Blackall

Braving 37 degree temps for much of the week is was great to be back in Blackall. This time I had the opportunity to work with Blackall Historical Woolscour which is home to the last working steam powered facility of its type. The woolscour has seen numerous of upgrades over summer and tour guides are gearing up for a busy tourist season ahead.

I enjoyed working with awesome locals, Ros and the team at the scour are driving fantastic projects to benefit the community and the visitor experience. During the painting process I  learnt a fair amount about local history and their knowledge of horse anatomy and wool transport was invaluable to ensuring accuracy. A big thanks to Blackall State School and St Josephs for their involvement in the art making process.

Featured in the image is George Gill (1884-1961) with horses and a local wool wagon. We also applied some of the original hand cut steel wool bale stencils which likely date back to the 1930s/40s.

Handmade tin stencils from as far back as 1930’s & 40’s

Oxenford

Oxenford State School have kept me busy with a few murals over recent years. This was another project working in conjunction with the school and P&C to deliver a fun and interactive artwork. I explored a few options, considered various design approaches and this cool twist on the snakes and ladders theme was a winner!

Pavement Art by The Sauce Studio

Waterford West

It was a pleasure to kick off the year with a fun piece at Waterford West State School. After completing the Tuckshop & Uniform Shop last year it is great to re-connect with the P&C for another project. The wall was in need of some TLC so I scraped back several layers, prepared the surface and applied several coats of paint. It was great to be a part of this positive initiave…Be Kind, Be Brave, Be you!

2023 Wrap Up

As the year comes to a close I wish to thank everyone who made it an epic one. I always enjoy splashing some paint around along with the opportunity to work with great people and see familiar faces. I kept busy in 2023 and took on a variety of commissions including a 9ft kangaroo, a ceiling, beer label designs, signs, a street library, sports club, tanks, hotel, campground, airport, toilet block, a couple of aged care facilities and fourteen schools!

With my trusty K9 sidekick/supervisor Mac we completed projects all across Queensland and beyond: Aramac, Blackall, Bundamba, Burringbar, Casino, Chinchilla, Coalstoun Lakes, Coraki, Daisy Hill, Flagstone, Guluguba, Harrisville, Jericho, Lennox Head, Miles, Mulgowie, Murwillumbah, Muttaburra, Ormeau, Oxenford, Peak Crossing, Regents Park, Roma, Shailer Park, Tallebudgera, Toowong, Waterford West and Windaroo Valley.

It’s been a top year at The Sauce Studio, thanks for being along for the journey. There are also a stack of exciting projects locked in for coming months so stay tuned.

Sauce

Flagstone

I was recently tasked with applying a mural for the Student Council Representatives at Flagstone State Community College who supplied the design. The mural was an initiative dedicated to a principal who passed and had left a positive impact and legacy within the school community. A big thanks to the students and staff who made this happen, it was a pleasure to represent the Flagstone Foxes.

Chinchilla

On my travels to outback Queensland I take every opportunity to stop by Charley’s Creek Campground. I continued the murals at the camp kitchen area with more local flora and fauna. The feedback from all the fresh art has been incredible and I think Charley’s Creek takes the cake for the most murals in one vicinity.

The Brewery is almost underway and keen to maintain some momentum whist under construction Charleys Creek Brewery has released an American Pale Ale. The One In A Melon sour beer was a real hit winning a Gold Medal and I was chuffed the artwork (of a cow smashing a watermelon) turned out great.

For the second beer the Pale Ale label design was also an interesting brief. The concept revolved around a star bull called Golden Nuts and it all came together well, I am very satisfied with the artwork and so stoked to see my client wrapped.

I also painted a tree for The Blue Tree Project which is a great cause and looks great amongst the natural bush surrounds.

Roma

I had a great time in Roma, Queensland painting the ceilings at the Life Flight base, Roma Airport. The brand new facility will operate as a visitor centre and base for operations out of the hanger. A big thanks to Brandi Projects for the opportunity to be involved.

Whilst in the area I took on a small commission in the CBD for the lovely folk at Golders Mensland Roma is home of the bottle tree and numerous historical buildings and Golders is one of them. I was given the chance to paint something site specific. I drew inspiration from the flora and fauna in the vicinity and the concept responds to the immediate surrounds whilst skewing notions of time and place. The juxtaposition of modern street furniture (that’s manufactured not far from my studio) and ornate historic architecture reminds of the diversity and evolution in the natural world as bottle trees rise from a concrete jungle.

Burringbar

I whipped up a sign for an event on Saturday the 2nd December at Burringbar Uniting Church. Support your local community if you’re in the area.

Peak Crossing

It was great to return to the traditional lands of the Mununjali, Wangerriburra and Ugarapul Peoples. For this project design options were developed and the school students picked the winner to be applied on a large wall at Peak Crossing State School. The winning concept entails of the iconic Peak Crossing landscape including Flinders Peak, Ivorys Rock and some local animals. I always enjoy the painting process, hearing the kookaburras laughing while I was painting their images was a joy. A big thanks to the P&C team for making this project come to fruition.

Guluguba

I enjoyed my time at Guluguba State School where I painted local flora, fauna and historical elements. The place name is an indigenous word from the Iman people meaning squatters pigeon, a threatened species.

The rough texture of the surface made it challenging however I’m really satisfied with the detail packed in to this one.