It was awesome to catch up with my good friends @plumtree_pocket and complete a sign for a new nursery space. Surrounded by botanical gardens and native bush tucker orchards, its a stunning location i have had the privilege to watch grow since childhood. contributing to exciting new things happening and continuing to learn from these plant & bush tucker wizards is an amazing experience. Give em a follow and go check em out!
It was nice to complete a local commission over the Easter Break. The courtyard mural at Heritage Lodge Murwillumbah compliments the recent upgrades in the outdoor space. A big thanks to the staff who made this project come to fruition and it was great to see the residents utilising the new look area.
Heritage Lodge mural by The Sauce Studio
If you’re into chilli sauce then I recommend checking out ChilliBOM at South Tweed. There’s a wide variety of flavours to choose from and they have a great website if you can’t make it in store.
Feed your inner dragon at ChilliBOM
I was recently commissioned to give The Racing Snail Van a fresh coat of paint. With the blessing of a trusting owner allowing me an open brief, I thoroughly enjoyed letting the concept and colour palette evolve. Ensure you give these friendly folk a wave when you see them in Murwillumbah and around the Tweed. Also a huge thanks to Jugs for artistic assistance.
I want to say thanks to all who have supported The Sauce Studio throughout the year. This year saw numerous tours Central & Western Queensland my home away from home. I also completed commissions in Cairns along with a few projects across Brisbane, Gold Coast and Tweed. As always it’s been a variety of public art commissions, youth and community projects and the odd private commission.
It’s been great to connect with new friends and continue relationships with existing clients, some for almost 20 years now. Using my skills to pay the bills is cool but the best thing is to see people engage with art, particularly in a public setting. The friendships and travel adventures also make me genuinely humbled by your support and awesomeness.
It hasn’t all been smooth sailing though, professionally it has tough at times witnessing both Redland City and Brisbane City remove hard earned and successful projects. These incidences highlight a disregard for councils own policies and ongoing exclusionary practices. Any incentive to do your art legitimately has long gone and I can safely say over the course of my career I have had more issues with clients breaching contracts than with any vandalism by wayward youth.
Personally I have struggled with chronic pain at times from a condition which has forced me to slow down considerably in the past few years. I will however continue painting large scale murals for as long as my health allows and as long as it remains sunny in Queensland…and it’s always sunny in Queensland!
I am looking forward to many more adventures in 2020 so after a short break I will be back splashing paint around your neighbourhood.
Sauce
I had a busy week creating two murals for residents, staff and visitors of the dementia facility at the Southern Cross Care facility at South Tweed. The artworks depict local landscapes to engage residents and provide a point of reference and discussion in the living and hall areas. During application I quickly realised my artwork was merely complementing the efforts provided by a bunch of dedicated staff. It was heartwarming to witness the care provided by staff and visitors alike…sometimes the most challenging environments and interactions can be the most rewarding.
