Xab Xab, Dean Street, Upfest 2026, Bristol May 2026
This greyscale piece by Xab Xab, an artist from Urrugne in the Basque Region of France, is in two halves. The portraits or studies feature parts of a face each of which displays a level of anguish.
Xab Xab, Dean Street, Upfest 2026, Bristol May 2026
On the left side of this piece is a portrait of the lower portion of a face. Hands are clasping the cheeks and the face portrays pain or worry, with the open mouth being highly expressive. Whatever is going on here, it doesn’t appear to be too good.
Xab Xab, Dean Street, Upfest 2026, Bristol May 2026
To the right, a pair of eyes, which may or may not be related to the portrait on thee left, look out from the wall with one welling up with a teardrop. Again all does not appear to be well with our subject. Taken as a whole, this is a powerful demonstration of human emotions which can be read even by only seeing parts of a face and not a whole. Lovely work from Xab Xab.
Doors 363 – Doors of Charlestown, Cornwall – October 2025
Some of you may know that this beautiful little harbour village featured regularly in the 2015-2019 series of Poldark, but that is only a modern chapter in the history of Charlestown. An AI assembled potted history is as follows:
Charlestown, on the south coast of Cornwall, was developed in the late 18th century by local landowner and entrepreneur Charles Rashleigh, who transformed the small fishing village of West Polmear into a thriving port to export copper and china clay from Cornwall’s booming mining industry. Named after Rashleigh himself, the harbour was completed in the 1790s and quickly became an important centre for maritime trade, with tall sailing ships carrying cargo across Europe and beyond. Although commercial shipping declined during the 20th century, Charlestown’s remarkably well-preserved Georgian harbour and historic waterfront have survived largely unchanged. Today, the village is a popular visitor destination, celebrated for its maritime heritage, traditional tall ships, and appearances as a filming location in numerous television dramas and films.
I visited the village in October last year, for the first time, while on a fishing trip with my great friend Andy. Coincidentally, I visited again this May with work, and it was a real pleasure to soak in its unique and gentle atmosphere. Here are some doors from my original visit:
Charlestown Chapel entrance, Charlestown Road, Charlestown, Cornwall, October 2026Door on harbour building, Charlestown, Cornwall, October 2026Charlestown harbour, Charlestown, Cornwall, October 2026Quayside cottages and doors, Charlestown, Cornwall, October 2026China clay chute, Charlestown, Cornwall, October 2026Quayside door, Charlestown, Cornwall, October 2026Note on quayside door, Charlestown, Cornwall, October 2026Dovecote with countless doors, Charlestown, Cornwall, October 2026Quayside stable door, Charlestown, Cornwall, October 2026Quayside doors, Charlestown, Cornwall, October 2026Quayside doors and doves, Charlestown, Cornwall, October 2026Dove entrances on quayside door, Charlestown, Cornwall, October 2026This looks like a shed panel with a door has been placed over an entrance in the quayside building, Charlestown, Cornwall, October 2026
Charlestown, although reputed to be busy during the tourist season, is a sleepy, calm place with a rich legacy in Cornwall’s mining heritage. Well worth a visit (out of season). More from Cornwall next time.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s weekly Thursday Doors post and his Sunday recap.
This is an extraordinary dreamlike piece that is utterly captivating and perfectly encapsulates the spirit of Upfest. The piece is on a wall that is new to Upfest this year, at the back of Aldi, to be precise. Each segment of the wall offers artists a large canvass, and it has been one of the real highlights of this year’s festival. This piece by Vane MG is simply stunning.
Vane MG, Upfest 2026, Bristol, May 2026
Vane MG, a Colombian artist and designer based in London has created this figurative work in pinks, reds and blues that really catch the eye. A girl, wearing a helmet of some kind with a visor that distorts her face, is set against a blue sky and flowers and petals, that blend in with the subject. I’m not sure what Vane MG has in mind with the decorations on the helmet, but she has created two beautiful hearts and some encrusted gems. I think that thinking too hard about what it all means would be a mistake, and to enjoy it for its sumptuous colours and design would be my advice. A superb Upfest piece.
Minto, Upfest 2026, Greenway Bush Lane, Bristol, May 2026
Another Bristol artist to grace the Upfest stage this year is Minto, who somehow managed to get away with painting two pieces rather close together. Sometimes artists pull out at the last minute, and opportunists make the most of the blank space.
Minto, Upfest 2026, Greenway Bush Lane, Bristol, May 2026
This first simple white on black piece shows what is possible, using only one colour with some great outlines and a bit of shading. I can’t imagine that it would have taken Minto more than a few minute to create this cartoon doodle, and it is very much an extra piece thrown into the mix.
Minto, Upfest 2026, Greenway Bush Lane, Bristol, May 2026
His other piece only a few yards away is also a bit of a quick one, but more along the lines of what we see frequently in Bristol. The letters spell Minto, and the pig character has been nicely incorporated alongside them. If I am honest, I don’t think Minto put too much effort into these pieces, and probably turned up more for the crack than the artistry, because he has been smashing it with much more sophisticated and well-finished pieces than this recently.
