Minto has been out and about quite a lot this year, which is great to see, and recently he has turned out a couple of pieces on a black background, of which this is one, that introduce a whole new aspect to his work, bringing in all sorts of opportunities for contrasting colours.
Minto, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, May 2026
The letters, heavily disguised, spell MINTO, and they are heavily augmented with colours, lines and shapes that almost give a ‘firework’ appearance to the piece. I can see at least two ephemeral characters in the piece, a bird’s head in the centre, and a head at the top right. There is so much to look at and discover i this fine piece of graffiti writing.
There are several names that this artist goes under; Jest Soubriquet, Jest Likes and Likes Wan Tu. I tend to stick with the first one because it is the first name I used in this blog, and if nothing else, I do like a bit of consistency. This is a wonderful wildlife piece, painted during a paint jam alongside the River Avon.
Jest Soubriquet, River Avon, Bristol, May 2026
The characters look familiar, probably based on Disney’s Lion King characters. The colourful one on the left (Mufasa?) is definitely a better rendition than the one on the right, where the nose doesn’t seem quite right. Excellent stuff from this regular visitor. Note to self – time for a gallery?
Doors 355 – Doors of Shrewsbury (part V) – April 2025
It is my wife’s birthday today, which is a special family moment and means that I will be necessarily brief for today’s post.
After a brief hiatus last week, when I ran out of time to prepare some Shrewbury doors, the series continues with a mixed selection this week, from the town steeped in history. I hope you enjoy this selection of doors and views:
Ancient gateway with wooden surround, Wyle Cop, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, April 2025Black door and brass plates, Wyle Cop, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, April 2025Black doors of a timber-framed building, Wyle Cop, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, April 2025Black door and large decorative window above, Beeches Lane, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, April 2025Beautiful Timber-framed building and shop/restaurant doors, Wyle Cop, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, April 2025Steps and a water gauge alongside the River Severn, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, April 2025The English Bridge, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, April 2025The English Bridge, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, April 2025Ghost door in a wall alongside the River Severn, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, April 2025Archway on St Mary’s Water Lane, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, April 2025Secure door and locked gate, Saint Mary’s Water Lane, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, April 2025Grand blue door, Windsor Place, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, April 2025
When I took the photographs of the bridge, I hadn’t realised until afterwards that a lost soul was being talked away from sitting on the edge of the bridge by a police officer. In my original image (much higher resolution than here) I can see the pair. I am happy to report that the ‘jumper’ was safely talked away from the bridge, and I hope received the care and attention he needed.
More to come next time. Have a great, and in the UK, Bank Holiday 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.
Here we have another classic combination collaboration from Dibz and Fade. Both artists will have been involved in the whole piece, but Dibz leading on the writing and Fade on the alligator characters.
Dibz and Fade, Dean Lane, Bristol, May 2026
The alligators are called Brutus and Nero and are taken from the Disney cartoon film, The Rescuers. This piece reflects the technical skill of the two artists in every aspect of its presentation, and it all feels so easy when these two get together, but it takes years of practice and abundant raw talent to be this good.
Florist, Upfest 2026, Merrywood Road, Bristol, May 2026
This particular spot, a bricked up window recess, has hosted some wonderful Upfest pieces over the years, and this time it is the turn of a mosaic artist from London called Florist.
Florist, Upfest 2026, Merrywood Road, Bristol, May 2026
The mosaic was installed in about five or six prepared sections and the shoes, part of the installation, were attached with adhesive to the window sill. The outcome is a beautiful scene, with a man sitting on a bench with some flowers. What is the story behind the piece? Perhaps only Florist knows. Something a little different for the festival.
Over the years the format of Upfest has evolved, in part to accommodate so many artists descending on the city, and to manage the spike in crowds that visit. The new format has spread the festival over three weekends, and a focus on new large feature walls. Each weekend, there is an opportunity for artists, many of whom are new to Upfest, to showcase their work on small 1m x 1m boards at the Tobacco Factory. I will try to include some of these in my Upfest posts, starting with these three.
Unknown artist, Upfest 2026, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, May 2026
First up is a piece by an artist whose signature I can’t read and have tried lots of variants on Instagram and Google searches, but with no positive result. This is a fabulous illustration piece with a cartoon-style girl drawing and colouring animals, examples of which are distributed about the piece. A wonderful and fun creative idea.
Ryan Gajda, Upfest 2026, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, May 2026
Next up is a vibrant portrait by Ryan Gajda, of a woman sitting in a cross-legged position, and the sun at her back. An interesting style, with a combination of presence and absence of detail.
Andy Downes, Upfest 2026, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, May 2026
Finally, a busy portrait piece by Andy Downes, celebrating Upfest and Bristol, incorporated in the glasses. The artwork is superb, with the portrait composed of flashes of light and dark colour creating light and shade and consequently depth. Some pink and black lines frame the piece nicely.
on my beloved Arsenal Football Club at last becoming English Premier League champions again, and on the back of finishing second for the last three years.
Sepr, Upfest 2026, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026
The organisers of Upfest have been keeping busy since the last Upfest in 2024, and incorporated a host of new walls to show off local, national and international talent for this year’s festival. This wall is tucked away just south of the east end of East Street, and is in an area I’m not sure that I have ever been to before. The wall is on the side of a light industrial unit called Willway Yard, with plenty of space for multiple artists. One of the first to complete his allocated space is Bristol artist Sean Sepr.
Sepr, Upfest 2026, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026
Sepr has an extraordinary talent for telling elaborate stories in his cartoon-style pieces. Everything is laid out with clarity and humour, and then it is up to the viewer to piece it all together into some kind of narrative. My reading of the situation is that a cyclist has had a bit of an accident, running into some wet concrete perhaps and rather than helping him, a collection of animals are taking advantage of the unfortunate protagonist and generally being unhelpful. I love the way the fox is stealing his shoes and socks. Creative and imaginative.
Bex Glover, Upfest 2026, Ashman Road, Bristol, May 2026
This piece by Bex Glover is a beauty and a treat, and one of two pieces she has painted for Upfest 2026. Her work is right up my street, nearly always featuring a natural history narrative, painted in her unique style, usually steeped in her light blues, but in this instance augmented with a stunning deep red archway.
Bex Glover, Upfest 2026, Ashman Road, Bristol, May 2026
The piece has at its centre a stunning fox, beautifully presented, standing on a patch of grass and peering through the archway to a watery scene with a town in the distance, perhaps a depiction of old Bristol itself. A stunning piece for Upfest from one of our own artists.
Well, this year’s Upfest has crept up on me a little. I have been very busy and not had much headspace to recognise Europe’s largest street art festival which began last weekend, and will continue until the end of May 2026. This time the festival has been spread over three weekends and is rather fragmented, with no single festival focal point, which is a pity. This approach has been implemented to spread the crowds over a longer period and avoid some of the festival shenanigans that have caused a few problems for the council in the past. It is funny how they continue to allow the Harbourside Festival to operate, and which has a terrible reputation for antisocial behaviour, but curtail the much friendlier Upfest. Some unconscious bias at work methinks.
#DFTE, Upfest 2026, Lime Road, Bristol, May 2026
My opener for this year’s festival is this wonderful musing by #DFTE, the master of the thoughtful slogan and repairer of souls. His message this year is short and sweet “Today will be a good day” and for most festival visitors that is probably about right. It is worth having a little look at this charming gallery of his thoughtful work.
Natural adventures 