Photo by Carney Sim from Saige Prime.
This Queen Street mural project began with a request from local residents: “Can something be done to make this big factory more beautiful?”
In 2021, I painted the first mural on one side of the building. Later, as part of the City of Charles Sturt’s street upgrade, funding became available to extend the artwork around the corner, facing Port Road. That’s when artist Jack Fran came on board to install a new mural.
Inspired by the opportunity, the property owner then stepped in to fund an extension of my original design and support a collaboration between Jack and I. The idea was to merge our visions at the corner of the building.
Photo by Carney Sim from Saige Prime.
Photo by Carney Sim from Saige Prime.
Mural Collaboration
I’ve had the privilege of working with Jack on a number of murals. Bringing our ideas together, we came up with something that neither of us would have painted in isolation.
We used a Graco Quick Shot airless paint sprayer to create an abstract gradient haze, something neither of us had tried before. It was exciting to figure it out together through a lot of creative problem solving.
More collaboration is exactly what public art needs. It pushes artists to think differently, step outside their comfort zones, and ultimately leads to more diverse, engaging outcomes for communities.
Photo by Carney Sim from Saige Prime.
Residence Response
Every day we painted, people stopped to tell us how happy they were to see the wall being transformed. You know a project is worthwhile when people are drawn in and want to talk about it.
Our hope is that this mural continues to surprise and delight those who pass by. Whether it’s the bold colours, the subtle Queen references hidden in the design, or the way the artwork connects with its surroundings, we want it to feel like a little burst of joy in this residential corner of Croydon.
Photo by Carney Sim from Saige Prime.
Photo by Carney Sim from Saige Prime.
Photo by Carney Sim from Saige Prime.
Photo by Carney Sim from Saige Prime.
Photo by Carney Sim from Saige Prime.
Photo by Carney Sim from Saige Prime.
Photo by Carney Sim from Saige Prime.
A wall this big doesn’t happen without an amazing team! So many people have helped to make this possible. To the property owners who have funded this and given us so much creative freedom, thank you.
Thank you to City of Charles Sturt who have been amazing, with all the behind the scenes paperwork and permits. Vic Pisani and Paola Silvano from council, were such a great help.
Thank you to Carney Sim from Siage Prime for the photographs in this blog and making amazing videos for both Jack and I.
I’m so excited by this extra collaboration with Hindmarsh Greenery! Thank you to Ivana Kotasek for making a mosaic tile to sign my name on the wall.
Huge thank you to Jack Fran for collaborating with me on this project, joining our designs together. I will forever be learning from you.
Thank you to Glam Adelaide for featuring this project in an article.
Many friends dropped by while we painted through stinking hot weather and helped out. Thank you to my sister, Lydia Adams who kept us hydrated and all her encouragement. She also left her mark on the wall and so did my dear friend, Kirsty Davenport. Thank you to friends who dropped off ice-cream, cool drinks and those that just stopped to say how much they love the design.
Thank you to my Dad, Peter Castles, who was an enormous help, painting with me, doing Bunnings runs and cutting sleepers to protect the freshly laid paving from the weight of the scissor lift.
And of course, I must say, thank you to my husband, Aiden Grant who had to solo parent while I travel back and forth from Geelong to Adelaide to complete this.