Chris Ashmore defends Ronnie O’Sullivan mural in Sheffield, says work incomplete

On 28 August 2026 in Sheffield, street artist Chris Ashmore defended his mural of the snooker player Ronnie O’Sullivan on the back wall of the Spot On snooker club after some critics said the image made the former seven-time world champion appear zombie-like. Ashmore told the BBC the painting was not finished and that further touch-ups remained to be done.

Ashmore was commissioned to produce the mural featuring the former seven-time world champion for the Spot On club, the BBC reported. Reaction has been mixed: some people say they like the work, while others described it as “zombie like” or “skeletal” and told the broadcaster the artwork was “shocking”.

Ashmore said he had completed two weeks of the five assigned to the job and that “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. 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.”

Local reaction has varied. Gillian Jones, who lives near the mural, told the broadcaster she liked it and it “brightened her day.” Frank Short said: “The artwork is OK, but the eyes are all wrong. It looks like he’s taken something.”

Another local critic, Shaun Spalding, used stronger language to describe the mural, saying it 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,” Spalding told the BBC.

Dan Kirkland, manager of Spot On, defended Ashmore’s work and acknowledged areas that needed adjustment. “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.

Kirkland said the club would provide the access required for Ashmore to make the planned alterations and that small changes could significantly alter the mural’s appearance, while also expressing concern about personal attacks on the artist.