Overview
First Coat Lockyer (2017) saw three large murals painted on walls in Gatton CBD over three days from 30 June to 2 July.
The team behind the highly successful First Coat Festival in Toowoomba curated the Lockyer Valley's first step into a coordinated large-scale mural project.
The project outcomes include increasing the sense of "destination" and "place" by creating landmarks for locals and visitors alike and the 3 days of mural painting saw visitors come to town specifically to see the artworks being created.
Council encourages photos of the murals to be tagged #firstcoatlockyer and #luvyalockyer to assist with promotion.
Mural Sites and Murals
The three sites chosen for this year's project are:
Site 1: 54 Railway Street north wall (Gatton Real Estate)
Design background information - (download PDF)
Site 2: North Street amenities block (all outside walls)
Design background information - (download PDF)
Site 3: 115 Spencer Street (Squash Courts building - demolished March 2020)
Design background information - (download PDF)
Project Management
First Coat (aka Kontraband Studios) curated the project. First Coat is a Queensland-based creative initiative, that began as an annual art festival held in the city of Toowoomba in 2014. Driven by making arts and culture accessible through the transformation of public space, First Coat has produced over 100 public art projects with Australian and International artists. In 2017, First Coat is excited to take projects into other regional areas and collaborate with communities across Australia.
To find out more about the curator, follow these links:
Participating Artists
Bronte Naylor
Bronte Naylor is an artist whose skills span across both
gallery, large-scale painting and public work. With dedication and energy,
she’s been consistently honing her craft since 2010. Naylor completed her Bachelor degree in Creative Industries, majoring in Visual Art at James Cook
University, Cairns in 2015. Now based in Toowoomba, Naylor continues to develop
her career as a full time artist, creating from her workspace at Kontraband
Studios. To find out more about Bronte, follow these links: Instagram - First Coat Festival
George Rose
George Rose is a
visual artist in love with colour, typography, and finding excuses to spending
most of her time outdoors, covered in paint. Her obsession with painting big
walls is paired with a flair for not taking life too seriously. George exploits
her design origins using process and concept development to inform her work.
Her kinetic, visual vocabulary is instantly identifiable, but her work draws
inspiration from the canvas’s surrounding. To find out more about George, follow this link: Instagram
Claire Foxton
Claire Foxton is an Australian artist, muralist and
designer. Her art practice explores the apex of visual design, fine art and
street art through a hybrid of figurative and abstract works using
traditional and improvised techniques. With a mix of self-taught and
formal education Claire has established a unique style centred around
photorealistic subject matter, colour, shape, form and texture. In 2016,
she painted her first large scale mural triggering a love for public art,
it’s accessibility, and the inevitable exchange it creates between the
artist, artwork and the local community. To find out more about Claire, follow these links: Instagram - First Coat Festival
Local Artist Opportunity
Local emerging artist Emma McLucas was given the opportunity to work alongside Bronte Naylor on Bronte's mural project with a view to undertaking a mural project on her own in the future. First Coat (Toowoomba) managed an EOI process for local artists and made the selection of Emma. Emma worked on the 54 Railway Street project.
Acknowledgements
The First Coat Lockyer Project commenced from an offer of local business owner, Rhonda McLucas, to host an mural on their building wall. Council extended an offer to all owners of commercial properties within Gatton CBD to host a mural. Consultation was conducted with the community to determine overall themes and ideas for mural designs. Council appreciates the interest and involvement of all who have participated in this project.
This project was made possible through the generous funding of the Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF). The RADF is a partnership between the Queensland Government and Lockyer Valley Regional Council to support local arts and culture in regional Queensland.
Owners of host buildings are contributing towards the costs of murals.