Street art gets the blues
HE HAS already transformed eight silo tanks along Auckland’s waterfront and now Elliot O’Donnell, aka Askew One, is painting the town blue for his latest project.
The graffiti artist has teamed up with the Auckland Blues ahead of the 2013 Investec Super Rugby season to spray paint a bare brick wall in Mt Roskill which will act as the backdrop for this year’s team poster.
More than 60 litres of paint and four days of solid work were needed to complete the project.
‘‘It’s always great to work on a big scale project which a lot of people will see and the mantra is really positive,’’ Mr O’Donnell says.
‘‘They put a lot of creative freedom in our hands which was really nice and they were certainly open to just letting me do what I do.’’
Blues head coach Sir John Kirwan says he is thrilled with the concept.
The poster will incorporate the words ‘‘better never stops’’ to echo the sentiments of the new-look team and coaching staff at the Blues.
‘‘To see it spray painted across a huge wall for everyone to see will be quite spec- tacular,’’ Sir John says.
Mr O’Donnell says the message will strike a chord with most people not just Blues fans about striving to be better.
Once the stretch of wall on Carr Rd by the South Western Motorway is fully tran- sformed the 37-man squad will be superimposed onto it.
The poster will be released on February 22 ahead of the the Blues’ first game of the season on February 23.
Mr O’Donnell says Aucklanders are warming up to the idea of bringing public art back into the city.
‘‘It’s gone through its grey stage and everyone’s realised that it’s feeling a bit oppressive and a bit disconnected from what the culture of the city is – it’s [the greyness] not really indicative of the people that live here.’’