大象传媒 Scotland - 大象传媒 Scotland - 鈥淭his is my only option; not to do the art or to paint is to die鈥� 鈥� the former drug addict making waves by updating iconic artworks

鈥淭his is my only option; not to do the art or to paint is to die鈥� 鈥� the former drug addict making waves by updating iconic artworks

20 December 2018

If someone told me a decade ago this is what I鈥檇 be doing, I鈥檇 have said they were on drugs

Ross Muir started taking drugs at 14. He eventually reached a point where he realised he had an addiction — and that it had taken hold of his life.

With the support of his father, Ross managed to beat his habit. He then focused his attention on a very different pursuit: painting.

Ross is now a full-time artist, making a name for himself by updating artworks by famous artists. He injects the classic paintings with cheeky, modern twists, which and has won a legion of fans as a result.

Ross Muir turned turned his life around to become a successful Scottish artist

After one painting went viral, the former drug addict became an artist full-time.

‘At the start, I was painting like a child’

Ross’s first attempts at painting were, according to him, pretty childish. After a few months, however, the same friends who made fun of his lack of talent were floored by how much he had developed.

Once he was able to make his first print of a painting, the only person Ross wanted to show was his father:-

“I got a painting framed and was going to give it to my dad. I went down to give him it and I found him dead — it was brutal.”

The death hit Ross hard. His father had never given up on him, even during the worst parts of Ross’s addiction.

Everything then changed for Ross when his painting Square Gogh – a van Gogh self-portrait updated to present the artist in a tracksuit – took the internet by storm.

Ross had suddenly acquired a fanbase who were not traditional appreciators of art, but who were all intent on owning a print of their new favourite artist.

“The young team were tapping £20 off their maw or big brother to get [a print].”

Not everyone is a fan of Ross’s work, but the artist refuses to get bogged down by negative feedback.

“I don’t get caught up in the conflict. I don’t want any hassle and I don’t want to hassle anybody.”