Published on Thursday, 2 July 2020 at 3:47:00 PM
Trees, bushland and wildlife that were painted on an Emu Point water tank in 1999 by two local artists is being refreshed years later by one of the original artists and his new next generation apprentice.
Tony Oreo and a man he describes as a ‘true bushman’, Jack Davis first approached the City of Albany twenty-one years ago with the request to paint the large water tank on Roe Parade.
Decades of the artwork being out in the elements has forced Tony to revisit the mural and he is taking teenager and friend of the family, Monique Heales to help him across these July school holidays.
Tony Oreo said painting the Emu Point water tank in 1999 with Jack is a memory he treasures and is excited to revisit with a new generation of painter in tow.
“In his early days Jack was an apprentice on a Welsh Collier cargo ship before he ran away in 1928, carrying his swag and taking on any work that came his way” he said.
“We met years later and discovered a mutual passion for painting, deciding to collaborate and turn the blank canvas of the water tank into a much more appealing sight, and if Jack had it his way he would have painted the whole town!”
“Monique has a very keen eye for artwork and some time to spare in the next few weeks so now is a better time than ever to make the artwork Jack and I created stand out once again’.
Mayor of Albany Dennis Wellington said that both Tony and Monique showed admirable community spirit through contributing to Albany’s public art scene.
“It is fantastic to see tradition being resurfaced not only to offer a young girl a school holiday project, but to fill our community with a sense of pride and worth through artwork like this mural at Emu Point”
“Albany’s public art scene has been a prominent fixture in our community where dedicated and talented individuals like Tony, Jack and Monique are adding to the vibrancy, positivity and attraction of our City” he said.
Tony and Monique will be retouching the Emu Point water tank across the July school holidays, where you will catch them on the sunniest days as they paint the mural again.
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