Allnighter on Hotere mural to beat the weather

Street artist Tyler Kennedy Stent works on his mural of Ralph Hotere in Carroll St, Dunedin, last night.

The street art work was a labour of love for the artist who was desperately hoping the weather would hold.

Kennedy Stent, who painted the controversial mural of singer Ed Sheeran, said he planned to work through the night and all of today to finish the work in waterbased paint. The rush was because the paint would run if it rained before it was finished and sealed.

‘‘Water is how you get paint on a canvas, and how you get rid of it,’’ he said from high on his cherry picker last night.

His intention was to stay aloft — his only breaks being for comfort stops — until he finished the work.

Friends were bringing him coffee and food during the night.

Dunedin Street Art Trust member Justin Cashell said the trust had been discussing a Hoterethemed street art installation for the past six months, and had got approval from the Ralph Hotere Trust.

‘‘We’ve always wanted to paint a Dunedin icon, by a Dunedin artist, and I always had my eyes on Tyler to do it.’’

‘‘I can’t wait till it’s finished. It’s exciting.’’

Kennedy Stent said his work would reference Hotere’s 1982 Aramoana installation, aligning the mural with one of the artist’s most memorable political statements against the proposed Aramoana smelter.