Shellharbour City Council will celebrate Australia Day 2021 with a new program that will see live large-scale art installations pop-up across the City.

The City’s first-ever mural festival will feature five artists painting simultaneously across different locations, with residents encouraged to drop in and watch as the designs develop across the day.

Featured artists and locations include:

David Cragg at Shellharbour City Stadium, Croom  Gus Eagleton at Addison Street, Shellharbour Village
Claire Foxton at Bendigo Bank, Oak Flats, Griffiths Street
Scott Nagy and Krimsone at Warilla Medical Centre, McKeon Lane, Warilla
Trait at IMB Bank, McKeon Lane car park, Warilla

Be witness to the various artistic styles and approaches of these five respected artists. A range of local flora and fauna are incorporated into the designs, including Claire’s Superb Fairyrwen, David’s Yellowtail Black Cockatoos, Trait’s Illawarra Flame Tree and Krimsone/Scott Nagy’s Weedy Sea Dragon. Each artist possesses a delightful signature style, and the murals are sure to be as eclectic and exciting as their colour palettes. Local singer-songwriter, Emma Jones will be playing live at the Oak Flats site from 10am to 12pm, and DJ Munch will be bringing the beats at Warilla from 10am to 2pm. These sites will also have COVID-safe snack stations available for the community to enjoy.

Council has partnered with creative studio Verb Syndicate, creators of the internationally renowned ‘Wonderwalls Festival’ to bring this new event to life. Verb Syndicate will also be filming and sharing the artwork developments on social media.

Shellharbour Mayor Marianne Saliba said the mural festival was a unique opportunity for the community to come together, reflect and celebrate.

“The artists painting on the day have developed designs with the aim to enhance connection to place, as well as create a sense of pride and joy. They feature vibrant colours and are inspired by the array of flora and fauna local to the Shellharbour area,” Cr Saliba said.

“I’m looking forward to seeing the process of how the artworks come together, as well as the ongoing positive impacts that these artworks will bring to our city,” she said.

Founder of Verb Syndicate Simon Grant said that he was excited to partner with Council.

“The project is such an innovative way to celebrate during uncertain times. Featuring an amazing line up of local and national talent, I can’t wait to see what the final results will be.

Shellharbour, Wollongong and Kiama Councils have also partnered with Historical Aviation Restoration Society (HARS) to conduct an aircraft and helicopter flyover to mark the day.

The aircraft flyover will depart Shellharbour Airport at 11am and will head down to Kiama then make their way up the coast to Bald Hill. At 5pm, a helicopter towing the Australian flag will commence a flight across the region, starting at Gerroa and making its way to Bald Hill.

Media enquiries: Kelli Wells 0448 361 008

About the Artists
David Cragg:
David is multidisciplinary artist of Indigenous and European ancestry, working in Dharawhal Country. He is a muralist, fine artist, designer, writer, builder, sculptor, photographer and youth/disability community worker. He has exhibited work, painted large-scale murals, curated
public art installations, performed live art, and delivered art-making workshops and mentorship across Australia.

Gus Eagleton:
Gus paints intuitive compositions using a considered colour palette. He manipulates light and shadow unrealistically and romantically. He paints with considered velocity and magnetism, yet
simultaneously the pieces embody a slowness a dreamlike feeling. Gus has been involved in many public art projects, murals and workshops. Some of these
include the Brisbane Street Art Festival 2018 and 2019, HK Walls 2018, HK Walls 2019,
Outloud Macau Vol. 3 2019, Tropica Fest 2017 Indonesia, Wonder Walls Festival, Port Kembla and Kalandar Project Nowra.

Trait:
Trait studied fine art at Wollongong West, focusing on photography and printmaking. His work was described by one teacher as ‘a view from the gutter’. He works mostly with aerosols,
markers and acrylic paint on canvas, paper, wood and found objects.

Claire Foxton:
Claire is a local artist and designer who since 2016 has rapidly developed a large body of public art. Through a hybrid of abstraction and realism, Claire’s art practice explores the triumphs and
strengths of the human condition via large-scale public portraiture. Claire’s work can be found throughout Australia, New Zealand and the US.

Krimsone and Scott Nagy:
Krimsone is a multidisciplinary artist, focusing mainly on aerosol painting. Their style resinates around flora and fauna, imaginative style, constructive patterns and colour. Krimsone grew up in
the Blue Mountains, learning how to use spray paint from others in the graffiti scene. After moving to Sydney, Krimsone studied at the National Art School in Darlinghurst, learning traditional notions and techniques of fine art before graduating with honours, majoring in
printmaking, creating a body of work from etchings.

Scott is a multidisciplinary artist but primarily a painter. His pieces are often painted with surreal perspectives and environmental themes. Scott grew up in the Blue Mountains, developing his skills in aerosol as a youth with some of the areas most renowned local graffiti artists. He studied fine arts at Nepean Arts and Design Centre and learned traditional painting techniques,
refining his knowledge in colour theory and perspective.