Young artists create vibrant mural designs

South Dunedin Street Art Trail’s young workshop participants finish their mural in Wilkie Rd...
South Dunedin Street Art Trail’s young workshop participants finish their mural in Wilkie Rd yesterday afternoon. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH
A South Dunedin street wall has been transformed into a canvas for some young graffiti artists.

Young people from all over Dunedin spent the past week at the South Dunedin Community Network’s space in King Edward St honing their spray-painting skills and coming up with designs for a mural in Wilkie Rd.

After learning drawing skills, colour theory, composition and perspective from South Dunedin Street Art Trail artists Koryu Aoshima and James Buckner, the youth went outside and painted all day yesterday.

Cult classic film Napoleon Dynamite title character with his Vote for Pedro T-shirt painted by a...
Cult classic film Napoleon Dynamite title character with his Vote for Pedro T-shirt painted by a young participant of yesterday’s workshop. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH
Mina Allan, 13, painted a mural of characters she created in 2023 called "Party Frogs" which was a person dressed in a frog suit next to an actual frog.

"They’re in love.

"He’s pretending to be a frog and he thinks he’s getting away with it but really everyone knows and they’ve just accepted it."

Designs from other young participants of the workshop. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH
Designs from other young participants of the workshop. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH
The workshop was really fun, she said.

She wished there was funding for more programmes like it.

"These kinds of groups are really cool because they attract people who really like art."

PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH
PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH
Mina only began spray-painting about a year ago but had been drawing, sketching and painting with water colours since she could remember.

"I love all forms of art, even pottery."

She was grateful to have the opportunity to paint on a large public wall.

PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH
PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH
Programme organiser Claire Rye said it was a passion project to give young people a chance to learn new skills.

The participants that were selected expressed an active desire to do art.

The paint on the wall had faded and it was in desperate need of a fresh mural.

PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH
PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH
KiwiRail gave the project permission to repaint about 35m of wall under its railway tracks.

The youth designed all of the characters themselves to paint over a "spacey" background.

mark.john@odt.co.nz

 

Advertisement