Back in 1990, an inner Melbourne pub advertised in the street press… they were looking for artists interested in designing and painting murals to decorate the building’s interior. A small group of us gathered at the appointed time and, before long, began work preparing the walls and making sketches of ideas.
We were provided with paint, brushes, ladders etc. As work commenced we took over the sound system—bringing in our own mixed tapes (I recall Mudhoney and early Henry Rollins being my main contribution)—and had free access to the bar, although we very sensibly stuck to non-alcoholic drinks during ‘work’ hours.
And so it was that, over the ensuing weeks, The Royal Artillery Hotel transformed into ‘The Arthouse’ : a venue for local bands wherein every surface was decorated with a wild array of colourful illustrations.
I met some great people that spring; friends I’m in contact with to this day. I later played numerous gigs at The Arthouse and attended plenty of others.
I have no idea how long the murals survived… it’s been many years since I visited that part of town.
I still have drawings and photos of my work - of-course!
*Yes, this is Number 2. No, you haven’t missed anything, Number 1 is still to come.
Dunkelheit, Sturm und Drang
“Darkness, Storm and Stress” is a repository for my illustrations, scribblings and photographs ~ visual art rather than written words.
Thanks for reading!