There is not too much to say about this piece by Mesk. Big bold chrome letters pretty much says it all. The style of the lettering, spelling MESK, is chunky, with little space between the letters.
This is an impact piece, which chrome pieces tend to be. No fuss, no precious fill patterns and nothing else to distract the eye. Solid.
This is another in the series of towers that Zeks has been painting recently, and appears to have got his creative juices flowing. I find it interesting when artists latch on to a new idea, and enjoy watching it play out.
The fun piece is on the rounded end of the flyover support wall under Brunel Way and is composed of several concentric rings spaced out on a central column. The end result is original and upbeat, one of several in this series.
What an interesting abstract piece from Mr Draws. It is possible the black splashes spell out DRAW, but that is wish fulfilment more than anything else really. The piece is beautifully presented and uplifting, perfect for a stroll alongside the river.
The colourful background, made up of random shapes is very typical of Mr Draws’ work… no need for a signature. Going full on abstract works incredibly for his style, and I have to say that I really like this piece. Something different to say. The white spots round it all off nicely.
With each new piece from Avem808 there is a greater level of complexity and ever expanding stories. This is an elaborate combination piece, with a whole lot of action going on.
To the left, there is a car and a mash up dog, or so it looks to me, with lots of action and merging of ideas. To the right, a very fancy piece of writing with a deep drop shadow, which I am assuming spells out AVEM, but could be anything really. This is a piece that demonstrates what can happen when the imagination runs wild.
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Contour hugging streets
interconnecting stairways
hillside solutions
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by Scooj
This is the last in this batch of Upfest pieces and is by an artist who has visited Bristol a few times recently. This, however is Guimeujoven’s biggest wall to date, and really rather magnificent.
I have has a little difficulty photographing this particular piece, it seems that every time I visit, there is a car parked in front of it, and so I haven’t managed to get a complete front image, even with a wide angle.
The piece is a wonderful collection of unusual characters perfectly painted with such incredible depth in the work. The characters look like scouts on a hike through a woodland, and one of them appears to be turning into a monster. This is a breathtaking piece, perfect for Upfest.
I have said it before, but it is repeating, that there was a good blend of local and visiting artists at Upfest this year, rather more Bristol-based artists had a rare chance to paint, like I am Ian, with this bright cartoon piece in Greenway Bush Lane.
The portrait piece is a rather bizarre scene of a person with a very large nose smelling a flower. The flower stalk is of a most peculiar shape, and being held carefully by a hand, while a wasp comes into shot, looking like it might do some damage. A strange and weirdly compelling piece.
It is possible to put artwork into broad categories, and it is something I do a lot of in my descriptions. This piece by Yum Yum for Upfest 2026, I would describe as an abstract doodle piece.
Lots of faces and patterns are scattered across an orange background, evenly spaced and outlined in two tones of red. Yum Yum has painted these doodles over some white random squiggles that I am not too sure about, and leave me feeling the piece is incomplete. I believe it would be more impactful without the white, but that is a personal opinion, not a criticism of a bright and lively piece.
This is an astonishing dream-like fantasy piece painted at Upfest 2026 by Graff Matt. I am not sure I know much about the artist, but I can only marvel at his work, which taps directly into the creative mind of a child.
The imaginative and perfectly painted piece depicts a bashed up Mini car with a wooden shack on top, with wings and a wind turbine giving the whole structure the gift of flight. A little boy sits at the top of the flying machine. Simply brilliant.
Back to May and some more pieces from Upfest, starting with these boards by Georginart and Ladygabe, in the Tobacco Factory. It seems such a shame that these pieces only get seen for a day, if you blink you’ll miss them. This first delightful piece by Georginart is a two-tone cartoon style character piece of a young woman reclining. Clear and simple, and beautifully portrayed.
The second board is by Ladygabe, and altogether more complex and sophisticated. It is a portrait set among flowers, with the two elements blending well. Lots of pinks and purples in this very pleasing piece. It is a pity I completely missed the boards on the second day, but you snooze, you lose in this game.
