This year’s Rochester Mural Festival theme ‘I Have A Dream’ inspired a trove of artwork, including that of the eight finalists who will paint their murals this week.
Echuca artist Maryann Jenkins said it was exciting to be selected to paint her design in Rochester.
“I didn’t really think I’d get picked because they have a lot of people put in for it, so when they rang and said I was going to be one of them, it was a bit surreal,” she said.
“It’ll be something to look back on as a real accomplishment, especially as I get older.”
The other artists who will be painting their work this week are Steve Monk, Gren Freeman, Helen English, Kerry Nicholson, Marco Pennacchia, Chris Duffy and Ana Armillas.
Much of the art had a touch of humour, perhaps none more than Mr Monk’s ‘Livin’ the Dream’.
“I used to have a mate who was a police officer, and outside of work, he used to drive ladies of the night to jobs and wait in the car for them,” he said.
“Well, what ended up happening was that he stole the girls and opened his own business. At the time, for me and my mates, this was every man’s dream.
“I didn’t think I could paint that, so I pivoted to this painting about wealth, its corrupting power, and what people think it looks like.”
Other artists, like Mr Duffy, took a much more literal approach by including Martin Luther King Jr in his creation.
“The sentiment of Martin Luther King’s famous speech ‘I Have A Dream’ is great, but there’s been a bit of a glitch since then,” he said.
“It's a beautiful notion, but we haven’t really got there. So, to show that, I decided I would put the glitch in as a test pattern.”
The week is an exciting one for the artists who are looking forward to the camaraderie.
“Obviously, it’s a competition, but that’s not how I’ve thought about it. It’s just as much about the camaraderie and being with a set of people who are into the same thing as you,” Ms English said.
“I mean, where else, apart from a mural festival, do you get to stand alongside other people who love painting murals as you do it all together?”
This is something that artist Ms Armillas agrees with Ms English about.
“I’m really excited. I really want to paint this concept, and it’s my first time taking part in this, so I’m looking forward to learning from everyone else,” she said.
“We were given a lot of artistic freedom for this, which was invaluable.”
For people interested in watching the artists paint the murals, they will be working at Mural Park on Moore St, each day until Saturday. The festival runs from April 6 to 14.
People can vote for their favourite mural, and those results, along with the judges’ choice awards, will be announced on Sunday at about 11 am.