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09
Jun
Meet the Harrogate-based artist behind the iconic murals depicting Yorkshire life
Whether you’re a resident or tourist in places like Harrogate and Knaresborough, the chances you’ve seen – and even stopped to admire - Sam Porter’s artwork are high.
From the mural depicting a lush countryside landscape on Cross St James Street, the hyper-realistic owl bursting from the side of The Half Moon Inn or the scene celebrating the Great Yorkshire Show, Sam’s handiwork can be found across the region.
One of his specific niches is taking an urban canvas such as the side of a building or a wall and transforming the space with a colourful display of nature.
Recently the Stray Ferret caught up with the Harrogate-based artist, to find out more about his murals.
While graffiti-style art has played an important part of Sam’s creative evolution, he hasn’t always worked on such large scale projects.
With a background in fine art, print and sculpture-making, it wasn’t until the Covid-19 pandemic that Sam seriously turned his hand to creating nature-inspired murals.
He explained:
I've always experimented with techniques in art - there's quite a few strands to my work but I always like to give an essence of movement and life.
In lockdown I think like many people, I got back in touch with the basics - nature, and the beauty of life really.
I guess you could call it a bit of an epiphany – I was going on walks with the sun shining, and I started to appreciate how beautiful the natural settings were, and really to see the colours within nature.
I thought ‘I really want to paint this’. It was making me feel better in what was a grim situation, and I wanted to share that with other people too and bring a bit of joy back.
The mural in Cheapside, Knaresborough (Image: Sam Porter/Mural Minded)
After working on several smaller jobs and posting the results to community group forums as well as on his Instagram and Facebook pages, Sam then found more people began to reach out to request his services via his website Mural Minded.
His mural for Knaresborough resident Lindsey Bradley on the side of her property in Cheapside helped to capture the public attention and spread his name further, not least due to its size.
The idea was to uplift the community, a celebration of people being able to reconnect with each other.
People really embraced it, there were crowds of people walking by to spot it, which was really nice to see. It was really touching, seeing how it could bring a smile to people's faces.
Sam went on to be commissioned for huge installations across Yorkshire by local charities and public bodies, including the mural at the Great Yorkshire Showground, the underpass near Starbeck’s level crossing and several community buildings such as Aspin Park and Western primary schools.
Blending nature and the urban
The juxtaposition between the urban and the wild is a key component of Sam’s art. Many of his pieces feature idyllic landscapes, with an array of flora, fauna and wildlife – all applied to a canvas that is often anything but natural.
This duality is reflected in the message he hopes to convey; not only can areas that are considered ‘unloved’ or less attractive be rejuvenated with an injection of colourful nature, but his creations also raises awareness about urbanisation, climate change and habitat loss.
He said:
The work I did on the Supertrees and Forest City project in Hoole Way, Chester perfectly aligned with what I want to do in my art. Essentially nobody knew what to do with this area – it was a bit of a problem area and there was talk of just bulldozing it.
However, the council and other organisations got together and decided to try to transform the space by installing flowerbeds, the supertree sculptures and my mural fitted with the vision, adding another element.
The end result is really amazing – it was seen as a total eyesore before but I think it’s a very good success story for what you can achieve if people buy into the idea and make it happen. I'd love to see more cities adopting a similar approach, especially in very urban or deprived areas.
Giving back to the community
Sam is always on the lookout for ways he can keep working within local communities to enhance the environment and transform spaces for the better.
He recently finished a mural for Follifoot Park Riding Stables, and has several more projects lined up this year.
One of his future ambitions is even closer to home. Earlier this year his young daughter completed an intensive course of chemotherapy.
Now he would like to give back to the individuals, charities and services which helped throughout the course of her illness as he feels a ‘even greater respect’ for those who work in the field because of it.
Sam with one of his murals (Image: Sam Porter/Mural Minded)
His hope is that he can work with the NHS and other organisations to create art that can bring joy and light to others going through a similar experience, and he is already exploring ways in which he can do this.
Fundamentally, a key ethos to his art is to inspire people to find beauty in unexpected places, and this commitment is an apt reflection of that message.
Sam added:
You’re only as good as your last job – you want to always feel proud of what you’ve created.
It’s so nice when I’m walking in the local area and I see a family looking at my mural. It shows me that what I’ve done is doing its job – to inspire people, to enhance the space and the environment it’s in.
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