Tori Higgins, Rosemary Cochrane and I painted a mural panel for the Tea Club in Nowra as a part of the Regnite Nowra CBD Art Walk funded by NSW Government’s Uptown Accelerator Program. We painted the initial coat together in the Vincentia Connections Community Hub during the second week of the April school holidays and had lots of visits from interested community members. We even had enquiries about future mural commissions! I completed the final coats in my studio yesterday. The Cosmic Prawn character featured as the spirit of the Tea Club is a Surrealistic portrait of a local percussionist Stan, known by locals as Cosmic. Cosmic is a colourful character who has been painted by other local artists (including Bob Dixon and Helen Nugent). Consultation with original creator of the Tea Club Ross Longfield revealed Cosmic as an enthusiastic regular performer at the Tea Club when it began. Cosmic has become a fatherly figure for me as a drumming mentor since the passing of my father who taught me to play drums. Cosmic wanted to be painted in a non-serious surrealistic way to reflect his personality. Rosemary painted tea plants that feature on the menu at the Tea Club, while Tori has painted the sky, mountain and ghost moths fluttering upwards.
Laomedia 