Artist defends ‘unfinished’ Ronnie O’Sullivan muralImage caption, The large mural of Ronnie O’Sullivan has received mixed feedbackBySimon ThakeReporting fromLangsett RoadPublished2 hours agoA Sheffield street artist has defended his mural of snooker player Ronnie O’Sullivan after the design received criticism – saying that the project is “unfinished”.Chris Ashmore was commissioned to produce the artwork featuring seven-time world champion O’Sullivan for the back wall of the Spot On Snooker Club on Langsett Road.Although many residents reported they liked the mural, others described it as “zombie-like”, “shocking” and O’Sullivan’s face as “skeletal”.Ashmore reported he was surprised by the viral response online, but confirmed that he had only completed two weeks out of the five assigned to the job, and “touch-ups” were still needed.The local artist reported part of the problem was that he had been working from a scaffolding platform which obstructed his view, meaning he didn’t get the “full perspective”.”I usually use a scissor lift, where you can stand back and see things as a whole, but I couldn’t use it as the land is too uneven,” he explained.”When the scaffolding came down, I came away and boom – it’s gone viral.”I saw people saying it looks like Michael Jackson or a zombie. I’ve got thick skin, I’ll be OK, but it didn’t feel fair.”Image caption, Shaun Spalding described the artwork as “shocking”People living near the snooker and pool club had mixed feelings about the mural.Gillian Jones reported she liked it and it “brightened her day”.Glen Bridock reported he was “a fan of the Rocket” and thought the design looked “brilliant”.Frank Short conceded that “the artwork is ok but the eyes are all wrong. It looks like he’s taken something”.Shaun Spalding described the art as “shocking””His eyes are all wrong, his teeth are wrong, it just don’t look like Ronnie. It looks like somebody who’s got a skeletal face.”Image caption, Gillian Jones reported she liked it and it “brightened her day”Dan Kirkland, the manager of Spot On, also defended Ashmore’s work.He reported: “Yes, we’ve seen what you’ve seen. There are parts of the face that need tweaking, particularly around the eye and mouth.”Some relatively small changes will make a huge difference, so we’ll arrange whatever access Chris needs.”What has upset us is seeing some of the reactions becoming personal towards Chris.”People are absolutely entitled to like or dislike a mural. But having an opinion about a piece of artwork is one thing. Slagging off the person who created it is another.”Image source, Creative Murals and PortraitsImage caption, Artist Chris Ashmore reported his overall view of the mural was obscured by the scaffoldingAshmore, who has completed numerous murals for businesses, reported he had always intended to hire a cherry picker to finish the job, but would not be pressured into “rushing” it.”It’s not finished, there’s bits of skin tone to do and I’ll finish it off as and when I can.”I’m not just going to rush it in three days because people have complained on social media. I want to do it properly in my own time.”Figure caption, The debate over a Sheffield snooker muralGet in touchYour VoiceContact form
