Mitchell Street mural

Image: © Ian Dodds Taken: 7 Jul 2023

This is one of many large and impressive murals around Glasgow. Geograph searches show that it has been up for at least 11 years. The artist's tag, which I couldn't decipher from the signature, is Smug. The artist's real name is Sam Bates, an Australian guy based in Glasgow who has contributed several of these enormous artworks to a Glasgow Council initiative that started a decade or so ago to liven up the place a bit. The initiative has been successful and it is now part of the tourist experience for some visitors - there are several online guides to the 'mural tour' available. His largely spray-painted form of realism is in demand worldwide and he definitely seems to be a leading light in his field. This one is called 'Honey, I Shrunk the Kids' , named after the film. I'm not sure if it has some deep message at its core or is just a humorous picture, but had I hung around a while I could no doubt have engineered some Leaning Tower of Pisa style comedy snap, although she could be moving in for the car I suppose. The hands aren't bad - actually quite good really as they are often an artist's Achilles' heel - and the detail in the hair is staggeringly good.

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