Street artist Scott Marsh goes from graffiti-ing train carriages to painting murals inside Sydney homes

When street artist and former graffiti writer Scott Marsh started out painting, his canvases were usually the steel sides of suburban railway carriages. As a founding member of one of Sydney’s most notorious graffiti crews, Marsh forged a reputation as one of the best taggers of his generation.

Nowadays, the 33-year-old has stepped away from illegal graffiti and is forging a career as a legitimate artist, with his work blurring the line between street art and fine art.

Still armed with an aerosol can, he has entered the Archibald Prize several times, and grabbed worldwide media attention last year when he painted a seven-metre-tall mural in Teggs Lane, Chippendale, depicting rapper Kanye West kissing himself.

And although Marsh is often commissioned to paint murals for commercial premises such as bars and cafes, the most common request he receives is for street art on the interiors of private homes.

“People see art on the walls in the street and they are fascinated by it and want the same inside their home,” he says. “Most commissions are in the Inner West, because that area is the street art mural capital of Sydney, and so people are more familiar with it.”

A lot of what Marsh is asked to paint is portraiture. “People will want me to paint an iconic figure they admire, such as Muhammad Ali or John Lennon,” he says. “A lady once asked me to paint her nude on the bedroom wall, as a gift for her husband. It was a little bit awkward, but the couple were super happy with it.”

Marsh works with a combination of spray cans, and oils with traditional brushes, using techniques he picked up tagging trains and completing a fine arts degree at College of Fine Arts, Sydney.

He usually works directly on to the wall surface, whether it be plasterboard, or even exposed brick.

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“I’m still surprised that people prefer me to paint straight on to their walls rather than on to a canvas, because it’s impossible to take the piece with you if you relocate. I have painted a wall where the customer had plywood sheeting installed so it could be removed.”

One of Marsh’s most requested commissions is for his large Australian native floral works, incorporating aspects of graffiti culture. The works typically take up to five days to complete and cost upwards of $3500.

Children’s bedrooms are another area where he is often asked to create a mural. A Balmoral commission saw him paint a collage of all the children’s favourite things, from football teams to hobbies.

To date, one of Marsh’s most ambitious projects has been for John Winning, the CEO of Winning Group and Appliances Online. Working in what has been described as the ultimate city pad – Winning’s 1100-square-metre converted warehouse in Surry Hills – Marsh painted a portrait of one of the entrepreneur’s DJ friends, on the wall in Winning’s private entertaining area. In Winning’s cigar lounge, Marsh painted a portrait of David Bowie with a cigarette in hand.

“It’s awesome, I love it,” says Winning. “Everyone comments on it when they come to my place. Anyone can buy a piece of art on canvas, but to have an artist come to your home and paint directly on to the wall is what makes it so special.”