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.
