Keen-eyed observers may notice a mural taking shape in the laneway between the Moncrieff Entertainment Centre and the neighbouring Oven Hot Bread.
The artwork is being created by young Bundaberg residents participating in the “Create a Painted Mural” workshop, delivered by artist Simon Degroot, which is part of Bundaberg Regional Council’s Arts Summer School program.
Simon, who creates studio and public art and teaches at the Queensland College of Art at Griffith University, was happy with the group’s progress during the first day of the three-day workshop.
“It’s been a really good start so far,” he said. “By the end of today we’ll have the design ready to go for the start of painting tomorrow (Wednesday).
“It’s an introductory project into this way of working, and a very quick one as well, but it will, hopefully, whet the appetite of young artists to do more of this type of work.”
Simon said mural public art was a way for artists to contribute to the visual environment we live in and workshop participants began their creation process with a simple walk around the Bundaberg CBD to familiarise themselves with its character and visual aspects.
“We’ve just been walking around outside and noticing little thins in the environment that are interesting to us,” he said.
“Just paying attention to different things, like architectural details, or botanical details, or the small parts of things like cracks in the footpath and patterns – the micro details
“The artwork, in the end, will be a combination of all these small details that everyone has contributed to in a final design that everyone has helped to create.”
Simon was encouraged that young people were interested in contributing art that complemented Bundaberg’s existing visual aspects.
“As artists, it is our responsibility to help contribute to the visual environment that we live in,” he said.
“That visual environment is made up of a lot of different things including architecture, advertising, graffiti, street art and murals.
“What we’re doing is exercising some agency in helping to be a part of that in an active way (and) I think it’s really important for young people to be a part of that process.”
The Bundaberg mural workshop continues today and concludes on Thursday.
