This stunning portrait of Purpleman has been unveiled in York this evening (Friday).
The much-missed street performer now has a place where he belongs – right in the heart of the city.
It’s the work of renowned street artist Tom Sledmore, who has wonderfully captured PM’s likeness and essence.
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Tom was commissioned to create the mural by Spark:York, and you’ll find it at the back of the ground floor of the Piccadilly box park.
The whole thing was created in spray paints.
Purpleman – real-name Michael Todd – was loved in York. He took to his stationery bike in York for years, first on Stonegate and later on Shambles, and was probably the most photographed person in the city.
He also raised countless thousands of pounds for good causes.
When PM died suddenly in December, tributes poured in. There was talk of a statue, but now he has been memorialised in Spark after co-founder Tom McKenzie asked Tom Sledmore to create the picture.
Artist Tom is in demand across the country and internationally, and had just completed a commission for Manchester City FC before tackling Purpleman.
He told YorkMix: “As I’ve seen him since I was a kid going down Stonegate. I just thought it’d be a really good idea to do something for him, for the community, for the family, to sort of immortalise him in this painting.”
The image features a close up of PM and another one of him on his bike, cycling through what Tom calls an “ethereal space”.
“I wanted it to be still a really positive message,” he said.
You can see more of Tom’s work on Instagram here.
