I was informed of this mural contest by a friend and was lucky enough to be in the right mental space at the right time to enter.. and get chosen!
So using a bunch of shapes that were current in my work at the time, and a gradient design that i have wanted to have a go at for a while now, i made this design that reflects how i feel about living so close to the ocean, but at the same time in a very commercial world where people generally don’t seem that connected to nature.
This wall is owned by some neighbours of mine who had already granted me permission to paint it. i was waiting for another lockdown to have something local and fun to do.. but as it seemed like that wasn’t on the cards ( famous last words!). i took my permission and presented it to Resene along with my design entitled “Circalunar Rhythym”. As a result i got paid to paint a cool new experimental design, on a smooth medium sized wall 50m from my front door. Life is good!
Here are some media articles published about the competition, and my mural.
https://www.knzb.org.nz/programmes/paint-new-zealand-beautiful/resene-nature-murals-competition/
https://www.habitatbyresene.co.nz/news-articles/growing-with-paint-first-nature-mural-unveiled/
https://sunlive.co.nz/news/274723-awardwinning-mural-unveiled-tauranga.html
I did choose to paint this late july/ august which in this end of the world is mid-winter.
While other mural artists were sitting tight untill october for warmer temperatures i went straight in on the dry days, which were still around 15 degrees. (i checked for humidity/ damp according to the reccommendations set by Resene.). Proving a good personal point that there really isn’t winter in Tauranga!
The blended shapes intop of the blended background were certainly a challenge and kept me up for a few nights . but that’s not an unusual part of the murallng process. i’ve been painting consistently enough over the past few years to really understand my process. Its a rollercoaster of emotions each and every time i’m painting a wall and so all i have to do is prepare for the rollercoaster as best as i can between projects.
Mainly this means not agreeing to more than 1 project a month. Knowing my limits is the most usefull step in being able to create solid boundaries around what to expect from myself.
I’m very grateful for companies like Resene who could choose to remain entirely industrial in their marketing but choose to actively support artists and openly accept that their products are also being used to enhance private and personal spaces and bring joy to all sorts of communities all over NZ.