‘Uniquely beautiful’ project
Visual artist Mike Maka will create two murals on buildings at Wildlife Art Museum of Australia at Pomonal.
WAMA Foundation leaders appointed Maka to paint murals on two portable buildings that will be used for future art and education programs in the nature-based learning and wildlife art precinct.
WAMA patron Glenda Lewin said the artworks would symbolise the interconnection between art, natural environment and the community.
“We want to give the community a taste of WAMA and what we stand for,” she said.
“This artwork is the perfect opportunity to communicate the interconnection between art and nature and the important roles the environment and the community play in preserving our country’s natural beauty.
“Mike Maka is a great for this project.
“We are very pleased to have him on board and excited to see how he will transform these walls into something uniquely beautiful.”
Maka is a Melbourne-based artist, primarily a painter, who works in a variety of media, mainly on walls, canvas and illustration on paper.
Some of his recent works include being involved in the Australian Silo Art Trail and fit various nature-based street and wall art working both nationally and internationally.
Maka said he was excited to help bring WAMA’S portable buildings to life through wildlife art.
“I will be working closely with some flora and fauna experts within the region to develop my conceptual designs,” he said.
“The artworks will reflect the natural beauty of the Grampians in a creative way, that aligns with WAMA’S mission to celebrate the relationship between art, science and nature.”
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Maka will start painting in September and the public will be allowed to view his progress.
Located adjacent to the national heritage listed Grampians on Ararat-halls Gap Road, WAMA is a wildlife art precinct designed to inspire, educate and stimulate connection with nature.
WAMA leaders will build a dedicated wildlife art gallery that explores the interconnection between art and nature, set within botanic gardens and wetlands that nurture and protect rare species of plants and animals.
The aim is to make WAMA a unique tourist attraction celebrating the relationship between art, science and nature.