It’s my thing! I’m just in awe of the talent of artists who can create these large scale paintings in cities and towns around Australia, so now I seek them out wherever we travel.  From disused grain silos and water towers in rural areas to busy city streets and laneways there are incredible works of art being brought to the people.

Alice Springs in central Australia, is halfway between Adelaide and Darwin and has a population of more than 26,000. It is a tourism draw for its captivating desert landscapes and strong aboriginal culture and indigenous art which can be seen on country and in galleries. Now included in that I would add making time to discover the street art.

The first street art festival was launched in 2018 to revitalize the CBD and 7 murals were painted by local and interstate artists. The artworks all have a connection to the surroundings through the colour palettes, flora and fauna or the people of central Australia, including these examples.

Samson and Delilah & Sweet Country

These stunning portraits of indigenous actors Rowan McNamara and Marissa Gibson were painted by Lee (Linz) Harnden and Peter (CTO) Seaton. They can be found on the Alice Springs Cinema Complex wall.

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Gorgeous Galahs

These character filled birds are prolific in central Australia and their playful nature is captured in the work of Alison Hitmann, in the Todd Mall.

Alice Springs Life (Coles Mural)

This huge mural is almost 7 metres high and covers 400 square metres of the Coles Supermarket wall. The theme is a representation of the history of the Alice and of different cultures coming together for a positive future. It is a striking piece with many intricate details and around 200 community volunteers were involved in painting it.

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Dingoes Under a Full Moon

This mural was painted by Christine Ng and was inspired by the sound of dingoes howling at night in Alice Springs. Dingoes are also of cultural significance to the local Arrernte people.

Emerging Dream in Flight

An intricate mural painted by Kim Donald which shows an eagle unveiling a bearded dragon and a Sturt desert pea plant to the side. The unveiling is a hint to a mystery element to this mural which apparently has sections which glow under black light and reveal silhouettes of the animals with bright skies behind them.

Painted Finch

This native bird which is found in central Australia in rocky areas was painted by Chris Scott.

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Pinktails Redtails AFL Mural

Australian Rules Football (AFL) plays a huge role in central Australia so this mural was commissioned to celebrate the regional football community and the Central Australian Football Club.

Queen Bee

This native bee was painted by Karine Tremblay and highlights the importance of protecting our environment. The bee is central in the mural and is surrounded by native flowers and butterflies on a background colour which represents the sunsets in Alice Springs.

PRO4C Mural

A bright surrealist and graffiti style mural of birds and animals of central Australia painted by local aerosol artists Masika and 4U2C.

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Yeperenye Mural

This mural shows and explains the local bush tucker, animals, flora and generations of people in Alice Springs.

Sulphur Crested Cockatoos

This is a very ‘fresh’ mural I found that was only painted this year and so I’ve had trouble finding out much about it, other than the artist is a local woman, Melanie Gunner. It’s a gorgeous, outrageously bright wall which depicts these cockatoos and local flora.

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As always, this is just a taste of some of the spectacular art around town so when in Alice Springs pick up a Public Art Map from the information centre in Todd Mall and enjoy a walk around town to discover them all.

Cheers

Glenys