Landscape comes to life with mural magic
WORLD-RENOWNED 3D illusion artist Jenny McCracken has taken her creative talent to the Far North, creating a mural that celebrates the beauty of the local savannah landscape in Mareeba’s CBD.
Ms McCracken has worked professionally as a visual artist for more than 25 years, creating 3D pavement art, trompe l’oeil (trick of the eye) murals, portraits and sculpture.
She recently returned from a tour of festivals in Germany, Denmark and Holland and earlier this year created the first 3D pedestrian crossing in New Zealand.
Ms McCracken took one week to complete the mural titled, Flights of Fancy, on the Mareeba Centre building, Atherton St, finishing on Saturday to coincide with the inaugural Mareeba Arts Festival.
“The mural celebrates the beauty of the local savannah landscape – the sparse eucalypt bush, grasslands, waterways and in particular the … Gouldian finch,” she said.
“Indigenous to the Mareeba region, this finch was feared extinct in the area.
“However, a local breeding program has successfully reintroduced these emblematic birds.
“The irony of the situation is that these beautiful birds are bred in captivity all over the world, because of their rainbow colours, but are now classed as endangered throughout their natural range in Far Northern Australia.”
Mayor Tom Gilmore officially opened the mural on Saturday ahead of the Arts Festival in Arnold Park.
He said the mural was the start of the council’s plan to beautify the town.
“The outcome will speak volumes about the artist, but also about our town for a long time to come,” he said.
The Mareeba Arts Festival attracted about 1000 people over the day.
Ms McCracken also ran a master class for a group of local students during her visit to the region.