It is a jungle out there, and I have said it many times on Natural Adventures, and it can be hard to follow the protocols and conventions at times. Dirtygypo has painted this small piece over a birthday tribute piece for Minto. During the same visit (I assume) he tagged a piece at the entrance of the tunnel by Logoe and Mamil, who had previously painted over a tribute piece to Dorns under Brunel Way. It is a pity that there is quite a lot of strife around these things, as most artists are good and simply want to paint walls. The ‘rules’ such as they are tend to be interpreted in the interests of those who adopt or ignore them. In my view the rules are ‘there are no rules’.
Dirtygypo, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2025
I really like Dirtygypo’s writing, and am slowly beginning to get to grips with his letters. The artist gives us a clue with this writing with the word QUICHE in the bottom right. Look carefully at his graffiti writing and you can make out each of the letters. The Q and U are separated by a yellow lightening bolt. The I is a very slender light blue line, the C and E in dark blue sandwich a very slim H. It is all there, but beautifully disguised. A cracking small piece from Dirtygypo.
Conrico turns out some incredible work, and has done so, in his unique style, for some years now. Recently he has been going through a purple patch, with an increased vibrancy and storytelling element to his work.
Conrico, BB Gallery, Bristol, December 2025
The combination piece, tucked away on the Bristol to Bath cycle path, features a female street-wise character and some writing set on an urban skyline. There is a wonderful contrast between the bright colourful foreground, and the grey foreboding backdrop. Everything appears to have been painted with brushstrokes, but that is Conrico’s style, and I really like it. I am not sure what the GYS stands for (I believe it to be a crew that includes Daz Cat and others), but I will find out soon enough. Beautiful work from Conrico.
I was told recently that Corupt (my name for him, taken from the word he writes most commonly) is held in very high regard in his native Hungary, and it is easy to see why. His work oozes class and experience and rarely, if ever disappoints.
Corupt, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, December 2025
These large chrome letters, spelling STICK, although irregular in shape and size, somehow have a uniformity about them that as a whole presents in a way that is very pleasing to the eye. The blue and black striped drop shadow adds ample perspective and a the white thin border, separated by about an inch from the letters is a trademark ingredient of Corupt’s style. Some yellow accent lines to the top and right of each letter shape also improve the overall effect. Very nice work indeed.
It is nice to see painting partnerships form between artists, and one of them that has been flourishing over the last year or two is that between Sait Bare and Hire. Their classy collaborations tend to be of the nature where there is little read-across between them, but that they are painted side by side.
Sait Bare, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2025
Usually we see the letters SAIT when Sait Bare paints his graffiti writing, but in this instance he has spelled out BARE. The winning combination of pink and light blue are used to great effect in this dazzling piece, and the transition line between the colours is filled with creamy froth, beautifully done. Some yellow background splashes surround the piece, but I am not sure they quite fit the style and don’t really add anything… in my view the letters are enough. A nicely presented piece from Sait Bare.
Normal service is resumed in the tunnel. After a spate of birthday paint jams, Mr Klue has reclaimed one of his favourite spots at the entrance of St Werburghs tunnel, with a trademark ephemeral piece of graffiti writing.
Mr Klue, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2025
The letters spell KLUE, I think, although I can equally make out WONE, the other half of Mr Klue’s name – it is most likely the former. This piece is a little more solid than some of his work, and has an anamorphic appearance, created by the clever use of light and shade, and tops and bottoms of surfaces. An accomplished piece by a writer who just loves painting in the tunnel.
Nips has had a strong winter and managed to get out often, when others have preferred the warmth and comfort of their homes. This is one of a string of winter pieces and continues with her consistency and quality.
Nips, Greenbank, Bristol, January 2026
The bronze/brown letter fills are beautifully accompanied by a turquoise midline and dots that run through all of her letters. It is interesting that she left out any decoration in the tittle (dot of the i), making it a point of interest. Set on a purple background, the piece is finished with a black drop shadow some beaded dots and small starbursts. Great work from Nips.
Aspire (augmented), Devon Road, Bristol, January 2026
It is rare for me to post the same piece more than once. I have done it before a couple of times by mistake, but I think this might be a first where I have returned to a piece that has been somewhat augmented from its original form. This is a wonderful blue tit painted in Devon Road by Aspire, when he still lived in Bristol.
Aspire (augmented), Devon Road, Bristol, January 2026
I love the fact that the householder has very carefully painted around the bird and its perch in tidying up the wall, keeping the stunning piece largely intact. Sadly the bullfinch had to go, probably because of the doorway. All too often you’ll see outstanding pieces of artwork painted over by philistines without any concept of great art. Below is a picture of how the wall used to look, and appreciate what a great job the householder has done. A great outcome.
Most artists in Bristol have good days and bad days and everything in between, when it comes to their artwork. One artist whose work is consistently near-perfect is Dibz. I can’t think of a time when he has turned out a piece of writing and thought to myself ‘that’s a bit shoddy’.
Dibz, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, January 2026
This is a beautifully finished piece painted for Shade One’s birthday, hence the letters SHADE. It would be easy to describe the piece as simple, but that isn’t necessarily the case. The white letters are decorated sparingly with green accents. The pink drop shadow is immaculate, and there is a tight thin blue border around the letters. To add some extra interest, Dibz has painted some glowing cubes around the piece, rounding it all off perfectly. Flawless.
Doors 338 – Doors of Marrakesh and some bonus cats, January 2025 (Part XVIII)
When I went on holiday to Marrakesh with my wife and daughter last January for a little bit of winter sun, not in my wildest dreams did I think that one of the legacies would be 18 posts of Thursday Doors. I have really enjoyed sharing this series of doors, all the while reliving moments and experiences from our trip.
This final selection is a sweep-up of the last remaining doors and, as promised in an earlier post, some cool cats of Marrakesh.
There is a large population of feral cats in Marrakesh, that although they don’t appear to belong to anyone in particular, seem to benefit from a collective responsibility of citizens to offer them food and shelter. For cat lovers, it is a joy to see these streetwise characters around every corner, in shops, markets, derelict buildings and so on, and the people of the city demonstrate a tenderness and affection in the curation of them. I hope you enjoy this final selection from Marrakesh, and thank you for sticking with it:
Souvenir doors outside a shop (it is not only us that appreciate doors!), Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Balcony with door, Derb Zaouia Lahdar, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Archways outside the Madrassa Ben Youssef, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Four doors and bollards, Rue Riad Zitoun el Jedid, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Stunning carved wooden door, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Front door to Riad Nesma, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025
And now some cats:
Fluffy cat on a motorbike cover, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Two cats chilling, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Cat on the move, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Cats play hide and seek, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Sun cat, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Cats pretending not to be having a stand-off, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Perfectly framed cat, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Nonchalant cat, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025Cat and mannequin, Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2025
And that, my friends, really is it from Marrakesh… I promise. I now have the wonderful challenge of deciding which doors to share next time. Have a great Thursday and weekend.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s weekly Thursday Doors post and his Sunday recap.