Portrait – Natural adventures

7770. Tobacco Factory – Upfest 2026 (39)

Artez, Upfest 2026, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, June 2026

My favourite piece from Upfest 2024 was an outstanding composition by Artez, and this year the Serbian artist has again excelled himself with this incredible study on the large premium wall of the Tobacco Factory.

Artez, Upfest 2026, Tobacco Factory, Bristol, May 2026

In this piece, two people, a man and a woman are presented in a gentle acrobatic pose. Although the body positions look quite unnatural in that you’d rarely see people together like this, there is a calmness and tenderness that emanates from it. Artez, whose real name is Andrej Žikić, uses brushes to paint his murals, rather than spray cans.

There is no question about it that this piece was one of the highlights of Upfest 2026. It would be nice if they could remove the parking spaces in front of the piece, but I don’t suppose that you can have everything that you want.

One of the things I enjoy most about this wall, is that you can catch glimpses of it from further away, which creates a whole different experience and context for the viewer. The image below is Artez’ piece from 2024. What a brilliant artist.

Artez, West Street, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

7769. North Street – Upfest 2026 (38)

Softtwix, Upfest 2026, North Street, Bristol, May 2026

Upfest 2026, Europe’s largest street art festival (so they say), has introduced, once again, such a variety of artists, talent and style to the streets of Bristol, and we are truly fortunate to be surrounded by these magnificent pieces. In Bedminster it can sometimes feel like living in the middle of a giant art gallery. The organisers, Steve and Emma have done an amazing job this year. All that was missing was a live event in a park, but I understand there were good reasons why that couldn’t happen this year.

In the middle section of North Street is this remarkable greyscale portrait piece by Softtwix, a French visual artist and photographer-plastician known for her striking black-and-white paste-ups, collages, and urban street art. This striking piece is a paste-up – pretty much a poster – that is full of detail and intrigue. The portrait is cleverly framed with a brick archway, giving the 2d piece so much depth.

7768. East Street – Upfest 2026 (37)

Philth and n4T4, Upfest 2026, East Street, Bristol, May 2026

I first saw these two, Philth and N4T4, painting alongside each other, but not collaborating at Upfest 2016. Each of them was painting a portrait in their distinct styles. Since then, N4t4 appears to have stuck with his beautiful portrait pieces, and Philth has transitioned towards elaborate and stunning floral patterns.

This is a wonderful spot, above Hunters (an estate agent I think) which can be seen from quite a distance away, so you have plenty of time to enjoy it as you approach. This is one of those collaborations where the whole piece presents as one, with the portrait by N4T4 and the flower ‘print’ by Philth.

There is something rather dreamy about this piece, perhaps it is the predominant purple tone. Beautifully sited, framed and executed. Did you even notice the windows? More Upfest mmagic from the pair.

7765. M32 Cycle path (315)

Umbrelle, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, June 2026

There is something deeply captivating about this piece by Umbrelle (Exe), which was part of the Mexican paint jam alongside the M32. It is bold and quite uncompromising and has a sprinkling of the Virgin Mary about it.

The portrait of a woman is striking, I think, because of the oranges and reds that glow on her face. There is also the ‘Clockwork Orange’ eye makeup that is so arresting. This is a bold and interesting piece by Umbrelle who is a tattooist by profession. Great job.

7749. Sparke Evans Park (155)

Conrico, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, June 2026

Conrico has had an exceptional few months, and even managed to secure a wall at Upfest 2026, something that I know he had been eager to achieve. His style of painting with ‘brush strokes’ using spray cans gives a unique look to his work and in particular his portraits.

Sandwiched between Werm and Kool Hand, this portrait piece features a woman taking a photograph of Kool Hand’s piece. I do like it when street art interacts in this way. The woman is beautifully presented and like many in his portraits has dyed hair. She casts a curious shadow which lifts her away from the wall. Lovely stuff from Conrico.

