Stephen Powers was a key figure in the transition of graffiti writing into street art. He first attracted attention under the name ESPO for his tags on the streets of Philadelphia. Powers abandoned graffiti in 1999, taking enamel on metal art into the studio and creating a practice that includes sign painting. One of his hallmarks is graphic lettering, which he often incorporates into his murals around the world. These murals are like love letters to the cities in which they reside. In 2007, Powers, as a Fulbright scholar, transformed the iconography of political street murals in Dublin and Belfast into new narratives of his own making.