Welsh Artist Celebrates Early Success at Upfest 2026
Welsh mural and studio artist Stacey enjoyed an exciting milestone earlier this month after selling a newly completed artwork while painting live at Upfest, one of Europe’s largest street art festivals.
Working at Bristol’s Tobacco Factory venue on Saturday 16 May, Stacey created a new piece as part of her ongoing Fibonacci series. Speaking about the piece, Stacey said, “The work is part of my ongoing Fibonacci series and explores the shaking off of conditioning and social expectations — and the space that exists between reality and understanding. The reality is her hair, wild and alive in spirals. The understanding is the number sequence that predicts it, falling away around her. That gap between the two is where the painting lives.”
“Painting live in front of a festival crowd brings its own energy to that process — something fitting, perhaps, for a piece about what happens when you stop holding the structure so tightly.
Before the painting was even complete, it had already found a buyer.
Festival organisers later informed Stacey that the artwork was believed to be the first piece sold during this year’s event, marking a memorable moment at one of the UK’s most celebrated street art gatherings.
Known for her bold murals, expressive colour palette and graphic approach to storytelling, Stacey’s practice spans public art, large-scale murals and studio work. The sale represents another significant moment in Stacey’s growing artistic career, which has seen her contribute to public art projects across Wales, exhibit in galleries and continue developing a distinctive visual language rooted in storytelling, place and community engagement.
