London ( CNN ) -- More than three meters above east London 's Sclater Street is a mural of sprinter Usain Bolt , captured in explosive color by artist James Cochran . The street artwork , more than four meters high and six meters wide , is a dramatic sight , designed by Cochran to celebrate London 's Olympic Games . Cochran , known as `` Jimmy C , '' has a style which combines his background in graffiti art and academic training in figurative realism . The UK-born artist is based in London 's Shoreditch , having spent much of his life in Australia . After his mother died in a car crash when Cochran was 12 , his family life deteriorated . At 16 , he spent three months on the streets where he began painting with aerosol cans . Cochran later completed a visual arts degree at the University of South Australia , before going on to complete a masters degree . The Olympics miss : Why street art should be embraced not snubbed . His art often depicts the homeless , as he seeks to capture `` a more raw essence of the human subject . '' Cochran 's style has evolved from what he calls `` aerosol pointillism , '' with its impressionist overtones , to `` atomic pointillism , in which the subject appears to atomize . Why gritty East End is London 's gold standard . Cochran also explores the relationship between individuals and the urban landscape , which has led to paintings of buildings sprouting from heads -- one of which can be seen in this Sam Taylor-Wood directed REM video . Cochran 's canvases sell for thousands of pounds . But he continues to paint on the streets , and his work can be found in cities including Paris , Berlin and New York . `` When you paint on the street there is a lot more rawness to it , '' Cochran says . `` Anything can happen . '' East London , where the city 's Olympic Games are based , is a hub for street art . `` That 's the great thing about Shoreditch and Hackney , '' says Cochran . `` [ The art ] is part of the look of the street . ''
James Cochran , known as `` Jimmy C , '' painted an outdoor portrait of athlete Usain Bolt . Cochran has a background in graffiti art and academic arts training . He is based in east London 's Shoreditch , which is a hub for the city 's street artists . Cochran painted the mural in the hope it would last beyond the Olympic Games .