The Water Tanks situated along Onslow Road are the location for a new public artwork.
Council’s vision for the artwork was for a visual interpretation of our community’s history and a reflection on our past to modern day acknowledging our heritage, our pearling and agriculture industries, local flora and fauna and those stories that make Onslow the authentic coastal town it still is today.
This project is proudly supported by the Shire of Ashburton together with Watercorp and Regional Arts WA.
The artwork
The Shire of Ashburton have acquired the services of Perth based artist Jerome Davenport to complete the Onslow Water Tank Mural Project.
This artist selection comes after the Shire appointed Element Advisory in July 2021 to provide art consultancy services, assist the delivery of the project, and facilitate the process, ensuring a best practice approach is taken.
The Art Selection Working Group, made up of Onslow community members was guided by a terms of reference, and Council’s vision for the artwork.
The project is currently underway, providing a great opportunity to showcase what makes Onslow such a unique place to live.
Davenport provided the below summaries of each tank design:
Tank One
“The concept “The land” is a showcase of the little and big things people may see in the region. It aims to shine light on Onslow’s rich native flora and fauna.
I wanted to hero the animals you know about but might not be able to see for more than a brief second. I think it will be great for locals and tourists to be able to appreciate the scale and beauty of these flighty fauna.”
Tank two
"The concept titled “The People” is a celebration of Onslow’s rich history. I’ve delved into pearling, fishing and agriculture industries. The young children in the concept are a representation of the modern community; fond memories growing up by the ocean, skipping rock pools, fishing and exploring the coastline."
Progress
11 August 2022
You may of seen already we have begun to layer in colour and detail. I’ve started on the road side as you come into Onslow.
This section representing the marine life in the area.
I’ll be working on the project for 6-9 weeks so keep watching to see the process.
~ Jerome Davenport
5 August 2022
We begin with priming both tanks to the current state. 6 days were spent priming.
We have now started the sketching process to get the desired outlines. As you can imagine upscaling a small design to a 10m wall can come with its own difficulties.
We use a method to do this which involves marking our reference points on the tank which we then digitally overlay the design. This helps to get the scale and perspective right.
~ Jerome Davenport
Media
June 2021 - Onslow Water Tank Mural moves forward
September 2021 - Onslow Art Selection Working Group seek community feedback
June 2022 - WA Artist Jerome Davenport to complete Onslow Water Tank Mural Project