The artist Banksy has confirmed he is the creator of a large green mural of a tree which appeared in north London over the weekend.
Residents woke up on Sunday to the massive painting on the side of a block of flats in Hornsey Road near Finsbury Park.
The elusive artist – who shares his work on his Instagram page – also posted a picture of the site on his official page on Monday, showing the wall before and after the work was completed.
The large-scale painting is a green splatter-effect shape, painted behind a cut-back tree – giving the appearance of adding a halo of leaves and foliage to the bare branches.
The green paint drips down to the floor, where a figure of a young girl painted with a stencil in green and black is looking up at the work.
The shade of bright green paint used in the piece matches the colour of Islington Council branding, and also seems likely to be a nod to St Patrick’s Day, which was on Sunday 17 March.
MP for Islington North, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also visited the site, sharing pictures on X and writing: “Banksy has come to Islington! What wonderful artwork, proving there is hope for our natural world everywhere.”
The owner of the block of flats, UK Cypriot Alex Georgiou, who owns local estate agent Alex Marks with his brother Anthony, has welcomed interest from potential buyers: “You know what, if somebody offered me millions and they can have the building and take the flats with it. Feel free,” he told the Daily Mail.
He insisted however, that he won’t put up the rent for his tenants.