Upfest 2026 – Natural adventures

7879. Greville Smyth Park – Upfest 2026 (53)

One of the most memorable moments of my wanderings over the three weeeks of Upfest was catching up with Bristol artist Conrico while he was painting this piece. He is a kind man and always up for a chat. It was a very hot day when I stopped by his piece, and he could see I was uncomfortable. He offered me his fine water spray and fan to cool myself down – a true gent. We also experienced a magnificent natural moment as one of the adjacent trees was shedding its fine and fluffy seeds, turning a hot spring day into a winter snowstorm, quite incredible.

Conrico, Upfest 2026, Greville Smyth Park, Bristol, May 2026

The colourful portrait piece features a woman clasping something bright in her hands with plasma bolts emanating from them and a cheeky moth. I’m not too sure what the story is here. I love the way Conrico has capured the pattern on the woman’s jumper – brilliant. An interesting selection for an Upfest piece, but one that shows off his ‘paint brush’ style perfectly.

7878. Greenway Bush Lane – Upfest 2026 (52)

Inzi One, Upfest 2026, Greenway Bush Lane, Bristol, May 2026

Continuing on from yesterday’s post and the aquatic theme, is this wonderful fish by Inzi One. I couldn’t find out a huge amount about the artist, but she has a Facebook page that presents her brief biography as follows: InziOne is a Freelance Artist working in Graphic Design, Custom Vehicle Graffiti, Set Design, Murals, & Video Production. From logos to one off pieces, through to entire video creations. Looking at her Instagram tells me she loves skateboards and doesn’t paint murals all that often.

Carp and other fish can have a tangible calming effect if you stop and watch them for long enough, and Inzi One has captured that tranquility perfectly in this piece and added in some nice lilypads and flowers to boot. A fine contribution to Upfest, tucked away on the long Greenway Bush Lane hoarding.

7877. West Street – Upfest 2026 (51)

Lima Lima, Upfest 2026, West Street, Bristol, August 2026

This Upfest piece by Lima Lima is so completely up my street, and one of my favourites from this year’s festival. As a child I spent many hours in the London Zoo aquarium, and any other aquarium I coulld persuade my mother to take me. I would simply gaze into the dulled tanks, transfixed on the fish and other creatures that lived beneath the water. It sowed the seed of my ambition to become a marine biologist.

Lima Lima has cleverly used this space, a filled in shop window, to make it look like a fish tank, and he has captured those tranquil dull blues perfectly, just as you’d expect in a large marine tank.

I couldn’t find out much about Lima Lima other than that he paints in France. On his Instagram he writes in French, but that is not enough to be sure that he is French. I am so pleased that he made the trip to Bristol and brought something quite different to our streets that chimes so perfectly for me personally.

7852. Langton Park – Upfest 2026 (50)

Jazz, Langton Park, Upfest 2026, Bristol, May 2026

It is always good to discover new artists, especially when they live and work in Bristol. This is a rather nice Upfest portrait piece (sorry about the shadows) by Jasmine Shanice Art, who goes by the name Jazz. This is a rather nice little spot just off North Street, which gets a whole lot of footfall, so her piece will have been seen by thousands of residents and visitors alike.

The portrait, painted in greyscale, depicts a woman with her hands in an interesting pose, great hair and a pair of large hoop earrings. She is standing in front of a bright sun and blue sky, which seems to sum up the spring and summer we have had pretty well. Although this is the first time I have seen Jazz’ work, I very much hope to discover more.

7851. Greenway Bush Lane – Upfest 2026 (49)

Cheo, Greenway Bush Lane, Upfest 2026, Bristol, May 2026

This is the second wall painted by Cheo at Upfest this year, and I suspect probably slightly less official than his piece in Stillhouse Lane. I imagine that this was a vacant spot that was offered to Cheo by the Upfest organisers, knowing that he is local and one unlikely to offer up an opportunity. Cheo is much loved in Bristol and his work recognised by many, such is his presence in the city.

This aquatic romp is both imaginative and fun, featuring a couple of hapless pirate octopi who appear to have survived the sinking of their ship only to be grabbed by a rather angry looking fish with a bomb on his head. A scene that is so vivid and yet so cartoonish and unlikely as to be absurd, but here we are admiring it. Cheo has an extraordinary talent, and that he chooses to share it with us is a blessing indeed.

7850. Stillhouse Lane – Upfest 2026 (48)

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.

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, Stanley Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21

7849. East Street – Upfest 2026 (47)

Trav, East Street, Upfest 2026, Bristol, May 2026

These corner buildings on the end of East Street have been Upfest spots for a few years now and are perfectly situated to be viewed from a distance from the mini roundabout in front of the Steam Crane pub. This time the wall has been painted by Trav (@travmsk), an American artist who has painted in Australia and America, but his appearance at Upfest this year is his first trip to Europe.

The mural appears to depict street lamps which, together with the background elements of the piece have strong geometric qualities. There is something simple and pleasing about the piece, and not too much to explore in terms of story. Looking at Trav’s Instagram account, he is a highly accomplished graffiti writer with a strong, blocky, 3D style that brings out his strong design qualities. Something a little different for Upfest.

7848. Exeter Road – Upfest 2026 (46)

Georgiewebart, Exeter Road, Upfest 2026, Bristol, May 2026

How’s this for an upbeat piece of fun street art. Painted by Georgie Web Art, an artist and interior designer from Bristol, the piece is uplifting and works so very well on a hot May Upfest festival day. I rather like that the piece has been painted on textures and warped gate, turning it into a thing of beauty.

Georgie Webb Art likes her pinks and this playful piece features the lower half of a person wearing a spotty summer dress and cowboy boots balancing on a skateboard, set on a very pink background. The piece is simple and by only including half a person encourages the viewers’ brain to fill in the gaps and imagine the whole person and story. A great Upfest piece from an artist whose joyful work was showcased at Upfest 2021:

Georgie Webster, Myrtle Road, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21

7823. South Street – Upfest 2026 (45)

Xenz, Upfest 2026, South Street, Bristol, May 2026

Xenz has absolutely smashed it with this atmospheric neoclassical vista on South Street. The piece is an absolute treat for anyone strolling along North Street and a real head-turner. The wall is a special one and Xenz has more than done it justice.

It is interesting to see the changes that Xenz made to his largely complete piece when I passed by while he was painting, such as the lily pads and rocks in the water, and some white flowers on the creepers to the left. As you can imagine from the amount of intricate detail in his work, this piece took more than a couple of days to complete.

Xenz’ fantasy work allows the mind to drift into another world where calmness and peace are at the heart of everything. This is definitely a personal favourite from this year’s festival.

7822. Gathorne Road – Upfest 2026 (44)

Inkie, Upfest 2026, Gathorne Road, Bristol, May 2026

One of the ‘sure things’ about Upfest is that Inkie will give the Parsons Bakery a refresh, and offer another bakery related pun, this has become a tradition now and something to look forward to on the Upfest calendar.

This year Inkie has gone to town with his ‘Bready or not, here I crumb’, which is a groan of a pun, but actually rather good. The writing is outstanding in his bold style, and it is possible many seeing it won’t actually get as far as reading it, being seduced by the grand nature of the lettering.

Inkie completes the piece with one of his trademark stylised portraits. No need for a signature here. Inkie is synonymous with Bristol street art, and after Banksy, is probably the best known graffiti export from the city, alongside Nick Walker, perhaps. Brilliant to see this refresh and enjoy the humour of the piece.

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