“We are all mortal until the first kiss and the second glass of wine”
I had the pleasure of painting some mural in a new winery operated by young gun maker, Chris Catlow.
There’s more to come in 2018, until then, cheers!
One of the most fun murals I’ve painted in a long time. If I lived here as a teenager I don’t think I would ever come inside…I would’ve played basketball 24/7.
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As 2015 begins to slip away, people’s focus shifts towards the eating, drinking, family gatherings and festivities of Christmas. In Australia, this time of year also coincides with summer holidays (it’s the Southern hemisphere here). The Spring Racing Carnival here in Melbourne is the preamble to the onslaught of office parties and the commencement of the ‘silly season’.
For me it feels like a time to be productive. Rather than slowing down, I’m hoping to gain momentum moving into the New Year. So while the number of noticeably drunk people on the street increases, I’ve been in the studio working.
The piece will be hung in a group exhibition at 69 Smith Street Gallery in Fitzroy. Check out their website for details : http://www.69smithstreet.com.au/
This little image gallery shows the process paint sketches which led to the final piece on the gold background.
I’m not a natural planner, I struggle to sit down and do meticulous preparation for paintings, perhaps that’s a discipline I would have learned if I had academic training in art. I much prefer working with spraypaint to traditional drawing materials, I can test a concept quickly and I think this method of preparing for paintings will stay with me for a long time now.
The gold piece was sold at a preview, but the sketches, and lots of other works are on show this weekend in Melbourne. Here are the details: www.facebook.com/events/806841779351835/
The body of work for Distractions is coming together…letting the layers dry before the final touches.
Anyone living or visiting Melbourne should come and visit Imbibe Wine Bar on 21 February to see the work and have a few drinks.
For any Melbourne art lovers, I’m showing a selection of my paintings and drawings in February at Imbibe, a great little wine bar in Port Melbourne (at the ‘Paris end’, not the trashy fake tan end).
I’ll provide previews over the coming weeks – hope to see you there.
This year South Melbourne’s iconic Prince Wine Store opted to ditch the inflatable Santa and plastic reindeer in exchange for some custom painted wine bottles.
The high profile store is a prime target for ‘tagging’, but the new artwork lasted the holiday season and well into the new year…it almost looked as though it would become a permanent fixture.
The Palace Hotel is a traditional style of pub in Melbourne. While there’s a few big screen TV’s to watch sports on, everything else focuses on building a great atmosphere for socialising. It’s also free of pokies (poker machines), that plague of money sucking zombie makers that have turned suburban pubs and clubs into boring soul-less boxes.
Hidden upstairs at the Palace is a beautiful open dining room for private functions, the type where you can easily picture a long wine soaked lunch with super-important people and it is here that there’s a private room. Completed with two humourous murals based on the classic ‘dogs playing poker’ pictures hanging in pubs the world over.
The Palace Hotel in South Melbourne has a secret room upstairs, with two new murals to compliment the space. I’ll post better photos once the mini-renovation project is complete.
This is the largest (non-graffiti) painting I’ve completed to date. Painted on two large, light weight ply doors the piece is 2m high x 164cm wide.
Since my short period working in advertising I’m acutely aware of the tricks used to mislead people about body image and beauty. I started by painting a portrait, similar to what you may see in a full page ad in a fashion magazine, then destroyed it. The result is a sequence of textures and layers, not unattractive, but not a celebrated reflection of aspirational beauty.
This piece will be available for purchase soon.
Enquiries to mark-cowell@hotmail.com
