Tolland mural completed with help of local high school students

Over the past two weeks, people driving past Tolland Shopping Centre may have noticed some new splashes of vibrant colour or spotted a native Australian animal or two.

The large stretch of what was previously a plain brick wall on Nordlingen Drive is now a stunning mural, painted by Alex Sugar, as part of Council’s Public Art Plan’s Neighbourhood Engagement initiative.

Completed this week, the mural was painted in collaboration with students from Mount Austin High School. The students created designs in workshops with the artist who then guided them to paint on the wall with various spray-painting techniques.

Artist Alex Sugar said the design for the mural was a combination of consulting with the school’s students and teachers and incorporating his own signature style.

“We wanted to create something that resonated with the local community and also something the students wanted to paint,” Alex said.

“Most of my designs tend to incorporate native Australian flora and fauna, which is definitely something that appealed to the students.

“We spoke about what kinds of plants and animals they can see around them, and they drew their own designs in class which we were then able to transfer to a large-scale design on the wall.

“The students took to it really well and I was impressed at how quickly some of them adapted to this art method.”

Council’s Cultural Officer Lauren Reynolds said the students have been studying Alex’s past artworks as part of their preparation for the project.

“I think it was an awesome opportunity for these young artists to not only study Alex’s work, but then get to meet him and learn his techniques straight from him,” Ms Reynolds said.

“The Neighbourhood Engagement initiative is not only about brightening local neighbourhood spaces, but also creating opportunities for communities to contribute and have ownership of the artwork in their areas.

“The local students will now get to walk past this mural, our biggest one yet, and say ‘I helped create that’. They can also see it from the school across the road, that’s how large it is.”

The project also received some paint supplies from Dulux’s Community Donations program and is located on the large brick wall of one of the Tolland Shopping Centre buildings, along Nordlingen Drive.