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Street Art Trail

With seven new amazing murals now complete across Ipswich Central as part of the Ipswich Program of Brisbane Street Art Festival, the city now has an exciting street art trail across thirteen locations.

1: Rachel Sarra - Ipswich Health Plaza (best viewed from East St)

‘Distant Country’

About the Artwork

‘Distant Country’

As I walk day to day, distant from my country but guided by my ancestors, I feel the energy of the earth connecting with me.

Respectfully caring for me with the energy and contours of the landscapes.

As darkness creeps in, memories of my country flood through me yet as the sun sets, and the night skies set in I feel peace. I feel protected.

About the Artist

Rachael Sarra is an artist and designer whose work is an extension of her being and experiences. As a contemporary Aboriginal artist, connecting to Goreng Goreng Country, Rachael uses art as a powerful tool in storytelling to educate and share Aboriginal culture and it’s evolution. Rachael’s work often challenges and explores the themes of society’s perception of what Aboriginal art and identity is.

As an Ipswich born and raised artist, her style is feminine, fun and engaging but is strongly drawn from her heritage and her role as an Aboriginal woman in a modern world. Rachael is fueled by passion to continue exploring her Aboriginality through art and design, with each piece strengthening her identity.

This artwork was created for the 2020 BSAF Ipswich Program.

See more: Website or Instagram

2: Deb Mostert - Riverheart Parklands (Eastern side of David Trumpy Bridge)

‘Cross Cut Kookaburras’ 

About the Artwork

‘Cross Cut Kookaburras’

In this image two kookaburras perch playfully on a vintage cross cut saw which hovers in front of the wall space. Vaguely reminiscent of a boat, the saw references the logging industry which used the Bremer as it’s way of transporting the timber that was felled. I can’t help but wonder what our many native birds must think about the loss of their habitat. It’s certainly no laughing matter.

About the Artist

Deb Mostert’s art practice is 25 years young and involves drawing, painting and lately, some sculpture.

The privilege and burden to make something of what she sees and shares it with others, has grown in urgency in more recent times. In these uncertain days she hopes to make work that demonstrates that beauty, grace and truth continue. Deb is searching for ways to talk about these themes using gentle, offbeat narratives and a crisp aesthetic.

This artwork was created for the 2018 Fused Festival.

See more: Website 

3: Fintan Magee - Limestone Centre (facing South St)

‘Two figures behind Glass’

About the Artwork

‘Two figures behind Glass’

This work depicts two rail-workers behind beveled glass.  The Artic glass pattern in the painting was common in middle-class Queensland homes in the 1960’s and was used in French doors and windows. Some of my earliest memories of Queensland Architecture was my fathers silhouette through the glass doors when he got home.

The work explores the role of de-industrialization in urban communities and on the suburban fringes of Australia. The figures in the mural appear distant, disconnected, isolated and breaking up. As middle class homes become increasingly out of reach for working class Australians and lower-pay and job insecurity continues to shape how we work, this painting explores how nostalgia shapes political views and how workers view their communities and the outside world.

The work specifically looks at two rail workers from the City of Ipswich. As Queensland was in lock-down, many people in management or admin roles were able to isolate, while many essential, transport, delivery and medical staff continued working. Keeping our economy functioning and food supply moving. This painting pays tribute to these essential workers while proposing a reassessment of how they are valued in the post COVID-19 world.

About the Artist

Fintan Magee is a Sydney based social realist painter, specialising in large-scale murals. Born in 1985 in Lismore, New South Wales, to an architect mother and father who was a sculptor, he started drawing at a young age.

His earlier large-scale paintings often inhabited the isolated, abandoned and broken corners of the city, and today are found all over the world including London, Vienna, Los Angeles, Moscow and Rome.

Fintan is no stranger to Ipswich. His father Dennis was the Head of Art and Design at the Bremer Institute of TAFE for many years and he has worked in Ipswich previously, teaching local students how to create large-scale murals.

This artwork was created for the 2020 BSAF Ipswich Program.

See more: Website or Instagram  

4: Emily Devers - Ipswich Art Gallery

‘While Resting’

About the Artwork

‘While Resting’

This artwork presents a visual reflection on my experience of isolation over the last few months. During this time, my life has drastically transformed. I was forced to close down and vacate the physical premises of my contemporary art gallery, and reassess how my time and energy was being spent. As the caretaker of many artists in my current position, I possess an acute sensitivity to the needs of artists while maintaining and building cultural capital within my community. I’m at a critical point in my own development as I transition towards a post-COVID19 model for the gallery, and my own arts practice. This artwork marks this distinct point in large scale.

