A Sheffield street artist has defended his mural of snooker legend Ronnie O’Sullivan after the artwork attracted widespread criticism online, insisting that the painting is still a work in progress.
Chris Ashmore was commissioned to create a large mural of seven-time world champion O’Sullivan on the rear wall of the Spot On Snooker Club on Langsett Road.
While several local residents praised the artwork for brightening up the area, others were far less impressed. Some critics compared O’Sullivan’s appearance to a zombie, while others described his face as skeletal and said the finished image did not resemble the snooker star.
Ashmore admitted he was surprised by how quickly the mural became a talking point on social media. However, he stressed that he had only spent around two weeks of the five weeks allocated to the project and still had considerable finishing work to complete.
The artist also explained that the scaffolding used during the painting process prevented him from getting a proper overall view of the mural.
“Normally, I use a scissor lift so I can step back and see the whole image,” Ashmore explained. “But because the ground was too uneven, that wasn’t possible.”
He said the criticism began almost immediately after the scaffolding was removed.
“Once the scaffolding came down, I left and suddenly it went viral,” he said. “I saw people saying it looked like Michael Jackson or a zombie. I’ve got thick skin and I’ll be fine, but I didn’t think some of it was fair.”
Reactions from people living near the snooker club have been divided.
Gillian Jones said she liked the mural and felt it had brightened her day, while Glen Bridock, who described himself as a fan of O’Sullivan, called the artwork brilliant.
Others were more critical. Frank Short felt the mural was acceptable overall but believed the eyes needed significant changes.
Shaun Spalding was particularly unimpressed, saying the eyes and teeth did not look right and that the face appeared skeletal.
The manager of Spot On, Dan Kirkland, also backed Ashmore and acknowledged that certain areas of the face still required adjustments.
He said the eyes and mouth in particular needed some work, but believed relatively minor alterations could dramatically improve the final result.
Kirkland also criticised the personal abuse directed at Ashmore online.
He said people were entitled to either like or dislike a piece of art, but argued that attacking the artist personally crossed the line.
Ashmore, who has produced murals for a number of businesses, said he had always planned to use a cherry picker to complete the final stages of the project.
He insisted, however, that he would not allow social media criticism to force him into finishing the mural prematurely.
The artist said there was still skin colouring and other detailing to complete and that he would return to the work when he was able to give it the necessary attention.
“I’m not going to rush it in three days simply because people have complained on social media,” Ashmore said. “I want to do it properly and finish it in my own time.”
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