The artist behind a controversial mural of snooker legend Ronnie O’Sullivan has hit back at critics after the unfinished portrait was compared to a zombie and Michael Jackson.
Sheffield street artist Chris Ashmore was commissioned to paint the seven-time world champion on the rear wall of the Spot On Snooker Club in Langsett Road.
However, images of the enormous artwork quickly went viral after social media users criticised O’Sullivan’s appearance.
Some described the portrait as “zombie-like” and “shocking”, while others claimed the Rocket had been given a “skeletal” face.
Ashmore has now defended his work by stressing that the mural remains unfinished and requires several important alterations.
The experienced artist had completed only two weeks of a project expected to take five weeks when the scaffolding was removed.
He admitted that working from the platform made it difficult to step back and examine the portrait properly, preventing him from gaining a complete view of O’Sullivan’s face.
“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,” Ashmore told the BBC.
The artist behind a controversial mural of snooker legend Ronnie O’Sullivan has hit back at critics after the unfinished portrait was compared to a zombie and Michael Jackson
|
@ILoveSnooker_
“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.”
Spot On manager Dan Kirkland acknowledged that parts of O’Sullivan’s face needed further work but defended Ashmore from personal abuse.
“Yes, we’ve seen what you’ve seen,” Kirkland said.
Somebody needs to fix the mural of Ronnie O’Sullivan in Sheffield!That looks like a zombie from the Thriller pic.twitter.com/4vrjxb9e9S
— I Snooker (@ILoveSnooker_) August 27, 2026
“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.”
Ashmore, who has produced numerous murals for businesses, always intended to use a cherry picker to complete the portrait.
Ronnie O’Sullivan is widely considered to be one of the greatest snooker players of all time
|
PA
He insisted he would make the necessary adjustments carefully rather than rushing in response to online criticism.
“It’s not finished, there’s bits of skin tone to do and I’ll finish it off as and when I can,” he said.
“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.”
