Art on the streets

This was the first mural I saw - a striking portrait of an indigenous child — This was the first mural I saw – a striking portrait of an indigenous child

Graffiti isn’t what it used to be – well not in my old home town at least.

I was totally entranced last week revisiting the streets and alleys I knew when I was a teenager, and seeing how they have been transformed into an amazing outdoor art gallery.

A couple of years ago, someone came up with this great idea for dealing with the graffiti that was costing the council tens of thousands of dollars a year to clean up.

Rather than arrest the graffiti artists, they encouraged them… with unexpected results.

The council funded the First Coat Festival – which gave graffiti artists the chance to create giant murals on some of the city’s walls. Three such festivals have now been held, and they have given the city a remarkable gift.

...now looks like this. So much nicer. — …now looks like this. So much nicer.

Some of the art work is absolutely beautiful… and the styles are so varied, everyone can find something to suit their personal taste. Toowoomba is now becoming famous for this art, and it’s even bringing in a few tourists.

This is a personal favourite - the detail is amazing. — This is a personal favourite – the detail is amazing.

There is a code among street artists – no artist is going to deface such a really good work done by someone else. So these murals remain untouched.

This was the only place I saw a mural defaced - and even then, it was just a tiny bit of blue paint in the corner- barely noticeable. — This was the only place I saw a mural defaced – and even then, it was just a tiny bit of blue paint in the corner- barely noticeable.

Some of the walls chosen were in the less salubrious parts of the inner city – in laneways which were not good places to be.

I found these smiling places down what used to be a very uninviting laneway.

The unexpected bonus of the artworks is that those laneways have been given a new lease of life. Coffee shops have opened to serve the people coming to look at the art work, and those lanes are becoming trendy meeting places.

Adding a classical touch to a car park. — Adding s classical touch to a car park.

What a fabulous idea this was – and long may it continue. Three are still a lot of bare brick walls out there that could benefit from a bit of paint.