Mystery Flintshire artist back at work after quiet spell

THE people of Flintshire are backing our Banksy.

The Leader asked readers to share their views on whether the work of the elusive artist should be classed as art or graffiti.

Last summer the mystery artist – who signs pieces Random – left everyone guessing when his masterpieces appeared across the county.

After a quiet spell he is back, bigger and better than ever.

Doodle artist David Setter, from Mold, is a fan of his work.

He said: “I really like his/her work. The artist has clearly thought through the delivery of the work researching into the local, social history.

“Some people may see this kind of work as mindless vandalism, but personally I find it interesting and thought provoking.

“The work is also surrounded with mystery, appearing as if by magic in random places.

“We should be proud to have the local employment history such as the Steelworks. It’s part of our heritage and I think the artist is simply expressing this through his/her work – long may it continue.”

Jason Tebble, from Shotton, stumbled across two new portraits when he was out walking his dog.

The first, dubbed ‘The Merchant Seaman’, is printed on a green buoy in the car park and boat loading area in Dock Road.

The second, which depicts ‘The Steelworker’, is on a metal box on the River Dee cycle path, directly opposite the old Corus building.

This time round Random has injected a blast of colour into his distinctive black and white portraits, which have been given blue backgrounds.

Mr Setter has been examining Random’s technique.

He said: “Studying the pictures, it looks like the work is created with aerosol paints and stencils, applying each colour in a series of layers, starting with the blue background, allowing to dry, then the background text and so on.”

Readers have also been showing their support for the Flintshire Banksy on the Leader website.

Tara posted: “Definitely art – not graffiti.”

For more information about David Setter’s work go to www.compulsivesart.com.