doors – 26 Febr…

	Suzette Benjamin on Thursday doors – 26 Febr…
	scooj on Thursday doors – 26 Febr…
	scooj on Thursday doors – 26 Febr…
	scooj on Thursday doors – 26 Febr…
	scooj on Thursday doors – 26 Febr…

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