Ash Keating at Grantville with his trademark fire extinguishers
By Geoff Ellis
"I SET the rules and select the colours. Paint flies. It hits the surface and gravity does the rest. Pure improvisation." Ash Keating describes his process as he grabs another fire extinguisher filled with paint.
A temporary outdoor dining area is being created in the gap between two shops in Grantville. Ash was given the task of beautifying the wall of the fish and chip shop and as the sun rose over the Waterline last Friday, a handful of people watched the creation of a landmark piece of wall art.
"I SET the rules and select the colours. Paint flies. It hits the surface and gravity does the rest. Pure improvisation." Ash Keating describes his process as he grabs another fire extinguisher filled with paint.
A temporary outdoor dining area is being created in the gap between two shops in Grantville. Ash was given the task of beautifying the wall of the fish and chip shop and as the sun rose over the Waterline last Friday, a handful of people watched the creation of a landmark piece of wall art.
Keating is well known for his public artworks. He won the Incinerator Art Award in 2015 and has created numerous site-responsive art projects in places such as the National Gallery of Victoria, RMIT University and the Adelaide Festival Centre.
His grandmother once owned a place near the water in Grantville so he was thrilled to take this opportunity to add colour to a utilitarian space and used his experiences of the area to create a palette to reflect the coastal environment.
His grandmother once owned a place near the water in Grantville so he was thrilled to take this opportunity to add colour to a utilitarian space and used his experiences of the area to create a palette to reflect the coastal environment.
| Having selected the colours he filled his trademark fire extinguishers with paint and loaded them into his van along with a portable spray gun, more paint, a ladder and plenty of tarps. He drove out of Melbourne at 4am, having declined the offer of overnight accommodation. “I like to drive to the site from home. It’s almost a ritual. Sleep, shower, coffee then into the sunrise. A chance to savour the adventure.” Keating works quickly. Once he unpacked the van he used the spray gun to cover the wall in horizontal shades of blue then went to work with the fire extinguishers to create vertical shafts of lighter blues and white. The results are spectacular and two hours after he unleashed the first paint sprays he stood back to ponder the results. One of the coffee-clutching bystanders asked him if he was finished. He paused for a moment then replied “I think I am”. And that was when gravity took over. The thick paint randomly flowed downward as it dried and the final artwork appeared. Some of the horizontal elements remained to provide a sense of the horizon while the rest of the wall gives a sense of looking out to sea as waves crash onto the shore. Some of the deeper blues puddled onto the walkway to add proximity to the work. One of the bystanders asked Keating if he was going to finish it off with his signature. “I don’t sign my work. I have work across Victoria, and I like to think people who know my work will be able to spot it. Or at least say ‘That looks like one of his!’” As the shops came to life, several locals paused to comment on the new gateway to Bass Coast. “It’s a good concept that adds a bit of character to the area,” said one. The general consensus was approval, though one person expressed concern that it was ephemeral as a shop is going to be built there next year. As plans were being made to complete the temporary outdoor dining area with gravel and some picnic tables, Keating packed away the tarps, the fire extinguishers and went in search of breakfast. |   |
