6074. Upfest 2024 (11)

Liam Bononi, Lime Road, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
Liam Bononi, Lime Road, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

Liam Bononi is right up there with some of the best street artists in the country and beyond, and it is a great privilege that he has returned to Bristol and Upfest with this outstanding portrait piece in Lime Road. I got a little lucky with these pictures, because there is usually a car parked in the bay, partially obscuring this wall.

Liam Bononi, Lime Road, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
Liam Bononi, Lime Road, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

The portrait piece is different from work I have seen before by the artist, in that usually he distorts the image in some way through ‘cracks’ or obscured features and so on, but here he appears to have gone with a straightforward portrait. His photorealistic work is outstanding and manages to convey more than simply an accurate portrayal by capturing both emotion and movement in the subject.

Liam Bononi, Lime Road, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
Liam Bononi, Lime Road, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

There is one nod to obscurity in this piece in the form of the golden violin bow, which is lacking in any detail. I am not too sure what to read into this deliberate mechanism, and may have to do a little research. One of the highlights of Upfest this year.

6061. Upfest 2024 (10)

Ments, Hen and Chicken, Greville Road, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
Ments, Hen and Chicken, Greville Road, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

It has been a while since I last saw Ments painting, so it was great to see him working on this piece for Upfest. The nature of this year’s Upfest has meant that there is far less graffiti writing than in previous years, with more of a focus on high-end murals. Knowing that, it was extra-cool to see this abstract writing from Ments.

Ments, Hen and Chicken, Greville Road, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
Ments, Hen and Chicken, Greville Road, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

There is a beautiful flow through this piece, which has a wonderful natural vibe running through it. The gentle colours are held together in geometric ‘crystalline’ forms and transition markedly from left to right. I am guessing that this Bristol-based artist has been busy over the last couple of years, because I don’t recall seeing any street work for a very long time.

Ments, Hen and Chicken, Greville Road, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
Ments, Hen and Chicken, Greville Road, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

If you like this you can see more of his incredible ‘organic’ writing in this gallery.

6060. Upfest 2024 (9)

Fesa, Redpoint Climbing Centre, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
Fesa, Redpoint Climbing Centre, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

In the interests of keeping as up to date as I can with Upfest posts on Natural Adventures, I am posting a rare fourth piece in one day. This outstanding mural by Fesa is painted on a board outside the Redpoint Climbing Wall, which has been a well known Upfest spot over the last few years, and although a little off the beaten track, is well worth hunting down.

Fesa, Redpoint Climbing Centre, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
Fesa, Redpoint Climbing Centre, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

Fesa is a self-taught fine artist from Munich, and this rendition of a Dalmatian dog set in a rural landscape is breathtakingly good. Although the whole piece is fairly simple and sparse, it is filled with the atmosphere of a warm day, and the toppled mug is a wonderful observation. The buildings in the background remind me of Paul Cézanne’s style of work, leaving quite a lot to the imagination. I love seeing fine art pieces upscaled in this way for street art, and Fesa has done an amazing job with this one. Lots of animals represented at Upfest this year.

6059. Upfest 2024 (8)

Cheba, Lime Road, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
Cheba, Lime Road, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

I realise that it is a first world problem, but one of the things I am agonising over at the moment is how on earth I post as many pieces from Upfest as I possibly can, alongside posting the regular everyday graffiti and street art that appears on Bristols walls every day. I guess it is a good problem to have, but it vexes me nonetheless.

This lovely piece from Bristol artist Cheba has been painted over one of my all-time favourite pieces in Bedminster by Willl Cross, which makes me a little sad, but that is the nature of street art.

Cheba, Lime Road, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
Cheba, Lime Road, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

Cheba is known for his atmospheric cosmic pieces, many of which can still be found around the city if you know where to look. In this one he has created a nebulous composition dotted with bright stars, looking like some of those photographs taken in space of vast ‘cloudy’ areas by exploration probes. There is a sense of both scale and calm in this attractive small piece.

Willl Cross, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Willl Cross, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

6058. Upfest 2024 (7)

The Hass, North Street Green, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
The Hass, North Street Green, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

The Hass is an exceptional street artist whose talents never cease to amaze me, and he has knocked it out of the park with this extraordinary piece for Upfest this year. The long wall is at the back of the brick building on North Street Green, and I believe that this is the first year it has been ‘commandeered’ for the festival.

The Hass, North Street Green, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
The Hass, North Street Green, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

I think I got lucky with the gorgeous weather on the day I photographed this piece, because the colours of the grass and sky are reflected in the artwork. The whole piece is a mash-up of stunning portraits and a peacock and peacock feathers.

The Hass, North Street Green, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
The Hass, North Street Green, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

The Hass has made a clever play with the eye patterns on the feathers and the eyes in the portraits, quite deliberately I’m sure. Not only does the piece blend perfectly with some abstract shapes and patterns, but there is also some incredible detail throughout the work. It is unbelievable that the whole thing is painted using spray cans. Outstanding work.

The Hass, North Street Green, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
The Hass, North Street Green, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

6057. Upfest 2024 (6)

Faye Rai, North Street, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
Faye Rai, North Street, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

There has been a concerted focus at this year’s Upfest to create permanent or long-life pieces on existing and new walls, at the expense of the rather more ephemeral boards and festival atmosphere of previous events. I suspect that the festival element is more expensive and difficult to organise, and has been dropped this year, which is a pity. However, we are left with a plethora of outstanding pieces across South Bristol to enjoy, such as this beauty from Faye Rai.

