Revealed: Meet one of the graffiti artists behind the Wednesfield Road murals
A lifelong graffiti fan who learned his art from grand master Goldie has been uncovered as one of the artists behind a colourful outdoor gallery on a city street.
Lee Smith, from Fordhouses, Wolverhampton, has been painting since he was 'old enough to pick up a spray can'.
His latest work is an image of the Incredible Hulk on fencing in Wednesfield Road, which has been attracting the attention of passers-by,
"I should have grown out of it by now," he jokes. "But it gives me a lot of pleasure and hopefully it gives other people a lot of pleasure too.
"I grew up in Heath Town when graffiti was coming to the fore in the UK. It must have been 1987 when I first picked up a spray can. Goldie taught me how to paint and I used to follow him round.
"I'm now an old man and have young people following me around. Sometimes I'll pass them a can and invite them to have a go. It's how I started."
The father-of-two came forward after an appeal in the Express & Star to find out the identities of the Wednesfield Road painting virtuosos.
Now a professional artist, he works on commission but also still enjoys painting in the urban landscape for free.
His graffiti works include a portrait of Sir Jack Hayward, inspired by the passing of the former Wolves chairman, and of his personal hero Goldie.
He says: "Wolverhampton's got a good reputation for graffiti. As well as Goldie, we've also got Temper. Heath Town now is an open-all-hours art gallery, it's great."
Now 45, he says he still gets a kick out of graffiti's 'wow factor'.
"Growing up in a place like Heath Town, seeing big, colourful images on the walls is appealing to kids.
"I like to think it makes people happy. The comments on my Facebook page are very positive. Art can be exclusive, confined to the likes of art galleries, while graffiti is open to everyone and encourages people who perhaps wouldn't go to an gallery to take up art."
But he says the weather can put a dampener, literally, on his work. "The rain makes it impossible and the cold affects they way the paint comes out of the can, so I'm looking forward to the spring arriving."
