By JESSE GRAHAM
AN ICONIC Healesville wall has been given a fresh coat of paint and a completely new look by a couple of local artists, who spent last week splashing on an eye-catching design.
Healesville artist Paul Sonsie and illustrator Josh Fradley spent last week painting on the wall beside 3 St Leonards Road at the east end of town, erecting a large piece, featuring two black-and-white ibises.
For countless years, the wall has been covered in various street art and graffiti pieces, from a desert landscape in 2010 through to pictures of the cartoon Powerpuff Girls.
But on the weekend of 20 June, Mr Sonsie and Mr Fradley painted the wall white in preparation for their piece, which they worked on throughout last week.
Stopping work briefly for an interview with the Mail, Mr Sonsie said the wall had a deep history of being used for street art in the town.
“The history of the wall goes back to when I was little,” he said.
“There has always been graffiti here – there used to be a Mickey Mouse on the corner, there.
“It’s iconic for artwork and it doesn’t get changed very often. I think, deep down, I always knew I was going to do something here.”
Mr Sonsie said that residents and passers-by, as well as the owner of the building, had been supportive of the new piece – though he noted the ibis was a controversial choice.
“The locals are absolutely loving it – especially the people who live in the area,” he said.
“It’s nice to see something refreshing and so simple, really.”
But, he noted that the ibis was a controversial choice, with an unknown street artist coming down during the week to spray red bullet-holes on the birds.
“Someone came with a red spray can and shot them, almost,” he said, seeming happy about the piece’s interaction with the public.
“I knew they were controversial, but I didn’t know how controversial they were.
“I came up with the birds, because they’re almost our underdog of the birds – they’re pretty iconic to Healesville and they are a little controversial, but I think that’s what gave me the drive to actually do them.”
Mr Sonsie said the piece only required a few touches to finish it off.
For more information on Paul Sonsie’s work, visit www.sonsiestudios.com.
What do you think of the new piece on the building? Write a letter to the editor to editor@mailnewsgroup.com.au or to 244 Maroondah Highway, Healesville.
