The new mural of Ronnie O'Sullivan on the wall of the Spot On snooker club in Sheffield. Photograph: Charley Atkins/SWNSThe new mural of Ronnie O'Sullivan on the wall of the Spot On snooker club in Sheffield. Photograph: Charley Atkins/SWNSArtist defends Ronnie O’Sullivan mural in Sheffield saying it isn’t finishedCritics say painting looks more like a zombie but artist Chris Ashmore says ‘touch-ups’ are still to happen
A street artist has defended his mural of the snooker player Ronnie O’Sullivan in Sheffield after critics suggested the world champion looked like a zombie.
Chris Ashmore was commissioned to produce the artwork featuring the seven-time world champion for the back wall of the Spot On snooker club, the BBC reported.
Many people have reportedly said they like the mural, while others suggested O’Sullivan was “zombie like” or “skeletal” and told the broadcaster the artwork was “shocking”.
Ashmore said he had only completed two weeks of the five that have been assigned to the job and “touch-ups” were forthcoming. “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 told the BBC.
“When the scaffolding came down, I came away and boom – it’s gone viral.
The real Ronnie O’Sullivan in action. Photograph: Tai Chengzhe/VCG/Getty“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.”
Gillian Jones, who lives near the mural told the broadcaster she liked it and it “brightened her day”.
But Frank Short said: “The artwork is OK, but the eyes are all wrong. It looks like he’s taken something.”
Shaun Spalding said the mural was “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.”
Ronnie O'Sullivan in action against China's Zhao Xintong in 2025. Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Action Images/ReutersDan Kirkland, the manager of Spot On, defended Ashmore’s work. “Yes, we’ve seen what you’ve seen. There are parts of the face that need tweaking, particularly around the eyes 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,” said Kirkland.
“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.”
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