I thought I would share some of my favourite Stik murals in London with you. His first book: Stik (Century, £20) was published last month and is currently Number 1 in the London non-fiction sales charts.

Luckily Stik’s work seems to hang around a bit longer than other street art, so you should still be able to find (most of) them. The murals pop up in the most unexpected places around London, often far from the usual street art hot spots – at venues, in parks or even on garage doors in Dulwich. It always gives me thrill to discover a new one. I love his work, I really do.

After ending up homeless on the streets of London, Stik found refuge at St. Mungo’s homeless shelter in Hackney and took to expressing himself through his art which is unique and instantly recognisable. It can now be seen on the streets, in museums and in private collections around the world. Even though his trademark stick figures look very simplistic at first glance, his murals have a very powerful message, but leaving it up to the viewer to interpret them.

I am so pleased his book is doing well. Stik is one of the nicest and most charming people you could meet, and he is not resting on his laurels, but working with many different charities, amongst them Amnesty International and The Big Issue, and running graffiti workshops and giving lectures whilst still painting his murals, many now specially commissioned.

One I definitely need to go and see soon is ‘Big Mother’ in Acton, a 40 m high painting on a condemned building in support of affordable housing, a cause Stik is very passionate about.

http://stik.org/