Tag: Sprite

7850. Stillhouse Lane – Upfest 2026 (48)

Sprite, Stillhouse Lane, Upfest 2026, Bristol, May 2026
Sprite, Stillhouse Lane, Upfest 2026, Bristol, May 2026

I watched a little while as Sprite was painting this piece, but wasn’t able to chat with her as she was deep in conversation with other people and then very focussed on her work and I didn’t want to disturb her. I regret that now because I like to get to know visiting Upfest artists, albeit superficially, to help bring my posts alive with some small insights.

Sprite, Stillhouse Lane, Upfest 2026, Bristol, May 2026
Sprite, Stillhouse Lane, Upfest 2026, Bristol, May 2026

The rat in this piece is brilliantly proportioned and presented. Rather cutely it is holding a dandelion in its little pink hands and behind a seed head is releasing seeds. A simple composition but with so much joy and optimism, represented by the large rising sun framing the rat’s head. Sprite has been to Upfest before, and her animal pieces are always memorable.

Sprite, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Sprite, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Sprite, Stanley Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
Sprite, Stanley Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21

4887. Upfest 2022 (62)

Sprite, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Sprite, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

Sprite is not an artist I know well, although there was a memorable contribution from her for Upfest’s 50×50 event last year. Sprite’s website is well worth a visit to see some of her street work and art for sale. Dig a little deeper into her profile, and you find out that her partner is Snub23 – a talented artistic partnership.

Sprite, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Sprite, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

This is a gorgeous little piece featuring a possum (I think) on a wall at the top of Greville Smyth Park, where the main body of the festival was held this year. The composition is neatly worked into the oval frame and oozes cuteness without being too cartoony. A lovely piece.

Sprite, Stanley Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
Sprite, Stanley Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21

3843. Upfest 2021 75×75 (29)

‘It’s okay not to be okay’ is a very contemporary message from Sprite for this year’s Upfest initiative. I think that it can only be a good thing when mental health messages are amplified through street art as it demonstrates that real progress is being made in this ‘Cinderella’ branch of medical healthcare.

Sprite, Stanley Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
Sprite, Stanley Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21

The pink rabbit is a really rather lovely stencil by the Brighton-based artist whose intention is to make people smile and I think she has certainly succeeded with this piece. Her work is very scalable and perfect for bombing a town or city with great messages. It would be good to see more of her work in Bristol.