From the dining room table in our new family home in Fitzroy, New Plymouth we have a view out onto 3 big bushes known as swan plants. these plants attract big red monarch butterflies and are the chosen plant for the laying of eggs, the neverending munching of caterpillars , the growing of crysalis’ and then the birth of butterflies themselves. We are not a TV house for many reasons, and throughout the Taranaki summer of 2024/25, our first of many to come in NZ, we watched this process, this life cycle repeat itself over and over again as we ate our breakfast lunch adn dinner
. I drew the different shapes and parts of the plants over and over and was thrilled when this pre-school just up the road from our house, accepted a swan plant based design proposal for the long thin wall in their garden.
Throughout the long days in February i painted this mural on evenings and weekends only and was thrilled that it took the exact estimated time, the sand pit hadn’t got into my paint as predicted and the blend that i’d chosen for the elegant swan plant leaves came out as well as it did.I have so many more ideas based on this lifecycle concept.. there is alot to work with there. ideally i get to propose it for a bigger wall later in the year so watch this space, or the social media spaces.. you know what i mean.
A basic leaf shape to fill the area, a secondary shape occassionally filled with a gradient, a few more detailed repeated elements and a few illustrative details to finish. seems I have a mural formula now. And can adapt it for any space! Mural confidence rising. conviction regarding the price of my time solid. list of enquiries and potential projects on horizon ever growing.
Does New Plymouth need a street art festival revival? how would i go at project managaing a big funded event like that? Why TF are all male jobs in NZ over 45 hrs a week and ignore any family commitments?? 2025 asking me all the questions.. i guess ill just keep juggling, and hiking and swimming and running and drawing and cooking and wondering and things will all work out