Goodly Creatures

Goodly Creatures.
Alexia Urban Winery, Greytown

4m x 4m. Acrylic, markers, red cord, and a pinch of fate.

Goodly Creatures Mural.

Jane Cooper and Lesley Reidy at Alexia Urban Winery in Greytown are enthusiastic art lovers and collectors. They wanted to give their new winery an artistic edge to complement the industrial style of their winery/cellar door space. I was so excited they asked me, I nearly fell over.

Over a cuppa, I asked Jane and Lesley about their family, their values, their hobbies, the business. We talked about the enduring strength of family connections, and a love of the land - from working in vineyards to tramping in the beautiful New Zealand bush. They are some of the nicest and most genuine people I've had the pleasure to meet, and the design ideas flowed freely. We landed on this idea, and they assured me that the surreal style was just what they wanted - a little bit street, a little bit nurturing, and full of stories.

Process pics.

The story.

O, wonder!
How many goodly creatures are there here!
How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,
That has such people in't.
- Shakespeare. The Tempest: Miranda, Act 5 Scene 1

The Tempest is set on a wild island in the sea, where people build strength, character and love despite (and because of) nature’s stormy torment.

I like drawing people in illustrative and surreal styles, exploring human emotions and reactions. Feelings reveal themselves through exaggerated forms, awkward exchanges, and often a direct gaze that invites you in to their internal struggle.

Poetry, human connections, science and nature, and maps of any kind all influence the stories characters find themselves in.

Some mural details.
I don't like to tell you what to see! But I know it's fun to learn a bit of the backstory, so this is for all you detail folks:

I wrote the Tempest quote on the primed wall to act as an informal grid for scaling the artwork from 40cm to 4m! The largest mural I've done so far. It is a little faint here, but you can see a larger pic of the poem in the slideshow.

The person on the bottom left of the mural has appeared in a few of my drawings, and they are usually offering someone a scoop of their heart. To me they seem vulnerable and uncertain, yet hopeful.

The next person carries around a kete with plants sprouting up and around the people, bringing her good nature with her wherever she goes. Will she accept the scoop? She feels quite grounded and peaceful.

The fellow in the middle is happy with his own company – enjoying the world from the safety of his bird mask. Two parts awkward, one part satisfied.

Mrs Gourley the bird lady is someone from my childhood who rescued birds. One of her rescues, an owl, decided she was his mate and he perched on her head for years. Missus G had this supreme confidence to spend her days on earth doing what she loved and sharing it with everyone.

The boy on the right is at home in nature, connecting the people he’s with to the beauty around him. I think he's one of those people who would stop in the middle of the footpath, crouch down, and call you over to inspect a patch of lichen, or a tiny flower.

This whole scene is framed by the nurturing protection of twin goddesses. They watch over the humans and nature, and are connected by the red threads of fate from Chinese mythology – the idea that we are connected to important people in our lives by an invisible red thread that can never be cut or broken.

Your turn.

Part of the fun of art is that the viewer gets to add their own personal story to the mix. Visitors enjoy seeing aspects of themselves in these goodly creatures, or the pictures help them recall similar situations they’ve been.

I can’t wait to hear all of the interpretations and experiences that add to this mural's tale. Pop on over to Alexia Wines' Instagram or Facebook pages to share yours! #goodlycreatures

Some photos by me, and the great ones are by Lucy Cooper Photography.