7746. Ashton Gate Terrace – Upfest 2026 (30)

Hazard, Upfest 2026, Ashton Gate Terrace, Bristol, May 2026

Hazard is a darling of Bristol street art, and although she no longer lives in the city, she returns often enough is very fondly and highly regarded by all in the local street art scene. From humble beginnings she has risen to extraordinary highs in her work.

This Upfest piece is, by her standards these days is probably on the smaller side of things as she now paints some enormous commissions all over the country and beyond. In this portrait piece she blends her portrait work with her skilfully crafted and beautiful flowers.

Hazard’s style is developing all the time and these pixelated images seem to work extremely well, providing some abstract artwork, creating interest and something different. Hazard has a great command of colours and the rich and sumptuous colours in this piece absolutely stand out. Another fine Upfest piece from Hazard.

7738. Cumberland Basin

Mind 49, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2026

Mind 49, as I mentioned in a recent post of his work, has moved into a new groove, in which he is presenting portraits, where only the eyes and nose are visible, while the rest of the face is obscured behind a cover of colour/patterns/designs, as if wearing a balaclava.

There is a clever and deliberate juxtaposition between the photorealism of the exposed parts of the face, and the rather childish and scruffy elements around it. The daisies seem to be a particular favourite theme for Mind 49 at the moment, and here he has included a couple of small captions: “Cut and run” and “Sometimes don’t do it”.

I may be way off the mark here, but I can’t help feeling that this presentation style demonstrates a touch of modesty or even a lack of confidence. Mind 49 is more than capable of painting excellent portraits, but it feels like this ‘self-harming’ of his work is masking something else, almost coming across as imposter syndrome. It is, having said all of this, very unusual, challenging and creates a great talking point.

7731. Headingly Lane, Leeds

James Archer, Headingley Lane, Leeds, June 2026

I recently went up to Leeds to fetch my daughter and all her possessions from her student flat to return to Bristol for the summer. Since she wasn’t even awake when I arrived (there’s a surprise), I had about an hour to kill, so I went for a little walk – eyes open of course. At the top of her road I was lucky enough to find this stunning piece by James Archer.

I know nothing of the artist, but this looks like a commission on the wall of a letting agency, which incorporates the letting theme in the neon lights. The subject matter and East Asian style is not too far removed from Dan Kitchener’s Tokyo cityscapes, although a little softer in presentation. A rather nice surprise and unexpected bonus on my day trip to Leeds.

It is possible this is the same J Archer who painted this portrait piece in St Werburghs tunnel last year:

J Archer, St Werburghs, Bristol, June 2025

7726. Willway Street – Upfest 2026 (22)

Stephen Quick, Upfest 2026, Willway Street, Bristol, May 2026

I have always admired Stephen Quick’s pop art stencil pieces and have met him many times over the years and told him as much. I even have one of his signed prints hanging up in our kitchen – my wife likes his work too, which I have to say is no small endorsement!

This gorgeous large piece is most likely not a stencil, but freehand with a stencil look about it. The strong female portrait is accompanied by the empowering words “rage makes me feel pretty”. The speech bubble is actually on a cut-out piece of wood and bolted to the wall, standing proud of it by a few inches. I love this piece. The style, the clarity, the message – it is all good.

7725. Stillhouse Lane – Upfest 2026 (21)

Zabou, Upfest 2026, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026

In simple terms of the artwork alone, I think that this might have been the most successful Upfest to date, although I think it has lost a lot of its pull for local people by dropping the festival element in a park with music, painting and food. I know that there are good reasons for this change, which the organisers can do little about, but it has made a profound difference to the vibe of the event. One of the pieces that made this Upfest special is this beauty by Zabou.

Zabou is no stranger to Natural Adventures, although I just don’t get to see as much of her work as I’d like to. Her photorealistic work is famous, and in this piece a young boy, painted in greyscale, is holding up a colourful lamp with small, busy spheres dancing about it. The light of the lamp is touching the boys face and clothes in a beautiful way. A fabulous study in light and shade and colour. Bravo!

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