Faye Rai, North Street, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
Faye Rai, North Street, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

I believe that Faye Rai is reasonably local, being based in Gloucester, and is an artist with a background in illustration. She has not been painting on the streets for very long, but appears to have made the transition very successfully, if this piece is anything to go by. She favours natural history in her work, and this portrayal of a purple heron is outstanding.

Faye Rai, North Street, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
Faye Rai, North Street, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

Now that she has a taste for street art, it would be wonderful to see more of her work about the place, and I am left wondering whether she might be painting at the Cheltenham paint festival later on this year. I have just checked her Instagram feed and note that she was at Cheltenham last year, and I have some pictures of her work, which alas I haven’t yet uploaded on to Natural Adventures, such is my backlog. These are surely the halcyon days of street art.

6046. Upfest 2024 (5)

M. Oldhues, Ashton Road, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
M. Oldhues, Ashton Road, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

I think that this year, Steve and Emma, the organisers of Upfest, have definitely focused their efforts on securing more permanent walls in Bedminster for even more high-end artists from around the world to come to Bristol and leave their mark. There is an immediate and positive impact of the buildings and their surroundings when a new ‘marquee’ piece goes up.

M. Oldhues, Ashton Road, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
M. Oldhues, Ashton Road, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

This is an absolute beauty from Megan Oldhues, who is based in Toronto, Canada, and who describes her work as traditional realism, which I think it is the perfect description for this outstanding piece. I have been writing about street art and graffiti for almost ten years now, and I can honestly say that this still life piece ranks right up there with my all-time favourites. Not only is the piece magnificent in every way, but the transformative effect it has had on this unexceptional terraced building is quite extraordinary.

M. Oldhues, Ashton Road, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
M. Oldhues, Ashton Road, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

Somehow when looking at this mural, the brain completely shuts out the windows, which before the building was painted, were the only features to see, breaking up the monotony of the wall. Although I usually immerse myself in ‘everyday’ graffiti writing and street art, it is awe inspiring to see impressive murals like this one from time to time. Megan Oldhues is welcome in Bristol any time.

6045. Upfest 2024 (4)

Rob Wass, The Spotted Cow, North Street, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
Rob Wass, The Spotted Cow, North Street, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

To be honest with you, I am not sure whether this piece by Rob Wass, in the yard of the Spotted Cow pub, is from this year’s Upfest or whether it was already there before. It looks pretty fresh, and I know the artist has painted for the festival before, so I imagine it is a 2024 piece. (Update: it was painted for Upfest 2024)

Rob Wass, The Spotted Cow, North Street, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
Rob Wass, The Spotted Cow, North Street, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

Rob Wass, who is a fine artist and designer, occasionally paints murals like this one, which are very much an upscaling of his studio work. He uses brushes rather than spray cans, which give him the opportunity to add in so much fine detail. This is a gorgeous piece with a flamingo at its heart and an array of decorative ‘peacock’ feathers fanned from the centre. An intricate and interesting piece, well worth hunting down.

6044. Upfest 2024 (3)

Abraham.O, North Street, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
Abraham.O, North Street, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

Wow! This is an utterly awesome portrait piece from El Salvadorian artist Abraham.O who is now based in London. He is well-known for his greyscale portrait pieces, and this is what I would describe as ‘high-end’ street art, the kind of thing that makes you gasp in amazement.

Abraham.O, North Street, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
Abraham.O, North Street, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

I understand the piece is a portrait of his wife, and what a wonderful way to demonstrate your love and affection. In photographing street art every day, one gets used to ‘street furniture’ getting in the way f things, and the gate across the right-hand edge of this one is annoying, but no more than that, as the piece stands out irrespective. The flower petals with the faintest hint of blue is a wonderful touch.

Abraham.O, North Street, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
Abraham.O, North Street, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

Abraham.O, Dean Lane, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
Abraham.O, Dean Lane, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

At Upfest, artists often leave behind little ‘extras’ and I believe this one in Dean Lane skate Park is by Abraham.O. There is a nice little biography of the artist on the Upfest artist pages of their website.

6043. Upfest 2024 (2)

Sled One, Greville Smyth Park, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
Sled One, Greville Smyth Park, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

Although this is the second weekend of Upfest, there are only a few completed pieces dotted around the place, although I expect that by the end of the festival period, there will be an overwhelming array of pieces for me to photograph. This piece is by another Bristol artist, Sled One who is one of the leading writers and most creative artists in the city. This piece is a bit of a change from his usual style, but demonstrates just how incredibly talented and versatile he is.

Sled One, Greville Smyth Park, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024
Sled One, Greville Smyth Park, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

The crazy character piece is painted on the walls of the bowling club in Greville Smyth Park, and looks absolutely fantastic. The cartoon-style piece depicts a man on a bicycle smelling the flowers. It is beautifully designed and frames in a loose pink border and as well as the central character, there is a lot going on throughout the piece to let the eye settle on. As ever, an outstanding piece from Sled One. You can see more of his work in this gallery.