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Street artist nominated for world's best painting

Street Art Atlas A close-up of artist Megan Russell, working on her nominated spray painting, "Reverie". From here we can just see part of the kingfisher's head, she is touching its eye to add white paint, on a brick wall. It has light blue, dark blue and orange colours on its face. There are trees in the background showing she must be high up. Megan is in her early thirties. She has mostly bleached blonde hair with some brown streaks at the front and underneath. Her hair is curly. She is wearing a camouflage-printed hat and a black hoodie.Street Art Atlas
Megan said the nomination "blew her mind"

A Sheffield artist has been nominated for creating the world's best street art in 2024.

Megan Russell, who works under the name Peachzz, painted for up to 12 hours a day for 10 days in a row to create the 25-metre tall artwork in the city centre.

Reverie, depicting a heron and a kingfisher, has been nominated for "best mural in the world" in Street Art Cities' best of 2024 awards.

She said working on the project, which overlooks Pounds Park, was the "biggest highlight of my career so far".

"I had free reign to be as vibrant and bold as I wanted. It's really refreshing when clients tell you that, it doesn't happen often," she said.

Street Art Atlas A photo of the finished piece. It is on the side of a light-brown/beige brick building. The sun is shining on it. Part of the building juts out slightly, and the painting is only on that surface, which is around 25 metres tall and roughly eight metres wide. The background of the painting is light green, fading into dark blue at the bottom in a gradient. There are some water plants and reeds arching into the painting from the side of it. The bottom third has had texture added, making it look like water. It is very realistic. A kingfisher, with its wings outstretched, is emerging from the water. It is orange, with some bright blue on its head. Above it, slightly in the background, is a heron. It is standing still, looking off to the left of the frame. It is mainly white, with some orange and navy blue at the base of its wing.Street Art Atlas
The wall, on the side of the Cubo building, overlooks Pounds Park

The piece, commissioned by Sheffield City Council, was voted the best of last June's entries in Street Art Cities' monthly competition.

"It's just been crazy. When June's votes came in, it blew my mind," Megan said.

"It was an amazing feeling to have such support from Sheffield, and it also showed how much Sheffield is interested in street art."

Now, it has been pooled with 50 other artworks, from countries including Argentina, Colombia, Russia, Spain and Denmark, for people to vote for the best of the year.

"Looking back 10 years ago, I would've never thought I could've reached this space where I am now," she said.

'An emotional January'

"I remember looking at those competitions and thinking I'd love to be nominated, and now I am. It's unbelievable."

The nomination came during "an emotional January" as Megan's grandmother Iris Reynolds, who inspired her nickname, died on Tuesday.

"She was a super creative person and inspired me a lot into being an artist. She had an iPad and was following my artwork. She seemed really proud," Megan said.

"She used to feed me tinned peaches and ice cream, and I ended up using Peachzz as an online pseudonym when I was young.

"I just never changed it, and people would call me it in person. It felt like it was a part of me."

Megan started spray painting a decade ago in old industrial buildings in Sheffield and has been working professionally for about seven years.

Street Art Atlas Peachzz and her assistant on a platform, pulled up the side of the building by a crane. They are working on the painting described above, with her holding up a spray paint can. They are about two thirds of the way up the building. Most of the painting is complete, but she is adding texture.Street Art Atlas
Peachzz said her largest work to date - covering 225 square metres - took 10 consecutive days of painting to complete
Is Sheffield home to the best mural in the world?

This year, she is working on launching a street art festival, Lick Of Paint Fest, alongside fellow artist Alastair Flindall.

The graffiti and street art scene in Sheffield has "quietened down", she said, so the festival hopes to give it a boost.

If Reverie comes in at, or near, the top in the Street Art Cities rankings, this would give the budding festival a platform, Megan said.

Voting takes place on Street Art Cities' website and is open until the end of January.

"There are so many incredible artists that are up there. It's an honour to be among such big names," she added.

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