A story asking you whether a commisioned piece of graffiti on the wall outside a Taunton home is horrendous or fantastic has sparked a huge debate online... with the artist speaking out to explain how it came about. VOTE and have your say.

The reaction to the art at Eastbourne Gate has been split on the Somerset County Gazette website, with some calling it "disgusting" and saying it does not show Taunton in a good light, while others have said the art is wonderful and that it improves an area blighted by other less attractive tagging and daubs.

Taunton Tone said: "That wall has always had problems, it will always be a magnet for some sort of tagging or graffiti, so it's nice that the owner did something, the problem is the location, it's on the rat run out of town from the cricket ground and other car parks so will be viewed in the summer by thousands of visitors to the town while they sit in jams to escape Taunton.

"Something witty or local might have been better, maybe a drawing of the Wurzels or as this is the historic priory area of the town.

Adding: "This does look better than the previous tags and offensive words that were there previously and it's great that these guys worked so hard on it, I didn't realise people were hurling abuse at them, that's out of order."

MrsTK said: "I'm not sure what people find offensive about this! As far as I can see this is a well-designed, skilfully-painted piece of artwork. I am aware that these artists have painted in many different parts of the town, for many years, and think their work is fantastic - it definitely brightens the place up.

With Carriet20 adding: "This Is in no way horrendous! Time and effort would have gone in to this piece of art and certainly beats any unwanted and un skillfully scribble that could be in it is place instead. I personally think this brightens up a place and gives it character. My dad has taken me around the area and shown me some of the other amazing and creative pieces. I think it's fantastic."

J-EGgg sdaid that he had  watched the chaps paint this and that he was also there when they were approached by members of the public "throwing small minded insults at them, taking their photo's and threatening to call the police"

Adding: "While this was happening more than a handful of children walked past with their parents, the children where delighted to see the paintings and had a million and one question's to ask about it, if it makes a child inquisitive and brightens up an area then i'm all for it & i live on the road just up and walk past it everyday, bearing in mind this wall is tarnished all year round with awful tags, the artists didn't get paid for this, they are attempting to give back to their community, why would they want to carry on something that takes so much effort & skill if a small percentage of the area give them grief for it?

However therer were also plenty of people unhappy with the result

ToytownTim said: "I drove past on Monday as they were painting it and thought how awful it was. It's rubbish. People talking about 'skilled art' are clueless. There is no skill to this at all. Looks a complete mess.

Another called it, "Just a load of rubbish, this is not art".

Wanting to stay anonymous at this stage, due to negative comments, the artist responsible said: "Firstly, I'd like to say that if we had thought that painting the wall would cause so much offence, we & the owner would have perhaps taken a different route.

"I am a local artist, and I love my community & the people in it. For many years the wall in question has been a problem for callous scrawls, and the owner of the property has an ongoing battle with having to clean it off - no one else in the community has offered to help with this situation.

"I approached the landlord, I showed him photos of some of our work and told him that we'd be happy to locally police it and clean up any obscenities, if he allowed us to paint a mural. This wasn't a paid commission - however, he did kindly contribute a very small amount for materials.

"It is a tried and tested fact that a quality mural painted on these problem-walls does deter unwanted scrawl.

"Firstly, because our artwork is well-known and respected, but because it also limits the vast blank space that is so 'inviting' to a felt-tip on a rendered wall. We have had success with this method on several other privately-owned properties around town.
I feel saddened that some people have been really upset by, what I thought would be, a good turn for the community. I am not an unreasonable person - I feel bad that I have upset some people through my own actions.

"As a home-owner myself, I understand the pride people have in where they live. I am a very approachable person, as anyone who approached me in the correct manner would have found out.

"It can feel very vulnerable when you're painting with your back to everyone, crouching down at the wall. The positive feedback I received from local residents & passers-by far outweighed the negative comments.

"There were five neighbours, in total, who expressed their dislike. Three of which, all male, were extremely rude to me - this is not the way to handle any situation.

"Aerosol art comes in many different styles, & there's no limit to what we can create - I've been drawing all my life, and using spray paint as a medium for 20 years. The design in question was kept fun & funky, bright & simple - bearing in mind there is a school nearby that I used to attend myself - and I honestly thought this would be the most community-friendly design (without having a Taunton 'theme', & expressing the artwork that I am so passionate about).


"The owner of this property is going down the route of having a mural painted on his wall. However, I would be happy to work with the community to change the mural into something that local residents are more in agreement with - if people were willing to discuss their ideas with me in a civil manner, I may be happy to include their concepts in my designs.

"Alternatively, if residents were willing to chip in & pay for materials (as the paint I have used isn't cheap), I might be able to design & paint something following a more specific 'theme'.
Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I hope any bad feelings can be resolved."