Path to Studio ARTES
by Jeff McCann in collaboration with 25 Studio ARTES artists, 2022
45 Unwins Bridge Road, Sydenham

Inner West Council acknowledges the traditional custodians of these lands, the Gadigal and Wangal people of the Eora Nation.

This bright and colourful mural runs along the sidewall of a contemporary single storey building on the corner of a suburban tree-lined street in Sydenham. There are white framed windows running the length of the building above the mural. A wide a slightly vaulted roof overhangs the top of the windows. The mural measures 27 metres wide by 1.7 metres high. It’s a riotous kaleidoscope of primary and secondary colours painted onto a background of purple, grey and blue.

From left to right there is a pot of flowers with red hearts above them, a head and shoulders portrait of a man and a woman, he with short black hair and glasses and she with thick red eyeliner. Then a black outline of a plane with Qantas printed on the side, flying between two banks of solid white looking clouds. Below the plane is a purple skinny monster with propeller hands and a little boy with blue propeller fingers.

Next is a collection of houses drawn loosely, square and blocky with smiley faces. Then, a smiling woman with a grey dress and turquoise stockings. Following this is a creature a heart with a face and stick limbs. This leads to a large blue-headed and red-chested bird perched precariously on a log. To his right are a pair of enormous red ladybirds flying over large pots of flowers, a colourful shoulder bag, a wagon wheel and a blue skinned man with black hair, pink top, blue trousers, and black boots. He is holding a cup of takeaway coffee. The next section is a grid of multi coloured squares with coloured letters which spell out: "Studio ARTES has a lot of excellent artists, dancers, musicians, textiles, jewellers, cooks, actors, gardeners, weavers, friend and families".

To the right of the grid sits a cartoon dog, brown, orange, white, and smiling. Next a parade of square cats, rabbits, hearts, and a family walking hand in hand. Below them at the bottom of the mural is a life size head and shoulders portrait of a brown haired, pink-skinned woman, hand on chin, staring out at us. Next to her is a small wooden hut with a pot plant behind it with two enormous flowers, one is purple, the other is one red. Popping out behind it is a pale skinned person wearing a flat hat at an angle and finally, in the top right-hand corner, a cartoon outline of a smiling blue dog.

The painting is carefully done and covers every inch of the wall with every colour available but brought together by the purple/grey background. The mural is full of gusto and enthusiasm. All the people and animals look out and engage with passers-by.

This artwork was commissioned by Inner West Council through Perfect Match, a program matching artists with community to collaboratively produce site specific street art.

Audio description written by Vision Australia, and voiced by Nas Campanella.

www.innerwest.nsw.gov.au/PerfectMatch

Path To Studio ARTES

Inner West Council