This piece from Hire had me raising my eyebrows, in a good way, because it is quite unlike anything I have seen from him before. I would normally associate his work with quite intricate, spiky, angular letters, but here he has gone for something altogether softer and more fluid – to be honest I hind it a little disorientating. (Update – I am being particularly dense, the writing is, of course, by Sait Bare, which is why it is so different in style. I couldn’t see the wood for the trees.
Hire, Dean Lane, Bristol, July 2025
The combination of letters and two characters works well, with a face on the left and one of his trademark rabbits (see, it is spiky) to the right. The letters have a traditional 3D drop shadow with black and red stripes. This whole thing looks like Hire is experimenting a bit, departing from his customary style, and that has to be applauded.
Zinso has made a big impression in Bristol in recent months having burst onto the scene earlier this year. He took over this entire wall, buffed it out with white paint and then painted six pieces, in pairs, each with a small and a large piece. I guess it is one way of getting in some practice. I have split the total production into three posts of which this is the first.
Zinso, Brunel Way, Bristol, July 2025
Both the small and large piece are in a bubble-writing style, although the larger one is rather more sophisticated. The small piece has alternate colours for the letters, has a tidy drop shadow and neat red border. Great work. As for the larger piece, the fills are absolutely magnificent. Big, bold colours and some really nice shapes resembling calligraphy, create an outstanding overall impression. This is the work of a skilled, technical artist having a great day out. The full wall is shown below:
Two things immediately leap out at me about this piece by Posh; first, I am always happy to find ANY pieces by him, because he paints quite infrequently (although he has been more active lately), and second, I have never seen his work at L Dub before, so was mildly confused and surprised to see it there.
Posh, L Dub, Bristol, June 2025
This is a combination piece in which Posh has incorporated his little ‘posh’ characters into his letters. I can’t work out what the letters spell, and a glance at his Instagram doesn’t help me with that particular piece of detective work. His little monocled figures are so full of character, mischief and fun and are an endearing element of his work. Looking out for more great work from Posh.
If ever you wanted an example of contemporary wildstyle writing at its best, you wouldn’t need to go any further than this exquisite piece by Dibz. The subtle tones and dark background are in harmony with this piece being a tribute to the late Tickz, hence the ‘rest in peace’ writing to the top left.
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2025
Everything about this piece is near-perfect. All the lines are sharp and clean, the fills tidy and unfussy, the white highlights consistent and bringing about a uniform 3D effect across the whole piece, and of course the halo in contrasting yellow. As tribute pieces go, this is about as good as it gets.
There is so much more to this piece than first meets the eye. For a start, Conrico could have simply written his name on the wall, but no, he has treated us to an entire landscape into which his name fits.
Conrico, Stapleton Road, Bristol, June 2025
The landscape looks like something out of The Lord of the Rings, Mount Doomesque. The meeting of the water and the sky in a dramatic fiery battle provides the perfect setting for the lime green 3D letters. The whole composition is balanced and exciting, and the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Great work from Conrico.
I think I was about five or six years old when I was given my first Asterix book. My mother was having her hair done and bought me ‘Asterix the Gaul’, to keep me occupied for the very boring two hour hair appointment. Not only did the distraction technique work, but it began a love affair I have had with these cartoon adventure books ever since. I still buy (in hardback) every new edition that is published, even though both the original author and illustrator (Goscinny and Uderzo) have now died. Imagine my excitement when I came across Dibz and Fade while they were painting this epic piece in Dean Lane.
Fade and Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2025
I can’t really add much commentary about the artists that is new, and I have run out of superlatives to describe their work. The writing on the left, by Dibz is about as tight and sharp as you can get with wildstyle graffiti writing. The orange letters with a deep 3D drop shadow, which has a metallic sheen to it, spell DIBZ.
Fade and Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2025
To the right hand side of the collaboration, Fade has adopted the colour selection for his piece, but, although subtle, his letters and style are a tad softer than Dibz’. A notable change in this collaboration is that the artists have swapped sides from their usual preference, which must feel a little bit like sleeping on the wrong side of bed. Maybe?
Fade and Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2025
The centrepiece of this production is a near-perfect rendition of the druid Getafix, who makes the secret magic potion that gives our protagonists, Asterix and Obelix, their strength. The artists have been so true to the original artwork, Uderzo himself would have been impressed. This really is a remarkable collaboration and shows off Dibz and Fade at their very best. I’ll forgive them for the ‘Geta-graf-fix pun.
Most of the artwork at L Dub is painted by a handful of trusts and one of the most visible of them is DJ Perks, and I was fortunate enough to meet him while he was painting a different piece on this trip. I think that it is the first time I have ever met anyone actively painting at L Dub.
DJ Perks, L Dub, Bristol, June 2025
This piece looks very much like a tribute piece, perhaps a birthday or something for Tisha. I am taking a wild guess that she might be one of his children, but whoever it is, it is a very fine piece of graffiti writing indeed. Some beautiful fills, and the subtlest of white highlights adding a little 3D vibe. Very nice work from one of the most modest artists in Bristol.
I don’t think there will ever be a time when I am not happy to see a piece by Face 1st. Of course, since he moved away from Bristol, that sense of joy is heightened, because his pieces appear less frequently and have become a little bit of a rarity.
Face 1st, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2025
This is a classic laughing girl with big hair piece from Face 1st. The big hair spells out FACE, in script-like letters, with a very deep drop shadow. The blue tones with the white face work well, and although not the tidiest piece I have seen from the artist it is nonetheless distinctive and very, very Bristol.
Totosoapcity, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2025
What is a little peculiar is that if I look back through my archives I would probably find half a dozen or so pieces by Totosoapcity, but it is only recently, once I found out the artist’s name, that I have actually started to post his distinctive writing.
Totosoapcity, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2025
There is a symmetry to Totosoapcity’s writing, and I am never too sure what the letters spell, but I think it is ARSA. There are some good blues, pinks and purples in the piece with a deep 3D drop shadow vanishing in the centre, below the wall. There are a few decorative circles filling and breaking up the white space around the background. A nice piece. I will have to trawl through my archives and dig out some old ones.
Natural adventures 