Latest Monto street art a stunning tribute to hotel publican
TWO more works have joined Monto’s ever-growing art trail, with a historical wall and the southern sign undergoing a stunning transformation.
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With each year that passes, Monto is becoming more and more alive with brightly coloured street art. After completing the dreamy silo art murals at Three Moon in July this year, Brisbane artist Travis Vinson (Drapl) has returned to Monto for two new exciting projects.
With a splash or two of paint, a bare brick wall running along the side of Monto Barber Shop now recalls a critical moment in the towns history.
After learning about the Royal Hotel fire of 1999, Mr Vinson settled on a mural of former publican Ethel Buckby, who owned the ill fated hotel from 1939-1980.
"Everyone in the town knew who Ethel was, and they would tell me little stories about where they were when it burned down, and how they were all watching from the street," Mr Vinson said.
"Everyone has a bit of a connection to it."
A deep crack runs along the side of the wall, created from the heat of the fire, which Mr Vinson made a point of keeping. Given the history it represents, he said the historical scar add something special to the mural.
Travis has also lent his unique artistic style to a sign at the southern entrance of Monto, which welcomes drivers to the town and farewells them as they leave.
"A lot of the signs you see, they're quite boring, so I just wanted to make it a little more fun and bright," he said.
Murals by Drapl and the Zookeeper (Joel Fergie) can be found throughout Monto town centre, along the evergrowing art trail.
The entire project has been nominated for the Australian Street Art Awards.
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