GNASHER

Concrete Canvas 2023: Gnasher created his Paws for Thought mural for the festival. His other work in Chelmsford is the Hedgehog on Tindal Street which was commissioned by Essex Wildlife Trust to bring attention to the plight of the hedgehog.

Artists Profile: Hello. I'm Gnasher. I'm an artist who has painted large scale murals for Xbox, Ford , West Ham Utd and Easyjet, amongst others. I'm covered in spray paint, acrylic and emulsion and I wouldn't have it any other way. It all started in 1985. The growing UK graffiti movement brought some well-known graffiti artists to my home town of Harlow in Essex. Back then, I was an eager young graffiti writer mainly painting letters and words, but seeing these artists create characters to go with their letters inspired me to develop my own, hyper-real style of spray can art. As I went on to study art and graphic design, I left behind the world of graffiti and travelled the world concentrating on Djing and graphic design. But 16 years later, in 2009, a friend bought a load of spray paint and invited me out for the day: graffiti was back in my life and I was hooked.