SUDBURY -- It might be one of the biggest canvases Ashley Guenette has tried to conquer in her career but she's up for the challenge.

The University of Waterloo Fine Arts student has been painting a mural along one of the sides of Minnow Lake Place as part of this year's UpHere Festival.

"It's a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be and I thought it was going to take me a lot more time but now I've gotten into the groove and I'm got more comfortable," said Guenette.

She's paining a bear on the side of the city-owned building with a raven and antlers on its head in a wide array of colours.

"I'd like it to act as a beacon of hope, I mean we've had such a bumpy year, it's been odd, we've all been stuck in our homes, we're finally coming out of our shells a little bit, I'd like it just to bring happiness to people," she said.

Guenette is hoping to have her creation done within the coming days,

She's just one of a dozen artists lending their talents over the weekend as part of the annual festival which looks a little different this year.

In past years the festival would have murals, live performances, and exhibits, but co-founder Jen McKerral says they've had to move some stuff online.

"With COVID it was like we have to start from scratch, what do we want to do, what do we want this to look like, how do we keep people safe and for music obviously you can't put a bunch of people into a room, concert or a bar," said McKerral.

Over at the Silver City movie theatre, artist Angelene Humphrey has been tasked with turning the hydro box into a blue piece of art.

She has a concept and she's using her real-life children as models.

"I thought you know what let's bring something a little wholesome, Sudbury's big on camping, outdoors and nature - the theme is there's something in the water so I'm portraying my children enjoying a water scene with a little bit of fantasy," said Humphrey.

The Up Here Festival is slated to run this weekend and a list of where people can find the murals is available on the festival's mobile app.

Organizers like McKerral say there should be a little something for everyone around the city.