A Bristol self-taught artist only began painting in his late 40s, but has now sold over a hundred paintings and stencils over the last seven years. The death of Muhammad Ali in 2016 marked a turning point for Suhail (Sui) Abid and inspired him to create his first piece of public artwork on the gates of his home in St Pauls.
Later that year, George Michael died which prompted Sui to create a tribute piece to the singer-songwriter at the Bearpit. Being an Elvis fan and inspired by Bruce Li as a young boy growing up in the 1970s, he also loves to paint the two stars as well as George Michael.
Despite the extent of his artwork, Sui does not consider himself as an artist and was partly motivated to create public artwork due to his opposition to the constant tagging bubble writing in his local area. He doesn’t promote himself online and much of the artwork he has sold has come through requests. Many of his canvases remain at his home and he sometimes leaves paintings outside his house which he says are gone within minutes.
