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.
Inkie, Upfest 2026, Gathorne Road, Bristol, May 2026
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, Upfest 2026, Gathorne Road, Bristol, May 2026
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 2024Inkie, Gathorne Road, Bristol, July 2019Inkie, Gathorne Road, Bristol, June 2016
This year, Upfest is in two parts. The first part, which has been running for about three weeks now, has been to paint as many of the feature semi-permanent walls as possible before the festival weekend (May 28-29). The second part will be the remaining 350 or so artists painting on boards ‘live’ at various venues. This piece from My Dog Sighs falls into the former category.
My Dog Sighs, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
There are positives and negatives to this new approach (change is never easy). On the upside, there will be plenty of completed new works for visitors to enjoy, without the eyesore of scaffolding on the other hand, that wonderful interaction with some of the greatest artists on the circuit is lost. It can feel a little bit like ‘rent an artist’, without the opportunity to watch them at work. On balance I can see that it makes sense, and as a resident of Bristol I have been able to meet a lot of artists over the last week or two.
My Dog Sighs, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Unfortunately I missed My Dog Sighs this time, which is a pity. I think he was in and out very quickly. Such are the demands on some of the bigger names during festival season. This piece is one of his pigeon pieces, similar to the one he painted for the Cheltenham festival last year. The characters and colours are magnificent, and his work so totally on point. It might have been nice to see another one of his eyes for this festival, but I might just be being picky.
My Dog Sighs, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Pigeons are something of a favourite theme for street artists, and I guess that perhaps there is something unconscious going on, in that these artists being on the streets probably see a great many of these urban birds. A fine addition to the Upfest 22 collection.
This is not a new wall, in fact it was painted round about this time last year if I remember correctly, just before Upfest 2018. I am posting it now because at last I have managed to get a clean shot of it without cars parked directly in front of it, a rare privilege indeed.
Inkie, Gathorne Road, Bristol, July 2019
The piece is obviously by Inkie, and is a straight refresh of a similar piece by the artist that was here before. There is a little hint of Cheba too on the left, with a bit of cosmic background. What is strange about this piece is that it is unfinished, and it would seem that after such a long tiime it is unlikely ever to be finished. The lettering around the word bread is not completely filled or outlined and the leafy sketch at the bottom of the piece also appears to be unfinished. It is a bit naughty of Inkie to leave it like this, and I hope that if it was a commission that the bakery got a discount.
Inkie, Gathorne Road, Bristol, July 2019
In the bottom right of the piece we have a beautiful trademark Inkie girl with hair, a motif that is probably most recognisable as being by Inkie. Pleased to have posted this one at last, and even though it is unfinished, we can all move on.
I first saw this mural at Upfest 2016, but wasn’t sure who it was by or whether it was a festival piece. It turns out that it is by the magnificent Andrew Burns Colwill and it was not his Upfest piece, but a commission.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Gathorne Road, Bristol, May 2017
Colwill is a truly brilliant artist with a very colourful history, who has just completed a magnificent exhibition entitled ’20/50 Vision: Tomorrow’s Habitat’ at the It’s All 2 Much Gallery in Stokes Croft. The works place some of our most treasured species into future places where all is not as it should be. A global warming/pollution warning to us all.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Gathorne Road, Bristol, May 2017
This piece is altogether more mainstream, and for a marine biologist like me a real treat.
Andrew Burns Colwill, Gathorne Road, Bristol, May 2017
Some of the most satisfying graffiti art is often the simplest. RIP is a great example of an artist who is highly accomplished at producing multi-layer stencil canvas pieces, but is equally at home with sharp, witty street stencils like this one. RIP is from Staffordshire, but a regular visitor to Bristol where he works with other SSOSVA artists.
RIP, Gathorne Road, Bristol, April 2016
There are actually two RIP stencils, the lower one of which I have seen in several other places. It would appear from the writing above this work that stencils are not to everyone’s taste. I like this picture because it speaks loudly of the way street art is and the sense of anarchy (albeit benign) that surrounds it.
UPDATE: Inkie informs me via Twitter that this piece is going nowhere and will remain in place after Upfest, which is great news.
This wonderful Inkie is enjoying the last days of the Raj. It was created for Upfest 2015, and will in all likelihood give way to another piece at the 2016 festival in July.
Inkie, Gathorne Road, Bristol, June 2016
‘Best thing since sliced bread’ is a wonderful piece by Inkie, incorporating his large block writing, and the styalised girl with flowing hair. Interestingly the girl is in three quarter profile, rather than the silhouetted profile that is more common in his works.
Inkie, Gathorne Road, Bristol, June 2016
On the wall of a bakery, this uplifting work fits so perfectly in this quiet street, immediately off North Street. I wonder what will replace it.
Natural adventures 