When it comes to stylised pieces, this one from Jeroo is right up there with the very best. There are lots of things going on here, with a peacock being at the centre of it all.
Stairs and crystals and some other shapes make up the body parts of the peacock in this high-definition adventure. While the content of the piece is a little surreal, the execution and photorealism are on point. A superb piece from Jeroo.
Three more small boards painted during the first weekend of Upfest. Unfortunately I missed the second week of boards, because they disappear after the Saturday, and I visited on Sunday. The first is an eye catching piece by Alex Dimond. Unusual, contemporary and most compelling.
Next up is a fine piece by Adam Beachy. Some rich colours in this piece that appears to have a lot of symbolism – locks, chains and an ancient stairway. Not too sure what it all means, but it is a visual feast.
Finally, a most attractive stylised piece of art by Michelle Urban has two women in red bathing costumes, paddling in the sea. The caption reads “Have you ever eaten an orange in the sea”. Your guess is as good as mine.
Three great examples of beautiful art in three very different styles.
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.
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.
What a wonderful bonus for Upfest 202 to have The Art of Sok come over from Wales to paint this absolute gem on Greenway Bush Lane. His comic-book cartoon style is utterly captivating and feels very contemporary in a kind of retro way.
The BS3 referred to on the cap is the postal district where Upfest is held, encompassing Bedminster, Southville, Bower Ashton and Windmill Hill. The two characters, captured in shades of pink are pictured standing in front of silhouetted buildings and a nighttime sky. It feels like there is a story here, leaving the viewer wanting to know more. A wonderful Upfest piece.
Nol is a favourite artist at Upfest and is well known for his friendly characters that have been gracing the streets of South Bristol for several years. The Dutch artist usually leaves behind a few ‘extras’ as well when he visits for the festival, and he has not disappointed on this occasion.
This piece is on a new wall, painted for the first time at Upfest 2026, which is on the rear side of the Aldi supermarket. It is brilliant when the local businesses embrace the festival and make walls available.
Nol’s cheeky characters are always superbly presented, crisp and clean, with great solid fills and bold black outlines. These three appear as if they are giant stickers slapped one on top of the other. I love the way he has incorporated the air vent and made it look like the metal ‘cover’ is peeling off the wall. Wonderful stuff from Nol.
This particular spot, a bricked up window recess, has hosted some wonderful Upfest pieces over the years, and this time it is the turn of a mosaic artist from London called Florist.
The mosaic was installed in about five or six prepared sections and the shoes, part of the installation, were attached with adhesive to the window sill. The outcome is a beautiful scene, with a man sitting on a bench with some flowers. What is the story behind the piece? Perhaps only Florist knows. Something a little different for the festival.
Over the years the format of Upfest has evolved, in part to accommodate so many artists descending on the city, and to manage the spike in crowds that visit. The new format has spread the festival over three weekends, and a focus on new large feature walls. Each weekend, there is an opportunity for artists, many of whom are new to Upfest, to showcase their work on small 1m x 1m boards at the Tobacco Factory. I will try to include some of these in my Upfest posts, starting with these three.
First up is a piece by an artist whose signature I can’t read and have tried lots of variants on Instagram and Google searches, but with no positive result. This is a fabulous illustration piece with a cartoon-style girl drawing and colouring animals, examples of which are distributed about the piece. A wonderful and fun creative idea.
Next up is a vibrant portrait by Ryan Gajda, of a woman sitting in a cross-legged position, and the sun at her back. An interesting style, with a combination of presence and absence of detail.
Finally, a busy portrait piece by Andy Downes, celebrating Upfest and Bristol, incorporated in the glasses. The artwork is superb, with the portrait composed of flashes of light and dark colour creating light and shade and consequently depth. Some pink and black lines frame the piece nicely.
Three excellent boards.
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 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.
This piece by Bex Glover is a beauty and a treat, and one of two pieces she has painted for Upfest 2026. Her work is right up my street, nearly always featuring a natural history narrative, painted in her unique style, usually steeped in her light blues, but in this instance augmented with a stunning deep red archway.
The piece has at its centre a stunning fox, beautifully presented, standing on a patch of grass and peering through the archway to a watery scene with a town in the distance, perhaps a depiction of old Bristol itself. A stunning piece for Upfest from one of our own artists.
Well, this year’s Upfest has crept up on me a little. I have been very busy and not had much headspace to recognise Europe’s largest street art festival which began last weekend, and will continue until the end of May 2026. This time the festival has been spread over three weekends and is rather fragmented, with no single festival focal point, which is a pity. This approach has been implemented to spread the crowds over a longer period and avoid some of the festival shenanigans that have caused a few problems for the council in the past. It is funny how they continue to allow the Harbourside Festival to operate, and which has a terrible reputation for antisocial behaviour, but curtail the much friendlier Upfest. Some unconscious bias at work methinks.
My opener for this year’s festival is this wonderful musing by #DFTE, the master of the thoughtful slogan and repairer of souls. His message this year is short and sweet “Today will be a good day” and for most festival visitors that is probably about right. It is worth having a little look at this charming gallery of his thoughtful work.
