Rochester Mural Festival.
The 2022 murals
Theme: "Paint us a song"
Stand 1
GREN FREEMAN - “This is Australia”
The song I have painted you is the song “Gang Gajang.” The sounds of then (This is Australia).
The song resonates with me as a celebration of what is Australia, the icons old and new. There are many parts, and I chose just a few so let’s laugh and think this is Australia….
Stand 2 .
REBECCA MURRAY/GRAHAME WILSON - “Morning has Broken”
Morning has broken is not only a celebration of a new day, but an image of hope.
It is a prayer of thanks for what we have and for what we can make possible.
Stand 3
.KERRY NICHOLSON- “Lucy in the sky with diamonds”
Highly Commended Award.
This is my interpretation of the song inspired by Julian Lennon and written by his father John Lennon and Paul McCartney. I picked this well-known song because it is full of visual images. Some say that it was about LSD however I am more interested in the brilliance of the concepts in the poetry. Marmalade skies, plasticine porters, rocking horse, people, and a girl with kaleidoscope eyes. What fantastic ideas. This allows me to use my own imagination
Stand 4.
MARCO PENNACCHIA - “Teardrop”
First Prize and Peoples Choice Award.
The intense darkness of Death and unheard Love. She is enveloped in the darkness of fear and is seeking the light of strength.
The bouquet of new flowers emerging from darkness into light.
High quality prints of this mini-mural are available . The print is 42x96cm on canson rag paper 310gsm. Click on this link to find out more.
Stand 5.
CHRISTINA RANKIN - “Birdies got Talent”
I sat back and thought long and hard about what kind of song I would paint for the Rochester Mural Festival, and while I was sitting out in my yard thinking long and hard, I could hear a bird singing. I remember thinking to myself “Wow, that bird’s got talent!”
Stand 6.
MARYANN JENKINS/JOYCE DEMPSEY- “How much is that doggie in the window”
…..a much loved popular song which evokes the sentimental yearning a child has for a pet.
The design shows dogs in a pet shop window – all with a different personality – playful, energetic, sad-eyed, and one with a “Waggly tail.”
Stand 7
JARED FARROW- “Holy Grail”
The song I chose to paint was ‘Holy Grail’, by Australian rock band ‘Hunters and Collectors’.
With the lyrics of the song borrowing heavily from the stories of the Knights Templar and the Great Crusades, I wanted to create an image that best portrayed that story. My image is styled on the stained-glass windows usually seen in churches and tells the story of the brave expedition that left in search for the glory and treasures that the fabled ‘Holy Grail’ would provide.
Whether you know the song from two decades of hearing it attached to the AFL Grand Final, or you listened to it in its peak in the Australian rock music scene, or you know the histories and stories its based off, I hope everyone enjoys my take on an Australian classic.
Stand 8
CHRIS DUFFY - “Rocketman”
The song that I chose to paint to is Elton John’s Rocketman. After doing some research I discovered that Bernie Taupin wrote the song based on a science fiction short story in Ray Bradbury’s 1959 book, The Illustrated Man. The Rocket Man, was about how astronauts in the future would become sort of an everyday job, much the same as a long-distance truck driver. So, I took that idea and ran with it, focusing primarily on the lifestyle of being on the road a lot, truck stops, pop, paraphernalia & space junk – food & of course the lyrics to the song.
