Earlier this year I was asked to paint a mural for the 6th floor of the Kirkstane House building on St Vincent Street. One of the owners had bought a wallhanging from me, and when I delivered it in person they asked if I could make something bigger. They had a 20-metre wall that needed some artwork....
At first I got some quotes from decal companies I’d worked with before (my work has been used in Ibis Styles hotels and I knew MuralSpec could scale up one of my drawings). But the quote came back way over budget , that's before I’d even taken my own small cut as the artist. Instead of the money going to a big company, I suggested I could draw directly on the wall myself. So I bought a mountain of Poscas and did it! It took three weeks , around 90 hours in total. Below is one of the three sections I created.
So how did I end up painting on the terrace?
While I was making the mural on the 6th floor, I often took breaks outside on the terrace. I knew the building had other areas needing artwork ,the boardroom, the lobby, more offices. So I asked if I could take them up on the offer and paint from the terrace.
The view over Central Station was incredible, and I thought, when else will I get the chance to paint this? Added extras like the peace, toilets, and a coffee machine. Pretty luxurious conditions for en plein air.
I was there over two mornings. The terrace had an electric awning, which was handy, but as the winds picked up the awning would automatically retract meaning the rain came straight down onto my work and it was packing up time.
Iv'e offered the terrace painting to the owners as a study for their office and, hopefully, as the start of a larger commission for other spaces in the building. Fingers crossed they take me up on it. Either way, I’ll be excited to share this unique viewpoint as a print soon.
