Mural completed for Bay Road, Kilbirnie redevelopment

I was commissioned by the Wellington City Council to complete a mural on the wall of Countdown Supermarket in Bay Road, Kilbirnie, Wellington. The mural needed to reflect life and culture in Kilbirnie and consisted of five large panels, which I designed as five separate iconic scenes of Kilbirnie. I designed these images in my cubist/fractionalist style and initially came up with a drawing/grid which I projected and copied onto the wall during an evening. I have only just finished painting the mural, which took about two months (rather stretched out by the bad weather we've been having).

I really enjoyed the experience of painting on the street, and I befriended a range of interesting characters - mainly street performers - of whom there are many regulars on Bay Road.

My friend and artist, David Brown, helped me out with several hours of painting (with his particularly steady hand) which I am very grateful for. I am about to give him one of my limited edition prints for his services!

Katie Taylor-Duke, WCC Arts advisor, responsible for managing the mural and its development, was great to work with and cheerfully helped to resolve any issues I encountered and even helped on site.

Due to the mural being sited on the wall of Countdown Supermarket, staff were involved in development and facilitation of the mural. The Branch Manager, Paul Livingstone, was very helpful, giving me access to the staff tearooms and allowing me to store the mobile scaffold unit and all painting equipment in the loading bay. Stockroom Manager, Scott Johnson offered regular assistance to wheel the scaffolding unit half a block to the mural site, which required significant effort!

See the images below