My first Queensland mural is now complete!
This project was extra special because it was also my first artist residency in Queensland. One week of painting, six months of planning, incredible staff and student involvement, and one huge mural transformed their school.
A huge thank you to Chinchilla State High School for inviting me to bring some colour to your community.
Here are five incredible highlights from the trip:
1. Wall primed and ready!
The students and staff worked incredibly hard to prepare the surface before I arrived. They pressure washed the wall, applied primer, and painted the monument grey background.
I can't thank them enough for doing this in advance. We ended up facing some challenging weather conditions, and there is no way we would have finished the mural within the week if they hadn't put in that preparation work beforehand.
2. Student pride and creativity
One of my biggest takeaways from this trip was just how proud the students are of their town. They loved sharing their favourite places to eat and visit, and they wanted to represent Chinchilla on the wall in a meaningful way, but not through the most obvious symbol (a watermelon!).
Instead, they requested local elements including a goanna, yellowbelly fish, wheat, prickly pear, and gum nuts. Their ideas helped create a mural that genuinely reflects the community they call home.
3. Staff buy-in
Wow! What a kind, generous, and down-to-earth team they have at Chinchilla State High School.
Some of my favourite moments from the week were the conversations I shared with staff while we painted together. We talked about everything from education, travel, movies, food, and coffee to resilience, vulnerability, and life experiences.
Even staff members discovered new connections with one another as they painted side-by-side and learned things they never knew about their colleagues. It really was a morale booster for everyone involved.
4. Leadership team superstars
What an incredibly invested leadership team Chinchilla State High School has!
Principal Rob Burke was wonderfully supportive throughout the residency. He visited the mural multiple times each day to check on our progress and even picked up a spray can to leave his own mark on the wall.
A special thank you must go to Deputy Principal Amanda Cooper, who played such a significant role in making this project happen. Amanda and I first met at the National Education Summit in Brisbane in 2025, which sparked the idea for me to visit Chinchilla. Our shared goal was to foster creativity and support student wellbeing.
Amanda went above and beyond to bring this project to life, from organising protective clothing and supervising students to collating student ideas. Every morning she bought me a coffee, and she spent countless hours cutting in grey paint and fixing my overspray around the mural. Thank you, Amanda. You and your family made me feel so welcome, and I hope we have the opportunity to work together again in the future.
A special thank you also to Tanya O'Dowd, who deserves extra recognition for the incredible work she did behind the scenes. Tanya helped coordinate the paint order, ensured everything arrived before I did, photographed the process, promoted the project to families, and supported me in countless ways throughout the residency.
5. Authentic and helpful
I was blown away by the genuine kindness and authenticity of the students I met during this residency.
Country Queensland, you've stolen a little piece of my heart.
One small moment from the week will stay with me for a long time. Because of the wet weather, I was working long days and often arrived at the school before most staff and students. One morning, while I was setting up, a student approached me and asked if I needed a hand carrying my equipment.
There was no prompting and no expectation of recognition, just a young person noticing someone who could use some help and offering it.
It might seem like a small gesture, but that kind of thoughtfulness is something special. It says so much about this school, this town, and the people raising these kids.
