SmartPups Paint Party
Art, Community & Collaboration
I’m incredibly grateful to have contributed a small piece to the story of SmartPups, and what made this project even more meaningful was getting to create it alongside my amazingly talented and beautiful fiancée, Esa. Sharing experiences like this together is something I’ll always treasure. When SmartPups first approached me about the mural commission, I was ecstatic, but we quickly realised it could become something much bigger than just a painting.
For the record, SmartPups is an incredible Australian charity that trains assistance dogs to support children and individuals with special needs, giving families greater independence, confidence and companionship.
Given their inspiring mission, I decided to reallocate part of my commission back into the project to create a SmartPups Paint Party, complete with a classic Aussie sausage sizzle! The idea was to invite the community to come together, learn more about the incredible work SmartPups does, and experience some of the joy that comes from picking up a brush and creating something together.
We were fortunate to have some amazing sponsors come onboard. Eckersley’s donated a large canvas for each participant of the community to paint a section, Officeworks supplied acrylic paints for the community to paint our puppy portrait, and Dulux sponsored the paint for the shipping container mural.
Seeing families painting, meeting the pups and watching the mural come to life was incredibly rewarding. The event even made Channel 7 News, and Esa and I were so stoked to see a message of community positivity, creativity and giving back being shared with a wider audience.
As I continue to grow as an artist, this is the kind of work I want to do more of, using art to bring people together, support meaningful causes and give others the freedom and joy of creating.
Noosa Today wrote a fantastic article about the mural and also the amazing work of SmartPups if you’re up for a read click here.
