Shane O’Malley, Upfest 24, Bedminster Down Road, Bristol, May 2024
There are some murals painted at this year’s Upfest that you simply just have to stand back and admire, and this extraordinary piece by Shane O’Malley is one of them. The double house wall is a new one for Upfest this year, and although a little way off the beaten track and without anywhere to park, is well worth the trip.
Shane O’Malley, Upfest 24, Bedminster Down Road, Bristol, May 2024
Shane O’Malley is an artist from Galway in Ireland who works on designs based around circles, geometry and colour in both the studio and on walls – you can see more of his murals on his website. This piece conveys joy and excitement and is complemented by the blue skies on the day I photographed it. A wonderful Upfest piece.
There are some spots in Bristol where the turnover tends to be slow that I don’t visit all that often, and Devon Road is one of these. I was pleased, however, on a recent visit to find this joyful mural by Zubieta, which looking at her Instagram feed looks like it was painted in early June, so I did indeed strike lucky.
Zubieta, Devon Road, Bristol, June 2024
Zubieta’s citrus fruit themed piece is not only beautiful to look at, but was actually painted over a couple of throw ups which had messed this wall up a bit, and I guess the owners may have asked for or commissioned the mural. You can see a short video of the painting of the piece on Zubieta’s Instagram. A really lovely mural.
Angie Jerez, North Street, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
With the sheer number and quality of large murals at this year’s Upfest, it was easy to become complacent, and I nearly missed this wonderful piece, by Angie Jerez, above Kask, which when you stroll on the ‘wrong’ side of the road in North Street, is quite easy to do, which I why I always walk up one side and back the other side.
Angie Jerez, North Street, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
This mural, featuring two birds and plant seed heads, way above the clouds has been beautifully designed around the stacked windows above the wine bar. The limited number of colours draws attention to the fine detail of the design itself, and the stylised birds are glorious. I don’t know anything about Angie Jerez other than what appears in her Upfest Biography, and that she is originally from Bogotá in Colombia, but now lives in Atlanta. What a brilliant thing that she came to Bristol to paint at Upfest.
Lionel David, Parson Street, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
I think that it is fair to say that at Upfest 2024 we have seen the painting of more large scale ‘marquee’ murals than ever before, some replacing previous artwork and others appearing on new walls. The team at Upfest have done a remarkable job on negotiating with property owners, and presumably the council too, to free up so many new and wonderful spaces.
Lionel David, Parson Street, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
This outstanding portrait piece is by Lionel David and was painted on a new wall, a little walk away from the main centre of Upfest activity, and as a result may not have been seen by as many visitors as some of the other pieces on the main drag. Lionel David has not only painted a beauty, but he has been clever too by incorporating the wall that runs alongside the house, and as a result the piece needs to be viewed from a particular spot in the adjacent plot, which the artist has marked out on the ground. Not only did he paint the low wall, but on the main wall he has painted the girl’s body and arm in full, so there is some repetition.
Lionel David, Parson Street, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
There is no doubting Lionel David’s incredible skills, and it is clear to see that he has been schooled in art. Lionel David has a great website, but it is in German, so I have used Google Translate to give you his biography, as follows:
Lionel David is a visual artist from Switzerland who discovered his love for painting in 2017. He specializes in spray can murals.
Studying fine arts at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences from 2019 to 2022 broadened Lionel David’s horizons and emphasized the importance of context in his work. His style combines photorealism with graphic elements and is often inspired by nature.
The artist is currently concentrating on portrait painting and experimenting with compositions to further explore artistic boundaries. With dedication and innovation, he succeeds in inspiring people with his lively and gentle works.
Further to this incredible portrait piece, which he finished earlier than expected, Lionel David had time to paint an ‘extra’ in Dean Lane, which although unfinished looked amazing. Dibz and Fade were in the process of contacting the artist to see if he would mind if they ‘augmented’ the portrait piece, but before they could send their message, another artist had started painting over it, so this ‘extra’ lasted less than 24 hours.
Lionel David, Dean Lane , Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
Lionel David, Dean Lane , Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
Lionel David, Dean Lane , Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
Audrey Kawasaki, Raleigh Road, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
Upfest really is an extraordinary opportunity to see street art form all corners of the globe, and with it a huge variety of cultural styles, to add to the broad ‘school of Bristol’ street art and graffiti. This is a wonderful piece from Audrey Kawasaki, a Japanese-American artist who lives and works in Los Angeles.
Audrey Kawasaki, Raleigh Road, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
There is a strong mix of eastern and western cultures coming together in this beautiful piece, where the tiger represents the east and the girl the west, perhaps. Audrey Kawasaki (who has a fabulous website) appears to use this styling in a lot of her work and also I detect some Art Nouveau influences in her work that makes it super-interesting.
