Final stroke to substation art

Art is still able to be enjoyed within the Tamworth region despite current restrictions in place with the completion of the final electrical substation mural in Bicentennial Park to be completed this week.

“This is the final work in a series of murals throughout the CBD and Bicentennial Park,” said Tamworth Regional Gallery and Museums director, Bridget Guthrie.

“The theme of each mural relates to the local community, identity and place such as the Tamworth Country Music Festival and City of Light, which fits perfectly with the support given to this project by Essential Energy.”

The project has run over the past three years using a range of local and regional artists.

Ms Guthrie said the final substation, completed by local artist Danny Stanley, is located near Pioneers Parade across from Fitzroy Street Plaza, and its Tamworth Country Music Festival theme ties in with the bronze busts of country music greats situated nearby.

Planning for the design of the substation started about 18 months ago when Mr Stanley started to research the Festival with a visit to the Australian Country Music Hall of Fame.

“I didn’t have much interest in country music and after going to the Hall of Fame, the history of the Festival is much more interesting and cooler than I thought,” Mr Stanley said.

“I was blown away by the history, and old school entertainers like Smoky Dawson, who was a real showman doing everything from singing and playing the guitar to knife throwing.”

An image of Smoky Dawson made it onto the mural on the substation along with a big-top circus tent which was taken from a photo of Bicentennial Park during the Festival in the 1980s. From that same era, it also depicts a crowd where Mr Stanley has taken the opportunity to place himself

in the mural as a child with an ice-cream.

“Growing up in Tamworth, as a kid the place would come to life and that memory and perspective could only be captured by a local artist.”

When viewing the scenes depicted on the substation, Mr Stanley’s intention is for people to imagine the substation is transparent; looking to a scene on the other side.

The substation is painted with high quality exterior house paint and will be finished with a clear protective paint to ensure its colour and vibrancy for years to come.

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