Published in the Daily Mirror on 12/06/01

GRAFFITI artist Arron Bird has landed a deal to paint for Coca-Cola.

The father-of-two developed his talent spraying walls in his home town and was spotted at a street culture event. Now instead of working in warehouses and digging graves, he can concentrate on his art full-time. Arron's skills will be exhibited on 50million cans of Sprite worldwide.

The 29-year-old, from Wolverhampton, said: "It is an unbelievable time for me. I didn't even take art lessons at school. "I've always loved expressing myself and have done this through art. "It is quite a step up from being a grave-digger. And I no longer have to worry about being chased by security guards.

Coca-Cola said: "We knew straightaway he was extremely talented. "He is the only graffiti artist now working full-time in the UK - that tells you about his ability." An exhibition of his work is on show in Birmingham, before going on a UK tour.

Read more about this and full interview with Temper on BBC OnLine