Audrey Kawasaki, Raleigh Road, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
Audrey Kawasaki’s composition in this mural is outstanding with the two central characters surrounded by crows and feathers and framed in a red ‘cloudy’ border. There is definitely a story in this piece, and it compels the viewer to want more. Clever and beautiful work from the visitor this year’s Upfest.
This is another outstanding Smug piece that I photographed during a short visit to Leicester last month. It is difficult to convey the sheer scale of the piece, because it is relatively thin, but as you can see it is seven stories tall, and somehow manages to complement the building perfectly. I believe it has been here for quite a while, since at least 2019, but I might be wrong.
Smug, Vestry Street, Leicester, May 2024
The stunning piece features a woman, perfectly slotted into this narrow space, with a bullfinch in flight by her head. The photorealistic representation is quite extraordinary, in particular the folds of the woman’s clothing and her scarf. This and the other Smug piece are worth the trip to Leicester alone. Utterly outstanding and overwhelming.
Well, this came a little bit out of the blue, and I only recently noticed it while driving along Stapleton Road between the M32 Spot and M32 roundabout. The enormous mural painted in May 2024 by Molly Murals is one of three public art installations aimed at revitalising Stapleton Road in Bristol – I’ve yet to discover the other two (I think). You can read up much more about this piece on her excellent website.
Molly Murals, Clare Road, Bristol, June 2024
The abstract design is bright and vibrant and really large, bringing a sense of community pride to an area that can at times feel a little neglected. There are design elements that share commonalities with other artists in Bristol, such as Zoe Power and to a certain extent, Mr Penfold. Of course, that doesn’t detract from her design, rather it is a compliment.This is great stuff from a busy and successful Bristol muralist.
Jacqui Butterworth, North Street Standard, Bristol, Upfest 24, May 2024
This is a particularly popular wall, although sometimes a little tricky to photograph. It is outside the North Street Standard and for this year’s Upfest has been stunningly painted by Jacqui Butterworth. After admiring the photorealism of the piece, the first question or thought has to be that there is a rather special story going on here, with plenty of symbolism. Interpretation is another matter though.
Jacqui Butterworth, North Street Standard, Bristol, Upfest 24, May 2024
The mural starts with some steps leading up to a grand piano upon which a black and a white swan have made themselves at home. Two cygnets are in attendance and the one beneath the piano is lying down with some roses scattered on the floor.
Jacqui Butterworth, North Street Standard, Bristol, Upfest 24, May 2024
The ‘harp’ inside the piano is reflected on the shiny underside of the piano lid, although I note that the black swan isn’t, implying that it is a figment of the viewer’s imagination. There are so many details to enjoy, such as the toppled wine glass above the keyboard, the shiny glint on the lid prop and the patterns on the castors. This is a beauty indeed, and conjures up the music of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. Bravo Jacqui!
This extraordinary mural by Serbian artist Artez is one of the most iconic pieces to emerge from the incredible Upfest 2024, which was staged over three weekends in May and June. Although there wasn’t a street ‘festival’ this year in one of the south Bristol Parks, the organisers triumphed with finding a host of new walls to feature some of the best artists in the world.
Artez, West Street, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
I was not familiar with Artez, as I don’t believe he has visited Bristol before, but after seeing this piece I will most definitely be keeping an eye on him. There is a wonderful connection in this piece with the space it is painted on and the subject, whose tummy aligns with the vertical wall and bent knees reflect the pitch of the roof. Clever stuff.
Artez, West Street, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
I could spend hours looking at this piece, which gives off an incredible sense of calm and peacefulness. The unusual position that the woman is in adds interest, and the large empty spaces around her draw attention to her face, her body and the folds of material in her clothes. A masterpiece from Artez.
On a recent work trip to Leicester, I was fortunate enough to have a little over an hour early in the morning before meeting up with colleagues to wander around the streets. I met a very nice man called Cameron who showed me around the best spots, which probably saved me a great deal of time.
My visit also happened to coincide (utterly unplanned) with Leicester’s ‘Bring the Paint’ festival. Unfortunately, it was the first day of the festival and no new pieces were yet painted. What I do have though is a good record of the pieces that were at the end of their lifespan and were due to be painted over. This extraordinary piece by Smug was not being painted over, thankfully.
Smug, Leicester, May 2024
This is an iconic piece by Smug, and one that I had seen all over social media, but hadn’t ever registered where it was located, so coming across it in Leicester was an absolute bonus. There are no words really that would do the piece justice, so I will probably leave it there and just enjoy the memory of one of the best murals I have ever seen.
Natural adventures 