DOES ANYONE RECALL that wonderful Alec Guinness flick, The Horse’s Mouth? IMBd describes this 1958 satire/screwball comedy about Gulley Jimson, “an ill-behaved, lovably scruffy painter… determined to let nothing come between himself and the realization of his exalted vision.”
The Plot. Gulley’s artistic rascality includes painting The Raising of Lazarus on a blank wall of Sir William Beeder’s residence, who is not amused. Later, seeking shelter in an abandoned church, Gulley recognizes a wall of the church as suitable for his largest work, The Last Judgement.
This huge work is completed on the day of the church’s scheduled demolition. Gulley insists on driving the bulldozer in the art’s destruction, then escapes to his houseboat. The movie concludes, with stirring music of Prokofiev’s Lieutenant Kijé Suite (another bit of wonderful satire), as Gulley eyes up ship hulls as he floats down the Thames.
Recollective Preface. All this is recollective preface to Stephanie Friedman’s “This Street Artist’s 25-Meter Masterpiece is Nominated for the World’s Best Mural,” Nice News, January 14, 2025.
Reverie, by Megan Russell, mural on an office building in Sheffield, England. This and following images from Street Art Atlas via Nice News.
Friedman writes, “ ‘A lick of paint never hurt anyone’ appears to be Megan Russell’s motto, but as evidenced by her impressive portfolio, the international street artist’s paintings go far beyond just a lick…. The artwork, titled ‘Reverie,’ was initially voted the Best of June 2024 in a contest by Street Art Cities, an online database celebrating urban art around the globe. That honor cemented its nomination in the annual competition alongside 50 other murals from Argentina, Morocco, France, Russia, and beyond. ‘It’s just been crazy. When June’s votes came in, it blew my mind,’ Russell told the BBC.”
Megan Russell aka Peachzz at work, high above a Sheffield, England, street.
A Specialized Genre. Friedman describes, “The artist spent up to 12 hours a day painting for 10 days straight to complete the masterpiece—a process she referred to as ‘weirdly quite quick.’ In fact, while one might assume that epic murals like this one are worked on over long periods of time, Russell said that it’s actually ideal to finish them quickly due to outdoor challenges like weather. In this case, she used a doodle grid to figure out where each element of the painting needed to go.”
Image from Street Art Atlas via BBC.
A Vote for Mural Art. Friedman adds that Russell’s portfolio “includes works in Colombia and Mexico and partnerships with organizations like UPS, the British Council, and Somerset House. At the moment, Russell is working on the launch of a Sheffield street art festival she co-founded, the Lick of Paint Fest. If you’d like to vote for ‘Reverie,’ head to the Street Art Cities website to cast your ballot by Jan. 31.”
Cast Your Ballot by January 31. The website celebrates “the most popular street art across the world, as voted by the largest street art community in the world.” The images displayed are impressive indeed. By the way, Megan Russell goes by the nickname “Peachzz,” honoring her late grandmother treating her to canned peaches and ice cream as a child and serving as artistic inspiration. ds
© Dennis Simanaitis, SimanaitisSays.com, 2025