Lowestoft: Street artist ATM creates barn owl mural

First published in BBC News

Artist ATM said the dull paint was the perfect base to show the pale barn owl in flight.
IMAGE SOURCE,SUFFOLK WILDLIFE TRUST

A barn owl mural has been created to celebrate the £5m extension of a wildlife habitat backed by Sir David Attenborough.

Street artist ATM painted it on the wall of a tandoori restaurant in Lowestoft, Suffolk.

The artwork is part of a Suffolk Wildlife Trust graffiti trail aimed at "bringing wildlife into the town".

In April, the trust began extending its Carlton Marshes reserve, which is a short walk from Lowestoft.

It took ATM just under a week to paint the mural, which measures about 9m by 7m (29ft by 22ft)

London-based artist ATM specialises in painting endangered species in urban environments.

The trust commissioned the mural as barn owls are "easily identifiable" to people in Lowestoft due to their large population in Suffolk.

Katy Runacres, from the trust, added that the birds were regularly seen in the North Denes area of town, which is where the mural has been painted.

ATM has already created a marsh harrier mural in south Lowestoft. IMAGE SOURCE,SUFFOLK WILDLIFE TRUST

It is the second wildlife mural painted by ATM in Lowestoft and he plans to paint another later in the year to build up the trail.

The trust purchased the 348 acres (140 hectares) at Carlton Marshes to create a 1,000-acre (404-hectare) southern gateway to the Broads.

Sir David said it offered a "unique opportunity" for wildlife.