HUME CITY COUNCIL 22-23 MURAL PROGRAM
After my solo show Under One Sky at Town Hall Broadmeadows Gallery, I was approached by Hume City Council Arts staff to put in an application for a public artwork at one of five locations around Hume. The first site I visited was at Tulsa Drive Reserve in Goonawarra, Sunbury. I was truly blown away by both the intense bird song at this site as well as the strong sense of community. The site is behind the local primary school near some ironbark trees and next to a vibrant playground that is heavily used. It faces out onto Tulsa Drive Reserve sports field where the local community centre is located. There is also the Goonawarra shopping centre where the Neighbourhood House, medical centre, dentist, day hospital, childcare centre, chiropractor and grocery store are located. It has a great sense of connection and care associated with it so this was the only site I researched. So when this site was offered to me, I was really thrilled to say the least!
The public mural has been funded by Hume City Council as part of their 22-23 Mural Program. It includes two of my artworks from the Under One Sky series; Under One Sky and Rainbow which are both now in private collections in Melbourne. Under One Sky was my first painting in this series created after Melbourne came out of the second lockdown. It includes the Pink Moon which I viewed from Jarvis Bay when on a short camping holiday. The black trees represent the Ironbark Trees in the Whipstick Forest North West of Bendigo where I spent half of my childhood; they often appear in my work. They also represent the losses we all experienced during the pandemic.
At both ends of the structure my painting Rainbow is featured. This painting was inspired by a rainbow I spotted during the Pandemic after driving back from visiting my ill mother in Bendigo. It was close to the site of my grandfather's parents farm in Carlsruhe. It's also now especially meaningful after Mum's death in September 2023 when I saw a double rainbow a month later on her birthday. I was on the way to Yoga at Yoga 101 in Sunbury so having two rainbows on Wiradjuri Land in Sunbury reminds me of my mother and brings up great memories to hold as I move forward in life without her.
This photo was taken at the community day held by Winslow Infrastructure who invited me to be present at the event to talk about my artwork. There was a fabulous feel on the day with free food and drinks, entertainment and a fun family vibe. I gave out free postcards of my artwork on the day.
The original design was put together by the Arts Team at Hume City Council and Gavin Menzies, Landscape Designer at Hume. I wish to thank Hume City Council for the opportunity and Anna Clabburn and Gavin Menzies for their support with this project.
