SMUG is, and has been for many years, one of the leaders in the clubhouse when it comes to realistic portrait murals. His output is beyond impressive and the number of murals he paints in a year is almost unbelievable, but to him… “it’s just what I do.” His massive portraits can span anywhere from one story to 14 stories high but the detail and crispness of the image is the same every time. Over decades of painting walls, SMUG has developed a distinctive and immediately recognizable style which is not always easy for someone who paints realistically. His selection of slightly unconventional models and more importantly his very specific use of light and shadow are undeniably SMUG and exquisitely executed every time. 

It has been a hope of this podcast for a long time to have SMUG join us for an interview and as luck would have it we recently found ourselves locked in a hotel room in rural Sweden with a couple of microphones and a bunch of beers. Big thanks to the cast and crew of the Artscape SAGA festival for bringing us all together.