It was an absolute honour to be part of the very first Tauranga Street Art Festival, painting a colourful, abstract mural that brings together movement, texture and a whole lot of creative energy.
With full creative freedom, I wanted to explore the intersections of shape and form, something that naturally led me to one of my favourite ways to develop creative ideas, using cut-out collage.
When I first saw my allocated wall, I was really inspired by the diagonal recess in the wall itself. This sparked an idea where I played with intersecting and flipping colours on that axis.
I started by layering and arranging abstract shapes on paper, letting the composition come together intuitively. I also pulled in some of my mark making tecniques from my personal practice. This is something new for me in my mural work and SO fun to experiment with at this scale!
Another key part of the concept was incorporating a nod to the local environment. The organic shapes in the design are inspired by the native pōhutukawa tree, a key sight in Tauranga Moana. Weaving these natural elements into the piece creates a subtle connection between the mural and the surrounding landscape, making it feel like it truly belongs in the space.
The challenge? A 70sqm wall and just three days to bring it to life! With the help of an incredible team of assistants (and plenty of coffee-fueled hours), we made it happen. The colours, the energy, the team... everything clicked. I honestly think this is one of my favourite murals I’ve painted, and I’m already excited to explore more walls in this style.
A massive thank you to Tauranga Street Art Festival for including me in such an amazing lineup of artists and to Pauly B and Craig McClure for delivering an absolutely seamless event.
A big thank you to the support of these guys to make it all happen:
Tauranga City Council
Creative Bay of Plenty
Resene
Height 4 Hire
Foster Group
📍 See the mural
Go check it out at 80 Devonport Road, next to the beautiful new council building. If you snap a pic, tag me on Instagram! @jasminekroeze
