7725. Stillhouse Lane – Upfest 2026 (21)

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

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!

7710. Stillhouse Lane – Upfest 2026 (17)

Snub 23, Upfest 26, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026
Snub 23, Upfest 26, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026

Having just found out about this magnificent wall through Upfest, I have heard that the building is due to be demolished at some point. I don’t know whether that is true or not, but what a pity if it is, because it is a perfect wall for large high-end murals, and would lend itself very well to collaborative productions and paint jams.

Snub 23, Upfest 26, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026
Snub 23, Upfest 26, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026

This is a magnificent piece by Snub 23, who is no stranger to Upfest, and has painted in Bristol a number of times. The picture above shows the artist rounding off the character basics, but there is still so much work to do on the detailing and finishing, which you can see from looking at the final work.

Snub 23, Upfest 26, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026
Snub 23, Upfest 26, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026

The two robot characters dressed in human clothes appear to be blasting one another with sound waves coming from their “speaker” heads. Beautifully worked action piece, with plenty of movement, and some brilliant fabric folds and creases. A fine Upfest piece.

7673. Stillhouse Lane – Upfest 2026 (8)

Cheo, Upfest 2026, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026
Cheo, Upfest 2026, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026

A quick one today. I am in Cornwall with work, and have an early start. I wrote this one last night. Cheo is a firm favourite at Upfest, where he gets to showcase his extraordinary talent in front of a much wider audience than usual.

Cheo, Upfest 2026, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026
Cheo, Upfest 2026, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026

This is a marvellous and imaginative creation set in an ancient Egyptian scene with mummies and aliens having a bit of a brawl. This is a wonderfully detailed piece, and there is so much going on, but it is the scarab beetle that wins the day for me.

7657. Stillhouse Lane – Upfest 2026 (3)

Sepr, Upfest 2026, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026
Sepr, Upfest 2026, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026

The organisers of Upfest have been keeping busy since the last Upfest in 2024, and incorporated a host of new walls to show off local, national and international talent for this year’s festival. This wall is tucked away just south of the east end of East Street, and is in an area I’m not sure that I have ever been to before. The wall is on the side of a light industrial unit called Willway Yard, with plenty of space for multiple artists. One of the first to complete his allocated space is Bristol artist Sean Sepr.

Sepr, Upfest 2026, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026
Sepr, Upfest 2026, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026

Sepr has an extraordinary talent for telling elaborate stories in his cartoon-style pieces. Everything is laid out with clarity and humour, and then it is up to the viewer to piece it all together into some kind of narrative. My reading of the situation is that a cyclist has had a bit of an accident, running into some wet concrete perhaps and rather than helping him, a collection of animals are taking advantage of the unfortunate protagonist and generally being unhelpful. I love the way the fox is stealing his shoes and socks. Creative and imaginative.