I was fascinated with how the collective energy of my community shifted during isolation. The black and white imagery in this artwork are 35mm film photos I took while exploring an almost empty Brisbane on my bike during the first week of lockdown. I’m compelled to share this intimate experience in such a public setting.

About the Artist

Based in Brisbane, Emily is both a contemporary painter and Director of The Third Quarter. Developing her painting practice primarily through large scale mural work over the last decade, Devers has always been driven to combine the faithful representation of objects and environments through realism, and the subsequent abstraction of these through abstract mark making.

Emily draws direct reference from her surroundings, often using imagery captured on film and collaging these with digital images to highlight the disconnect between actual and representational – experienced and remembered.

This artwork was created for the 2020 BSAF Ipswich Program.

See more: Instagram

5: Gus Eagleton - Icon Alley, Nicholas Street Precinct

 ‘The Unveiling’

About the Artwork

‘The Unveiling’

‘The Unveiling’ depicts St. Jonnie, the singer from a collectively Ipswich born and raised band, ‘Feelsclub’. Set in the city loop on a Thursday night, St. Jonnie unveils his camouflaged hood as the cars lap the block. With this emblematic action, he now stands proud, acknowledging the significance of his place of birth and its role in sparking an ambition to achieve creative success.

About the Artist
Gus Eagleton paints intuitive compositions using a considered colour palette. He manipulates light and shadow unrealistically and romantically. He paints with velocity and magnetism, yet simultaneously the pieces embody a slowness a dreamlike feeling. Gus explores the diversity and intrigue of the characters he encounters and as a true romantic he indulges in their beauty and charisma. On the wall, they blend into their environment but never lose their individuality.

With over 10 years experience delivering mural artworks, Gus has painted nationwide and abroad and his work is held in public and private collections in Australia, France and England.

Gus has also spent time living as a local in Ipswich and his earlier works now form part of the cultural heritage of the Woollen Mills at North Ipswich. In the studio or on the street, Gus brings his unique interpretation to the characters he creates and the urban landscapes that inspire him.

This artwork was created for the 2020 BSAF Ipswich Program.

See more: Website or Instagram

6: Sam Songailo - 163 Brisbane Street (best viewed from West St)

Image by Sam Songailo

About the Artwork

Untitled

As an artist I am interested in creating and shaping an experience. By working site specifically and letting the site generate a response I hope to draw the surrounding environment into the artwork frame of reference. By doing this I can activate not only the site of the artwork but the things and spaces connected to it creating a narrative around the work. Operating in this way can greatly increase the scope and impact of the final piece, enriching its surroundings rather than imposing.

About the Artist

Sam Songailo’s work takes form in painting, installation, video, sound and sculpture. He is deeply influenced by digital technology and electronic music, adopting algorithms and concepts from these disciplines to shape his approach to both physical and pictorial space. Often highly immersive and realised on a monumental scale, his work accentuates the compositional elements of line and space in a form that recalls both the modernist grid and digital networks.

See more: Instagram

 

7: Micky Hora - Ellenborough Towers Laneway

Micky Hora

Information about the Artwork and Artist coming soon.

This artwork was created for the 2018 Fused Festival.

See more: Instagram

8: Mike Shankster - West Street (best viewed from the carpark backing onto the train line)

‘Returning’

About the Artwork

‘Returning’

Those busy with the day to day commute can often become lost in routine and I was presented with the opportunity to remind and re-engage the public with the city they love.

Large-scale works like these enliven public spaces, inviting engagement from both those that belong within the local community and the passer-by.  They allow us to reflect on the natural and cultural aspirations of the city, showcased and brought to life in a modern cultivation of growth, motivation and artistic development.

In the artwork, her directional gaze and the way her arm is outstretched in the piece towards the north, encourages the notion of her looking towards the destination ahead, home…

The symbolism in the (Messenger) Falcon returning to its master, is featured in a notion of returning back, returning home and the welcoming of visitors. As she outstretches her arm, so does the city, embracing the traveller as they round the bend and are greeted by the view of the city ahead.

About the Artist

Through his stylistic, sharp and unique artwork, Mike supplies a window to escape from the modern world, a mix of realistic lines blended into a complex traditional feel.  He uses multi-discipline forms of art to express himself and the world around him.

