Jimmy Dvate, a Melbourne artist, is Australia’s most eminent wild life muralist. Almost all of his work is of Australian birds and wild life. He paints on small walls to big walls and silos. He has done more silos than any other artist. His signature art is of birds and animals – he loves them and paints them. It is good to look from a distance then look closely to see how he has put life into this mural. Jimmy did not know what he was going to paint when he arrived, so he went for a walk up the beach and was inspired to paint pelicans. It is amazing how he could work out what to paint, do a mock up and develop what to paint, put a series of dots and marks all over the wall as reference points to guide him and complete the painting by the end of the festival.
This piece is not aging well – it was one of the first paintings and we have learnt since, the importance of wall prepping before the artist commences. We believe that like us, the ageing process gives it character!