Using Albany To Create A Love Letter To Brighton At Sussex University

Artist and muralist, Ben Cavanagh has created the most incredible mural at The University of Sussex…and he used Albany to do it! We got in touch to find out a bit more about Ben’s work and how he created such an amazing piece of work.

It’s so lovely to meet you Ben, thanks for tagging us in your latest piece! How long have you been a muralist for?

I've been painting murals on and off for about 20 years but have been painting them professionally for about 3 years. 

2 decades! What do you enjoy most about creating murals?

I love that I get to paint large scale canvases, in public, for everyone to see.

Painting murals in workspaces or outside on the street lets lots of people see my work on a daily basis and I like to think that if they are having a bad day, a bright and colourful mural will brighten their day. I think art can add a little bit more fun into our lives. 

I also love painting murals because I get to talk to the people in the buildings or passers-by while I paint. It's nice to see their reactions. 

Definitely! Murals can make such a difference to people’s spaces, especially if they are in unexpected places! How long did it take to create your recent piece at the University of Sussex?

From initial design ideas and conversations with the client (Sussex sport) to final drawn designs and tweaks, a few weeks. It was a long two days [to paint the mural], only painting with a brush due to the gym being open but it was so fun to work on! I tried a few new things with this design but still snuck a few clouds in there. The design was inspired by the university's connection to Brighton and some of its historic moments, like The Who performing there in 1970.

And what paints did you use?

That’s great to hear! What has the response been to the mural so far?

Fantastic news! Do you have any more work we can see?

The Shaun the Sheep sculpture was part of the Brighton art trail 2023, to raise money for the Martlets charity. The paint worked so well on the sculpture. I plan to work on more sculptures this year and will definitely be using Albany paint on them. 

The jungle themed murals were painted with Albany paint and posca paint pens for detail. 

Ben’s work is absolutely incredible, and we can’t wait to see more murals from Ben this year!

You can find more of his work on his Instagram page, @benrcav.