THE TRUST TO RETURN

Melville High School, Kempsey NSW

Well, I’m back again at Melville High School.

It’s always great returning to a school I’ve painted at before. For me, it means more than simply being asked back for another mural. It means a relationship has formed and, more importantly, there’s trust. After the pieces I’d previously created for Melville, they knew what I could bring to the school and gave me the freedom to do it again.

This time, after developing the concept, the school greenlit my illustration without a single change. As an artist, having that level of trust is something I really appreciate.

The location was right in front of the school’s yarning circle, so the idea was to create something that felt connected to the place. The mural brings together local native flora and the landscape of the Macleay Valley, with the scenery continuing into the perspective behind the wall. The principal even supplied me with a drone photograph of the surrounding landscape, which became part of the reference for the final design.

The whole piece was created to give a warm sense of Welcome to Country, connecting the school grounds with the landscape and Country around it.

There were definitely a few challenging moments painting the side of the building, especially considering I painted the entire thing from my ladder. But that’s all part of it.

One of the best parts of returning to a school is reconnecting with the students and teachers while I work. There’s something pretty rewarding about coming back to a place where the relationship has already been built.

So, another mural finished at a school I’ve now had the opportunity to return to, and apparently they’re already looking around the grounds for the next wall to beautify.

I reckon that’s a pretty good sign.