Kid Crayon, Upfest 2026, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026
A tiger playing a melodica… what could be more Upfest than that? This outstanding piece by Kid Crayon is all the more remarkable for the facts that it was painted in the rain, while the artist was suffering from food poisoning.
Kid Crayon, Upfest 2026, Stillhouse Lane, Bristol, May 2026
This is an unusual piece from Kid Crayon as it doesn’t really play into his usual stylistic tropes, and had it keen unsigned, it might have been difficult to identify him from the artwork alone. There is a nice balance in the piece, with the tiger in the foreground, with a chain and hoodie, while behind home is a nighttime urban landscape and bright full moon. Pure quality and class.
Afonsoul, Upfest 2026, West Street, Bristol, August 2026
At this year’s Upfest, there was a good balance between large feature walls and hoardings, to suit the needs of artists and their styles. Remarkably, the organisers managed to find a whole set of new walls around South Bristol, of which this is one.
Afonsoul, Upfest 2026, West Street, Bristol, August 2026
I watched for a while as Afonsoul painted this piece, high up on the scaffolding, but could only admire the piece when I went back to visit in August when the scaffolding was down. It is a wonderful portrait piece and one in which you lose yourself in the artwork and forget that there are windows all the way through. A superb Upfest mural by the visiting Afonsoul.
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.
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.
Inzi One, Upfest 2026, Greenway Bush Lane, Bristol, May 2026
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.
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, Upfest 2026, West Street, Bristol, August 2026
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.
Lima Lima, Upfest 2026, West Street, Bristol, August 2026
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.
Around a month or so before Upfest, the organisers of the festiival curated a wall in the heart of the shopping district of Bristol, which played host to a number of well-known artists and provided a bit of a teaser for the main festival, as well as brightening up this little corner of an otherwise dull and grey space.
Hazard, Quakers Art Lane, Bristol, June 2026
The timing of this mini-event roughly coincided with the 100th birthday of Sir David Attenborough, and this portrait piece of our national treasure by Hazard, while not particularly flattering captures the age and intensity of the great man. I cannot think of anyone living who has done more to raise the wonder of nature and bring it into our homes, but also quietly and diplomatically raise some of the more challenging issues of our time such as biodiversity loss, climate change and most contraversially spiralling global population.
Hazard, Quakers Art Lane, Bristol, June 2026
Hazard, who has close associations with Bristol having lived here for a number of years, is much loved in the city. This piece showcases her ability to capture images, Sir David and the owl in this case, and bring them to life with a lively colour palette, and breaking up that which we know and are accustomed to with geometric shapes and interventions. This is a brilliant piece by Hazard, depicting a personal hero. Bravo!
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.
Jazz, Langton Park, Upfest 2026, Bristol, May 2026
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.
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.
Cheo, Greenway Bush Lane, Upfest 2026, Bristol, May 2026
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.
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
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 2022Sprite, Stanley Street, Bristol, July 2021, Upfest 21
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.
Trav, East Street, Upfest 2026, Bristol, May 2026
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.
Natural adventures 