How much does a mural cost? There are a number of factors that determine the price of a mural. Much like renovating a kitchen, there is a price range from the most fancy features to the practical and affordable options. Let me unpack the main costs to consider and I’ll also show you a range of murals that I’ve painted and their budget. Mural painted by Leah Grant in 2018. TOTAL BUDGET = $1,500 (Mural was painted for a street party event and was meant to be painted over after the event. It is still there 5 years later. All paints used were supplied by Dulux.) How experienced is the artist? You ..read more

It’s SALA time in South Australia and if you’re an Adelaide girl you know that means every cafe, gallery and art space is shinning bright with new work. Jessie Feitosa and Lena Baumgartner are two astonishingly brilliant artists who have put together a joint show SAGA, at Reform Distilling. To my absolute shock, they’ve asked me to officially open the exhibition for them. Which I’m honoured by and, if I’m honest, feel rather intimidated by their style, talent and profile. I mean wowee, between them they have over 30K on insta!  Jessie and Lena have become my arty besties and I think its ..read more

HOW TO PAINT A STOBIE POLE Here in South Australia many of our streets have Stobie Poles, instead of the usual power poles. We can thank James Cyril Stobie for his invention of a termite-resistant alternative giving the community the perfect canvas. Why not transform these concrete surfaces into something bright and colourful?  In May 2023, I painted six new designs in front of Rosary Primary School on Gladstone Road, Prospect. This project has been funded by the City of Prospect and included a mini-residency for Year 4 students to paint a stencil with aerosol. Previously the poles had ..read more

ANDY WARHOL EXHIBITION REVIEW I’ve just visited the exhibition at the Art Gallery of South Australia to see Andy Warhol and Photography: A Social Media. It was tremendous. Here are my favourite things about the exhibition… 1.     SILVER WALLS! Oh my, this was so gloriously tactile and shinny. It made every frame and photograph pop off the wall. I kind of wanted hug the walls when the guards weren’t around… wanted to, but didn’t. I promise! 2.     Elvis. Because, he’s Elvis, but I just love how every room was filled with celebrities. You were immersed in ..read more

HOW TO PAINT A CHILDCARE MURAL I have just returned from a whirlwind trip to Whyalla, painting a 19m2 mural for Sunrise Christian Early Learning Centre. And I’d love to share with you a few insights into this fabulous project and of course, show you the process and final result. Here are the most common questions I get from people who stop and chat or DM me on Instagram. How long did it take to paint it? This project took 3 full days to paint. They were mammoth days in pretty high heat. Dipping my t-shirt in water and pouring water on my hat to stay cool. If it wasn’t for the travel factor, I ..read more

Taking a leap and booking a gallery space for your first exhibition is huge! It’s scary, risky and unbelievably fun. Alana Naylor has bravely plunged in, displaying her digital drawings at The LAB for Project Play. Alana is based in Cairns, has traveled the world and this year she won the Adelaide Fringe Poster Competition with her artwork ‘Fleurs de Fringe’. This amazing recognition has catapulted her from experimenting with her drawings through her Project Play Instagram account to collaborating with a team of creatives to pull off a genre-defying, visual art experience. I first came across ..read more

SECRET 1: PLAY & LEARN I’ll let you in on my first little secret… I actually have no idea what I’m doing! But I’m learning through play. I’m experimenting with Teachers Pay Teachers and trying new products and techniques all the time. But I still don’t have the magic answer for how to use it. I think I’ve made a great product and then I post it and then boom!... barely any sales.  What? Why? I don’t know! Then early this year I made a last-minute card for Mother’s Day and it sells like hotcakes! I’m learning, well more accurately, GUESSING with every product I upload. The key is, I’m ..read more

I really struggle to answer the question “What do you do?” I always need more clarification. Is the question “What do I do with most of my time?” or “What do I love doing the most” or “What do I earn the most money doing?”…it’s not an easy answer for me. I even struggle with those clarifying questions, because really – why should what I earn be important in what I’m doing and who I am? (Plus, you’re probably just asking to be polite and you don’t really care that I’m having an identity crisis!) I could say “art teacher”, I could say “I’m a Mum”, I could say “I’m an artist”… in the last two ye ..read more

I LOVE ART. I love seeing, following, teaching, making and chatting all things creative. But if I’m 100% honest I don’t always feel creative. In fact sometimes, I don’t even know how to get back into that creative space and other times it flows so damn naturally I wish I could bottle it up and save some for later. When there’s a lack of inspiration that passion, can easily turn to jealousy. When you see the brilliant talent and opportunity of others, do you ever feel the same? Or am I the only one? Progress photo of Claire Ishino. In an effort to break free of that, I’ve challenged myself to ..read more

Ok, I NEED to share this with you! I’ve just finished a mural for Adelaide Fringe Street Art Explosion. While I was painting my ‘Let Down Your Hair’ mural on Frome Street, around the corner on Mogar Lane, Mimby Jones Robinson was painting for the same project. I had never met Mimby, only stalked her on insta and was therefore totally intimidated to go meet her. She’s incredibly talented and clearly smashing it with her art career. Artists have this weird thing going, where some are really open and just damn passionate about all things art and other’s… well… some just keep to themselves, see a ..read more