Bourke Water Tower Mural, NSW
A Large-Scale Regional Public Art Project
Large-scale silo, water tower and infrastructure murals have become a defining part of regional Australia, with projects such as the Australian Silo Art Trail helping transform small towns into destinations for art, tourism and regional storytelling. These artworks can encourage visitors to stop, explore local businesses and learn more about the communities behind them, creating a lasting cultural and economic impact beyond the artwork itself.
This Bourke water tower project was led by established artist John Murray, with the artwork celebrating an important local story and bringing large-scale public art to a prominent piece of regional infrastructure. I was brought onto the project as part of the assisting team, helping with the practical delivery of the artwork and collaborating with local Indigenous artist Brian Smith to translate his drawings onto the much larger scale of the water tower.
Assisting on a Large-Scale Silo Art Style Project
My role was primarily as an assisting mural artist, supporting John Murray and collaborating with Brian Smith to help bring the project together. I assisted with enlarging Brian's artwork, painting sections of the mural and helping with the practical demands of delivering a large-scale artwork on a major piece of infrastructure.
Projects like this have given me experience working as part of larger mural teams, adapting artwork for enormous surfaces and contributing to regional public art projects that have a genuine impact on the communities where they are installed. The growing popularity of silo art and large-scale regional murals across Australia shows how powerful these projects can be in turning everyday infrastructure into landmarks and drawing visitors into regional towns.
Celebrating Percy Hobson Through Regional Public Art
The artwork celebrates Percy Hobson, a Gnamba man from Bourke who won the gold medal for high jump at the 1962 Commonwealth Games in Perth. Hobson cleared 2.11 metres, an Olympic record at the time, after teaching himself to high jump by practising in his backyard in Bourke.
Working alongside Brian Smith, I helped scale up and paint his drawings at ground level, taking his original artwork and translating it into a much larger public artwork while working closely with the wider project team. Being able to contribute to a project that celebrates an important Indigenous Australian athlete and local Bourke history was a particularly meaningful part of the experience.
Location: Bourke, NSW
Medium: Acrylic
Client: Bourke Shire Council
Leading Artist: John Murray
This project was lead by John Murray A well known Australian artist based out of Lightning Ridge, the importance of this project was very special for John and the design of Percy jumping was actually referenced from Percy Hobsons Gold Medal winning jump. Incorporating in Black Cockatoo’s and a beautiful sky gradient background he wanted to create a striking piece that would tell an important story.
Leading Artist: Brian Smith
Local indigenous artist Brian Smith collaborated adding Percys family totems of the sand goanna and Bilby as the main features placed thoughtfully on both main view points of the tower. With importance of the Gnamba people the design incorporated traditional Rock Art like rivers, people, hands & more.
Assistant artist: Lukas Kasper
Melbourne artist Kasper was brought onboard to help out the project, with his knowledge with scaling up murals and experience with spray painting helped spray the tower with John Murray and worked closely with Brian Smith to help translate his smaller paintings to the tower.
Assist: Bobb Barrett
Bobb Barrett a fellow Lightning Ridge local has assisted John on many projects before one being a sign painted in 1994 in the same town of Bourke with local artist Brian, a collaboration that many years on would expand to a water tower taking it’s place.
Left to right: Lukas Kasper, John Murray, Bobb Barrett, Brian Smith
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