A GIANT mural adorning the side of the new Faith Community Church in Willetton will soon be unveiled as the City of Canning’s inaugural developer-funded artwork.
Drivers along South Street and the Roe Highway are set to be blessed by the sight of the mural, painted onto the side of the church, which pays tribute to the City’s local flora and fauna.
Artist Rachelle Dusting said the cockatoo in the mural was chosen given its close ties to the surrounding area.
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READ NOW“Red-tailed black cockatoos feed next to the trees in mural,” she said.
“I once saw about 300 flying by near the church, they flew over the Roe Highway overpass into Willetton.
“It was quite magical, it’s one thing to design this bird, but to actually see it next to the site and engage in the area was special.”
While she was not used to taking on such a large-scale project, Ms Dusting said the size of the artwork did not challenge her.
Instead, it was the public nature of the mural which caused her more concern.
“Normally when I’m creating an artwork, the process is I’m in the studio and I get to control what people see and what they don’t see,” she said.
“But the mural is on exhibition for people to see from start to end.
“That was a challenge for me, being vulnerable in a sense and being ok with people seeing the development.”
Having lived locally for the past decade, Ms Dusting said she was humbled her art was being used to liven up the area – and was excited by the fact she could see the mural from her residence.
“I’m on the border between Willetton, Leeming and Cockburn, so I can see part of the mural, which is quite ironic,” she said.
“‘Close to Home’ was the title for a reason Literally, it is close to my home.”
The artwork is the first to be created under a new City of Canning policy, which requires developers to allocate a percentage of the development cost to public art.