Sentient
Sentient is a 21m x 6m hand-painted mural depicting an imagined scene of first contact with a humpback whale, balanced by seagrass and limestone reef. My intention was to focus the whale with three large triangles that intersect; the whale represents one large triangle, and the two limestone sections are inversed triangles. This interlocking accentuates the tension and drama of the scene, making best use of the horizontal and vertical format of the wall.
This work is all hand-painted fine art studio techniques. As an example, in the whale body I initially painted a light toned local colour, then built it up with glazing, dry-brushing and indirect layering to bring up the detail. Techniques like this add a lot of depth and visual interest, showing that it is possible to bring the studio to the street.
Details
Artist
Tom Ansell
Tom Ansell is a West-Australian-based Muralist and Visual Artist interested in and practising artworks influenced and informed by both realism and surrealism. Tom completed his BA: Visual Art at ECU in 2014 before going on to study his BA: Visual Art Hons. in 2015-16. During his Honours, Tom had his first foray into public art. It was working with local sculptor, Alex Mickle, on a large project for the City of Bunbury that Tom completed his first public artwork, a 5 m-long re-imagining of the Carbet Castle, a barque that had its demise in Koombana Bay. The finished work, titled The Rescue, can be seen at the intersection of Koombana Drive and Estuary Drive, Bunbury.
In 2016, Tom completed his first mural, a 4.5m x 4m hand-drawn piece titled Sister Cities. This piece drew on Tom's fondness for drawing and mark-making, and was completed entirely in mural markers. In the years following this, Tom had a hiatus and worked as a Tutor, completed formal training to become a Lecturer at TAFE, and continued visual art commissions on the side whilst strengthening his visual art skills through the online program of Watts Atelier.
It was in 2021 that Tom began to see the viability of pursuing murals as a full-time business. In April 2021, Tom completed Biboolboorn, a 5m x 5m depiction of an imagined saltwater paperbark tree. This was his first painted mural and led the way to open up more consistent murals and develop his business.
Tom Ansell
Tom Ansell is a West-Australian-based Muralist and Visual Artist interested in and practising artworks influenced and informed by both realism and surrealism. Tom completed his BA: Visual Art at ECU in 2014 before going on to study his BA: Visual Art Hons. in 2015-16. During his Honours, Tom had his first foray into public art. It was working with local sculptor, Alex Mickle, on a large project for the City of Bunbury that Tom completed his first public artwork, a 5 m-long re-imagining of the Carbet Castle, a barque that had its demise in Koombana Bay. The finished work, titled The Rescue, can be seen at the intersection of Koombana Drive and Estuary Drive, Bunbury.
In 2016, Tom completed his first mural, a 4.5m x 4m hand-drawn piece titled Sister Cities. This piece drew on Tom's fondness for drawing and mark-making, and was completed entirely in mural markers. In the years following this, Tom had a hiatus and worked as a Tutor, completed formal training to become a Lecturer at TAFE, and continued visual art commissions on the side whilst strengthening his visual art skills through the online program of Watts Atelier.
It was in 2021 that Tom began to see the viability of pursuing murals as a full-time business. In April 2021, Tom completed Biboolboorn, a 5m x 5m depiction of an imagined saltwater paperbark tree. This was his first painted mural and led the way to open up more consistent murals and develop his business.