Natural adventures

7823. South Street – Upfest 2026 (45)

Xenz, Upfest 2026, South Street, Bristol, May 2026

Xenz has absolutely smashed it with this atmospheric neoclassical vista on South Street. The piece is an absolute treat for anyone strolling along North Street and a real head-turner. The wall is a special one and Xenz has more than done it justice.

It is interesting to see the changes that Xenz made to his largely complete piece when I passed by while he was painting, such as the lily pads and rocks in the water, and some white flowers on the creepers to the left. As you can imagine from the amount of intricate detail in his work, this piece took more than a couple of days to complete.

Xenz’ fantasy work allows the mind to drift into another world where calmness and peace are at the heart of everything. This is definitely a personal favourite from this year’s festival.

7822. Gathorne Road – Upfest 2026 (44)

Inkie, Upfest 2026, Gathorne Road, Bristol, May 2026

One of the ‘sure things’ about Upfest is that Inkie will give the Parsons Bakery a refresh, and offer another bakery related pun, this has become a tradition now and something to look forward to on the Upfest calendar.

This year Inkie has gone to town with his ‘Bready or not, here I crumb’, which is a groan of a pun, but actually rather good. The writing is outstanding in his bold style, and it is possible many seeing it won’t actually get as far as reading it, being seduced by the grand nature of the lettering.

Inkie completes the piece with one of his trademark stylised portraits. No need for a signature here. Inkie is synonymous with Bristol street art, and after Banksy, is probably the best known graffiti export from the city, alongside Nick Walker, perhaps. Brilliant to see this refresh and enjoy the humour of the piece.

Inkie, Upfest 2024, Gathorne Road, Bristol, May 2024

Inkie, Gathorne Road, Bristol, July 2019

Inkie, Gathorne Road, Bristol, June 2016

Marram Grass

Tufted grassy clumps

sway gently in the sea breeze

steady dune builder

by Scooj

7821. Dalby Avenue – Upfest 2026 (43)

Peggy, Upfest 2026, Dalby Avenue, Bristol, May 2026

I only noticed after I lined this piece up to post that it isn’t actually finished. I’ll have to return and get a final picture, next time I am in that part of town. The Upfest piece is by Bristol tattooist and street artist Peggy, who has featured in Natural Adventures many times.

This piece is brighter than Peggy’s usual toned-down floral arrangements, but contains many of the same features and styling. You can see from this unfinished work what a difference the detailing can make. It is always great to see Peggy’s street work, which is quite different from much of the work we see day in day out.

7820. Stillhouse Lane – Upfest 2026 (42)

3Dom, Upfest 2026, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026

It has been great to see that the representation of Bristol artists at Upfest this year was really strong and that most had been afforded a proper wall rather than a temporary board, which has been the case in the past. It gives the opportunity for Bristol talent to be seen in the host city.

This is a wonderful piece by 3Dom with so much symbolism and so many messages curated within his surreal dreamlike style. I think broadly speaking, it is a piece that wants to portray hope and optimism, but have a closer look and it is filled with images of sadness and doom. The images of lover and peace are pierced with arrows. Sharks patrol the black murky waters. The weight of love is heavy. Faces alternate between sadness and happiness. So much to see here.

I managed to have a long chat with 3Dom just after he had finished the piece, and he is such a gentleman, thoughtful and kind, and of course immensely talented. Outstanding work.

Gage Graphics

A gallery of outstanding graffiti and high-end murals from Bristol-based Gage Graphics (AKA Ollie Gillard)

Instagram: @gage.graphics

Website: gagegraphics.co.uk

All photographs by Scooj

Gage Graphics. Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

Gage Graphics, Stokes Croft, Bristol, April 2022

Gage Graphics, Alpine Road, Bristol, November 2021

Gage Graphics, West Street, Bristol, June 2021

Gage Graphics, Upper York Street, Bristol, May 2021

Gage Graphics, St Luke's Road, Bristol, December 2020 — Gage Graphics, St Luke’s Road, Bristol, December 2020

Gage Graphics, St Werburghs, Bristol, September 2020

Gage Graphics, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2020

Gage Graphics, Upfest, Bristol, July 2016

7819. Greenway Bush Lane – Upfest 2026 (41)

Zmaja, Upfest 2026, Greenway Bush Lane, Bristol, May 2026

Wow, how can work like this be created using spray cans? The richness and depth of colours and the brilliant use of shades to create a three-dimensional scene is incredible. The artist Zmaja is a Canadian-Serbian muralist and illustrator known for her cartoon-ish 3D animals, community-focused street art.

In this tea party scene, a fox and a rabbit are sharing a brew and a cookie and are accompanied by a couple of little yellow birds assisting with the sugar. A wonderful scene and story unfolds, but I can’t help feeling that there might be a sinister motive in the back of the fox’s mind, which once thought about, can’t be unthought. A superb Upfest piece.

7818. Cumberland Basin

Fade and Dibz, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2026

When Fade and Dibz get together, magic happens. It is so easy to get blasé about their work, because we see it so frequently in Bristol and forget that these two writers are at the very top of their game. The precision of their work is extraordinary and at the very highest level.

Fade, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2026

This collaboration shows off their talents as wildstyle graffiti writers. To the left, in ‘fruit salad’ yellow and pink colours Fade has written his letters with three horizontal stripes, with complete confidence and competence. Great writing.

Dibz, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, April 2026

On the right, Dibz has also adopted slightly different ‘fruit salad’ colours nicely blended in horizontal strips and with a deep 3D drop shadow in black and nicely finished with some purple bubbles at the top. As a pair of pieces, it all feels so effortless, but that comes with the unconscious competence of years of graffiti experience.

White Italian Snail

Safety in numbers

sandy snails cluster in dunes

waiting for the rain

by Scooj

7817. Temple Way (6)

This piece by Taboo has been around for ages, years. It took me a long time finally to photograph it, and then a long time to post it, but at last I have managed to do it. It is on a hoarding on a main road without parking, and I drive past it every time I go to Temple Meads Station.

Taboo’s antistyle letters, unusually not spelling out his name, are accompanied by a Disney like wolf with multiple exaggerated eyes. It is all a bit odd, verging on disturbing, but actually just very typical of Taboo. So glad I got round to it before it and the hoardings go.

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