A Bloom at the Gate

QUALITY YARD — 2025

In 2025, I created a large-scale mural at Quality Yard in Leith, Edinburgh, responding to the character of the space and its distinctive industrial surroundings. The work was created alongside existing 18th-century brick architecture, creating a dialogue between contemporary street art and the historic fabric of the site.
The architecture became an important part of how I approached the mural. Rather than attempting to conceal or compete with the existing brickwork, I wanted the artwork to feel as though it belonged within the environment. The contrast between the aged brick, weathered surfaces and vibrant contemporary imagery became part of the visual character of the piece.
Using spray paint, bold colour, graphic forms and expressive mark-making, I developed the mural at a large scale, allowing the work to respond to the surrounding architecture and the way people move through the space. The physical process of painting outdoors also became part of the artwork, with members of the public able to watch the mural develop and engage with the work as it was being created.
The project reflects my wider interest in bringing contemporary street-art practices into environments with an established history. I am particularly interested in the tension between old and new, permanence and change, and the way contemporary artwork can become part of the identity of a place.
Creating the mural at Quality Yard allowed me to explore how colour, scale and contemporary street-art techniques can transform an existing environment while retaining a sense of connection to its architectural history. The work became not only an artwork within the space, but part of the experience of encountering the site itself.
My work at Quality Yard continued in 2026, with a further mural project at the site. This subsequent work can be viewed separately on my website and reflects my continuing relationship with the space and my ongoing development as a mural artist.