Piecing together community gems that make Thallon unique
HOW do you pick a picture that will sum up an entire community?
That was the question Thallon locals faced when crafting ideas for their silo mural.
They found their answer by welcoming artists Travis Vinson (Drapl) and Joel Fergie (The Zookeeper) to a meeting at the local hotel, where residents brought along their favourite photographs and shared their stories.
In the artist brief written by the talented duo, the men stated: “We want the community to look up to the silos as the sun sets each day and be reminded of why they love the land they live in”.
“When I read that, I knew we had the right artists for the job,” Leanne said.
The town’s gorgeous Moonie River, and stunning sunsets and sunrises, as well as the region’s rich agricultural history were the three winning elements.
Using some creative licence, the artists meshed and blended a few images together to create the final product, which has been named The Watering Hole.
Although not fully complete, the vibrant picture, which has been painted across the 30m by 40m canvas, already has people stopping in the streets.
One of the centrepiece images comes from Chantel McAlister, a well-known wool classer and photographer.
Chantel snaps pictures during her work day and captured a stunning shot of Russell Beatty from Dunwinnie, a property close to Thallon, shifting his sheep early in the morning.
While she has had her images displayed in galleries and online, there was something deeply special about her photo becoming a mainstay for Thallon.
“I am so excited about it, and I am just really humbled,” she said.
“I love that district so much. It’s sort of played out my whole (wool) classing career. I have grown in that area and to now be connected with it forever, and to have my imagery up there… and for the locals to be proud of it… I am just feeling a lot of pride.”
The completed project will be unveiled at a special launch on Thursday, July 20.