State of the Art: Chris Shea’s latest, larger-scale work is in Rotary Field, Purley

Rainbow boy: Shea’s little bit of colour for the dark days of lockdown

It is almost exactly five years, since the first days of the covid lockdown, that the work of local street artist Chris Shea became noticed around the borough, his poignant boy with the rainbow watering can lighting up those dark days, while raising thousands of pounds for the NHS and charitable causes.

Now Shea, who works under the title State of the Art, has been at work once again, this time on a commission from Purley BID, the business improvement district, to transform an old toilet block in Rotary Field.

“My design is a mixture of abstract art involving the history behind the field, with it having the world’s first railway line – the Surrey Iron Railway, which ran through the area from 1803 to 1846,” Shea said on his Instagram account.

And as a study of Shea’s work will show, the Surrey Iron Railway operated not with steam engines, but with horse power.

Back in time: Shea’s modern twist on Purley history

“The modern twist in his work provides a unique glimpse into what the railway might have looked like, blending historical significance with contemporary art,” Purley BID said this week.

Using cash allocated by the UK Shared Prosperity Funding, Purley BID has also commissioned a refresh of the mural by Lionel Stanhope under the Godstone Road railway arch, the old Southern Railways station sign writ large, as well as adding a new painting on the other side of the arch.

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