It was great to return to Mt Cotton State School last week. The school is currently undergoing big changes to cater for growing enrolments and its awesome to contribute to the new look. I had painted a frog on this site back in 2007 and I am super happy to return to give the shed a fresh design.
The new decade kicked off with a couple of projects in Emerald, Central Queensland. I completed the first stage of a project with Emerald State High School which saw a stack of positive messages in focus. I also completed a number of artworks for the Green Space Youth Drop in. This is an initiate of Central Highlands Regional Council, PCYC & Anglicare. Putting a day between projects to use to paint a new piece at the local BMX track wall made for a super productive couple of weeks.
It was great to return to Barcy and once again I spent more time chin wagging than working! This time around I completed a shopfront mural for Beauty & Beyond and a school tuckshop.
Over many weeks in the studio and on location in outback Queensland I designed, painted and installed five large signs for the fabulous Acacia Motor Inn, Blackall.
I had only just returned back to my studio after 4 weeks travelling Central Queensland to receive a call about my next project. A quick restock of materials and I headed west again, soon to be back in Blackall. The town is gearing up for its 150 year celebrations and after spending a week painting at the school last trip, this time my services were required around the CBD. I tackled a number of public artworks and sign painting commissions coinciding with many other street beautification projects happening for the B150 Celebrations. Thanks to Red Ridge for driving the project along with support from Blackall-Tambo Regional Council business owners and community members.
After a solo exhibition at the Grasslands Galley in Tambo in January and completing murals at the local gym in July I returned to Barcaldine for another large scale mural. This time around Barcaldine Regional Council commissioned a public artwork situated in the main street.
A fresh entrance sign and classroom graphics are my latest additions at Shailer Park State School.
Fifteen years ago, I completed one of my first ever paid school murals at Mt Cotton State School, and during that time, I have been privileged to work on an array of artworks for the school. This latest projects saw my sign writing skills put to the test on a new sign and some landscape imagery for The Rainforest Room.
This mural took some time to complete as it was finalised over the holiday season. The fine folk from Caba Creative and You and Bamboo wanted an illusion style mural (trompe l’oeil) and felt the plain wall needed some artwork which suited the area and included the local flora and fauna. Sauce used paint-brush for the black cockatoos and aerosol for some other the other features like the skateboard. It was an usual mural, as there were many different items to work around, including the ATM, the bird features were incorporated to work around these objects and I think it creates a sense of scale and proportion.
