Huge grafitti mural brightens up Aberdeen Beach with fearsome kraken and turquoise mermaid

By Ben Hendry

August 19 2022, 5:00 pm

A graffiti artist has created a huge mural overlooking Aberdeen Beach, featuring a bright blue mermaid and fearsome kraken.

Chris Webster, better known as his artistic alter-ego Reckless, sprayed the colourful creation beneath the promenade over the course of three days.

The proud artist’s latest masterpiece seen here near completion. Ben Hendry/DCT Media

Setting his spray can aside for a moment as it neared completion, he told me that the design was based on “old fishermen’s tales”.

And the artist also wanted to pay homage to “Aberdeen Beach over the years” with the mural.

The graffiti mural at Aberdeen Beach features a nod to our renewable energy sector. Ben Hendry/DCT Media

And there’s references to our offshore industry and fishing past. Ben Hendry/DCT Media

He explained: “We have the wind turbines, the oil rigs all the way to the fishing boats and the lighthouse.

“To reflect what it’s like today, we will have a shout-out to the Surf School, and the Beach Ballroom features.”

Essential supplies: Reckless relies on cans of spray paint and Coca Cola to keep going. Ben Hendry/DCT Media

Watch as Reckless paints the mermaid on the Aberdeen Beach graffiti mural:

Charity helped with graffiti mural at Aberdeen Beach

Reckless has undertaken the scheme in the open space between the two toilet blocks with the Aberdeen Foyer charity.

Youngsters prepared a “blank canvas” for him by daubing the walls white before he started work.

Walkers have been pausing to watch the work unfold this week. Ben Hendry/DCT Media

The art project has been taking place while workers overhead improve the promenade. Ben Hendry/DCT Media

It has been capped off with a poem from Doric scribe Jo Gilbert, sprayed over a section of black paint.

The poem invites visitors to “bide a filey” at the seaside “nae metter the wither”.

Finished! Props tae @recklessgraffiti for his incredible artwirk an spray paintin (freehand btw) ma poem 😎😁 cheers tae Nicky Donelan fae @aberdeenfoyer an @AberdeenCC for organisin 😎 it looks ACE min 😁 pic.twitter.com/Opps6TO34d

— 🖋Jo Gilbert 📙 (@mucklewriting) August 20, 2022

The artwork has already been attracting admirers, with Reckless joking that he could have finished it much earlier had he not stopped to chat with so many intrigued passersby.