Where is Sheffield’s Ronnie O’Sullivan mural?

The mural is on the back wall of Spot On Snooker Club on Langsett Road in Sheffield, according to BBC News. The source does not give a street number, viewing hours or rear access arrangements, so the location alone does not establish how visitors can approach the painting.

Why did Chris Ashmore say the mural was unfinished?

Chris Ashmore told the BBC he had completed two weeks of a five-week allocation and still needed to adjust areas including skin tone. He said scaffolding restricted his overall view, uneven ground ruled out his usual scissor lift, and he intended to use a cherry picker for finishing work.

How did the snooker club respond to the criticism?

Spot On manager Dan Kirkland accepted that parts of the face, particularly the eye and mouth, needed adjustment. He promised to arrange access for Chris Ashmore and criticised personal attacks against the artist, while recognising that people were entitled to like or dislike the mural.

Graffiti News

Ronnie O’Sullivan mural artist says work is unfinished

2026년 8월 28일 오후 11:000

The disputed portrait was still in progress

Chris Ashmore said his mural of Ronnie O’Sullivan in Sheffield was unfinished when criticism spread online. According to the BBC News report available on 28 August 2026, the street artist had worked for two weeks of the five allocated to the commission. His account places the disputed image within a continuing painting process, with further adjustments still intended.

The commission covers the back wall of Spot On Snooker Club on Langsett Road. Its subject is O’Sullivan, the seven-time world snooker champion. The BBC described a divided response: some neighbours welcomed the painting, while others objected to the appearance of the face. Ashmore said the scale of the online attention had surprised him.

For people following public art, the central distinction is between a visible painting and a finished painting. A wall can attract an audience before its maker considers the work complete. Here, viewers were responding to an image already in their neighbourhood, while the artist said essential finishing work remained. Neither perspective makes the other disappear.

Access equipment affected the artist’s view

Ashmore told the BBC that the scaffolding platform obstructed his view of the complete composition. He normally uses a scissor lift, which allows him to move back and assess the painting as a whole. Uneven ground prevented that choice at the club, he explained, so the working conditions differed from his usual approach.

The artist said the online reaction took off after the scaffolding came down. He had already intended to hire a cherry picker to finish the mural and said areas of skin tone still needed attention. He also rejected the idea that social media complaints should force him to complete the remaining work in a hurried three-day effort.

That account adds a practical dimension to a debate otherwise centred on resemblance. A large portrait has to work both as a collection of painted details and as a face seen from farther away. Ashmore’s explanation concerns his ability to compare those views during production. It is his explanation of the conditions, rather than an independent assessment of the painting’s quality.

Neighbours disagreed about the face and its effect

Local reactions included appreciation as well as criticism, according to the BBC. Gillian Jones said she liked the mural and that it lifted her mood. Glen Bridock, who identified himself as an O’Sullivan fan, also welcomed the design. Their comments show that the painting’s presence could be valued even while other viewers challenged its execution.

Frank Short singled out the eyes as a problem. Shaun Spalding criticised the eyes and teeth and said the portrait did not resemble O’Sullivan, describing the face as skeletal. The BBC also reported comparisons with a zombie. These were individual responses reported from the neighbourhood and online, rather than a measured verdict from the whole community.

Portrait murals invite several judgments at once: whether the person is recognisable, whether the painting is convincing, and what the image contributes to its surroundings. The Sheffield responses touch on all three. For a street-art viewer, keeping those questions separate helps explain how one resident can enjoy a brighter wall while another concentrates on an unsatisfactory facial detail.

The club backed adjustments and challenged personal attacks

Spot On manager Dan Kirkland acknowledged that the face needed changes, particularly around the eye and mouth, while defending Ashmore from personal abuse. According to the BBC, Kirkland believed relatively small adjustments could substantially change the result. He said the club would arrange the access the artist needed to carry out that work.

Kirkland distinguished criticism of an artwork from attacks on its creator. His response did not deny the visible issues raised by viewers; it combined an acceptance of further work with support for the person doing it. Ashmore, who had completed murals for businesses, likewise said he wanted to finish the painting properly at his own pace. The report gives no confirmed completion date or account of a revised version.

For a visit, the supported location is the club’s back wall on Langsett Road in Sheffield. The BBC text does not supply a street number, viewing hours or access arrangements for the rear of the building. Treat the reported image as a work in progress and check access before planning a close look. You can also explore murals through Wallscape’s map.

Source: BBC News

Read original— BBC News