Shade One and Rusk, Upfest 2026, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026
Upfest 2026 was arguably the best so far in terms of the number of artists attending and breadth of talent from Bristol, the UK and from overseas. It really was a feast for the eyes, and it was gratifying too for local artists to be able to show off their work to a ‘home’ audience. Two Bristol-based artists, Shade One and Rusk collaborated under the name Stone Crowz, which they have done previously at street art festivals, to create this stunning piece.
Shade One, Upfest 2026, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026
To the left, Shade One painted one of his glorious portrait pieces that have a crossover between comic-book and photorealistic styles. So beautiful to look at. Shade One is an artist who likes to take his time with his work, and This piece took him a couple of days at least to complete. He also painted a smaller portrait as part of the central section of the collaboration.
Shade One and Rusk, Upfest 2026, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026
The central panel is full of Japanese iconography. Lanterns, a Japanese flag and warrior character are all presented in the most incredible detail. I just don’t k now how they managed to paint the dragons on the lanterns – fine work indeed. I think that the bold writing is likely by Rusk, who is a highly accomplished graffiti writer and has done a superb job with these blocky metallic letters.
Rusk, Upfest 2026, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026
The Godzilla-type character stepping through a ‘Hokusai’ sea is by Rusk and shows off his skills as a character artist as well as a writer. I love the bamboo frame to the monster piece. Overall the elements of the collaboration come together in a very pleasing way. Brilliant work from the Bristol duo.
Unknown artist, Upfest 2026, North Street, Bristol, May 2026
Regular readers of Natural Adventures will know that I don’t much like posting pieces by unknown artists, because a part of what I do is introduce the artist and their work. I feel this even more when it comes to Upfest, because there is so much noise and material, not least from the Upfest team, that it seems almost impossible not to know who every participating artist is. In this instance, however, I have drawn a complete blank, but I felt the piece was too good to be left out.
Unknown artist, Upfest 2026, North Street, Bristol, May 2026
The words ‘Free your soul’ are beautifully presented in a geometric block, with all the shading inch perfect. The lines couldn’t be crisper, and I watched the artist paint for a while, and the operation was painfully slow and methodical. Many hours over more than 2 days was put into this relatively small piece – time well spent in my view. The result is a work of dedication and perfection. I will strive to find out the artist’s name, and when I do will update this post.
A quick jaunt back to May this year. Somehow this beauty by Mesk got left behind in my archives. Actually this year, more than ever before, I have struggled with the volume of artwork on the streets and what appears here on Natural Adventures is only a fraction of what I have seen and photographed.
Mesk, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2026
This is a wonderful colourful piece from Mesk, with colours arranged in vertical strips and with lines that give a subtle ‘barcode’ effect. The icy blue drop shadow is gentle with some nice curves to it, and Mesk has finished off the work with some faux drips along the bottom. This piece is so easy on the eye, and rather satisfying.
Wit and subversion are on full display in this wonderful stencil by John D’oh. I noticed recently, that many of the columns that have hosted his ‘outdoor gallery’ have been buffed, which is a real pity. I do sometimes wonder whether the Bristol City Council have better things to spend their meagre resources on, especially as this little area under the M32 has looked so much more welcoming since John D’oh started painting there, and every time I have visited the space I have seen people down there taking pictures of his work.
John D’oh, M32 roundabout J2, Bristol, May 2026
The kissing policewomen in this piece is a knowing take on Banksy’s kissing policemen, which was originally painted in Brighton in 2024. Some might find it offensive on various levels, but I find it charming, touching, funny, challenging and subversive in equal measure. A piece that provokes interest every which way. Well done and thank you, John D’oh for doing what you do. Keep it up no matter how often your work gets buffed.
Sled One and Oust, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2026
I was very happy to catch up with Sled One as he was finishing off his snail, way back in April – a piece that nearly slipped through the net. Happy, because I hadn’t seen him for a long while, which was perhaps not too surprising because he told me that he was a bit of a ‘fair weather’ artist with regard to his street work. Here he teamed up with Oust, amongst others is an outstanding collaborative wall under Brunel Way.
Sled One, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2026
The Snail is so full of character and a multitude of charming details – his face with those eyes on stalks is a picture. Three cheeky ladybirds are hitching a ride on the snail’s back and his shell is a clever representation of planet Earth. The snail is sliding his way through the grass.
Oust, Brunel Way, Bristol, April 2026
Next to the snail set in a grassy landscape is a wonderful piece of graffiti writing from Oust. The letters and drop shadow pick up on and reflect the colours used in Sled One’s adjacent snail. The wildstyle writing is beautifully presented with organically blended colours in the letters, with some spots, and a blue background with further spot decorations. This is a superb pairing from the overall collaboration.
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