As a disenfranchised youth, Mike didn’t conform to high school education.  He became a year 10 drop out, turning his focus into his creativity by enrolling in a Graphic Arts and Pre-press Apprenticeship.  With an aptitude towards illustration, Mike progressed his skills in the applied arts.  Beginning as a humble first year, his career progressed until he became an art director.

While gaining professional experience in applied arts, Mike’s real talent in illustration and fine arts became more of a personal drive.  Leaving the stifling nature of the corporate world, Mike began his journey into freelance design.

Throughout the past 10 years, Mike has focused his talents on commercial advertising and branding, painting, digital illustration and commissioned public murals.

See more: Website or Instagram

9: RC_Collective - Ipswich City Uniting Church (laneway to the right)

RC_Collective

About the Artwork and the Artist

This artwork was created in a workshop with the community facilitated by Rythmicolour Collective for the 2018 Ipswich Festival in partnership with Ipswich City Uniting Church.

See more: Instagram

10: David W Houghton - Ipswich City Uniting Church

David W Houghton

About the Artist

David W Houghton is inspired by pushing boundaries to create more meaningful works that represent his love for the natural environment, often combining animals and natural elements of colour. David uses a combination of techniques from formal mural styles and traditional hand painted signage.

David has produced a diverse range of creative commissions including photo realistic portraits, scenic underwater, flora and fauna murals, modern contemporary pieces and vibrant street art that can be seen across Queensland.

This artwork was commissioned by the Ipswich City Uniting Church in 2018 as part of their 170th year celebrations.

See more: Instagram

11: Ash Taylor - Circa 160 Dancing Bean

About the Artwork

‘Breathe’

Breathe responds to the current global pressures and serves as a reminder of the importance of self-care and compassion for others.

About the Artist
Ash Taylor is an emerging Australian muralist. Her practice explores abstract, botanical and figurative forms to create works with a curious and whimsical style.

In 2019 Ash painted her first mural in Ecuador, followed by others in Peru and Argentina, triggering a love for the exchange public art creates between artist, artwork and the community.

This artwork was created for the 2020 BSAF Ipswich Program.

See more: Website or Instagram

12: STYNA - Studio 188

About the Artwork

‘Finding Light in the Darkness’

The mural created for Studio 188 is a piece inspired by wellness, using a play on light and dark tones. The work explores the balance between lightness and the dark, and how one cannot exist without the other. In life, we often negate from the things that make us feel uncertain, discomfort or at risk. Still, by embracing our vulnerabilities, we experience growth, moments that take us by surprise, while nurturing and practising the act of courage (whom my hero, Maya Angelou says is the most essential virtue of them all).

Paired with the flannel flower and curious, Christmas bell characters, I wanted to paint an abstract piece that might illustrate wellness in the hardships and trials we have faced collectively during this pandemic.

My hope for the work is that it will reside to bring about joy and positivity, and as a reminder, for us to be kind to one another and to ourselves.

About the Artist
Christina Huynh is an illustrator and artist more commonly known as STYNA. Storytelling and the heritage of a place are some elements that influence and inspire her work. There are also reoccurring themes of curiosity, adventure and the imagination that dance in each piece.

From using traditional mediums of watercolour, ink, and pen to the vastly different worlds of aerosol combined with acrylic, her art practice is an exploration of creating murals, illustrations, and picture books.

This artwork was created for the 2020 BSAF Ipswich Program.

See more: Website  or Instagram

13: Jordache - Fire Station 101 (best viewed from Waghorn St)

About the Artwork

‘Coexistence’

Previously, in our analogue world, we had no idea the scale of impact that technology would have on our lives.

Navigating our world with the evolution of technology has presented opportunities that were wild unknowns.

The possibilities that were only dreamt about can now become our tangible realities. We as individuals, have the capable tools to build our own futures. To shape and mould the pathway towards our own careers is forever growing.

The design concept draws inspiration from these key elements. Creating, expanding, optimism and progression. The colour palette is indicative of our bright future, but also reflects our parallels in life which can be rigid and soft natured.

About the Artist
Jordache is a Brisbane based artist, specialising in high impact, large scale murals. He is one of the founders of Mayne Line – a creative collective and open studio gallery in Albion.

Jordache’s experience spans a wide range of private, corporate and commission jobs using aerosol and acrylic paint to create his installations, which he has been working with consistently for the past decade.

His portfolio of work ranges from small scale gallery exhibitions and commissioned canvas work to large scale community activation projects on buildings, water towers and silos.

This artwork was created for the 2020 BSAF Ipswich Program.

See more: Facebook or Instagram

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