South Australian Birds
Prospect Mural Group (1982) and Mark Warren (2018)
Description
About the artist
The Mural Group was approached by the Kindergarten committee to design a mural for their side wall, which faces one of Prospect's more pleasant parks. After discussion with the committee, a design of South Australian birds was drawn up. Members of the Committee primed the wall with two main background colours. Slides of the design were projected up and the outlines traced up ready for a full day of public participation at the Prospect Fair, which took place in St Helens Park.
'The response was excellent, and the mural was completed in one day, requiring only a little finishing by two members of the group at a later date’ – an extract from the Arts Officer Report.
The original mural, South Australian Birds was painted at the Prospect Fair 1982, was repainted and a new mural at the front of the Kindergarten was added in 2018 by Mark Warren to mark the anniversary of 60 years of St Helens Kindergarten.
1982 / 2018
Prospect Mural Group - formed in November 1978 by nine residents who shared a desire to paint murals within the City of Prospect Area. Trish McLaine, Ann Newmarch, David Kerr, Julie Fife, Chris Bryant, Brian Medlin, Carol Moore. Funding from Community Arts Board and Visual Arts board of the Australia Council, and the SA Department of the Arts.
Mark Warren - was born in Nelson, Lancashire, England in 1965 and moved to Zambia in the early 1970s before arriving in Australia in 1980, where he went on to study at the North Adelaide School of Art from 1992-95. Mark's paintings are full of colour and life. Often inspired by urban landscapes and animals, his characters come to life by the use of masking techniques and negative spaces over a rich, textured background of abstract shapes and colour. Mark is inspired by many artists from the Modernist movement such as Paul Klee, Henri Matisse, William Scott, Alan Davie and Niki de Saint Phalle. He is similarly inspired by primitive art and design, African masks and patterns.
Artwork Location
1 Koonga Ave, Prospect SA 5082, Australia