The four-day competition will see artists create murals under this year’s theme, ‘Rural Life’, with the completed works to be displayed in the Pump Track precinct opposite Lockington Foodworks.
The competition is an initiative of the Lockington District Business Centre and is being co-ordinated by Lockington Neighbourhood House.
Artists will bring their murals to life at the Lockington Community Centre from September 10 to 13, and the public is warmly welcome to drop in and watch the magic unfold between 9am and 5pm each day. The winning artist will take home a $1,000 cash prize.
Co-ordinator from Lockington Neighbourhood House Tanya McDermott said the artists were selected because each proposal was authentic to the rural theme and relevant to the community.
“The Lockington community is proud and fiercely protective of its rural lifestyle and close ties to the land,” Ms McDermott said.
“It was important to choose a theme that reflected the authenticity and down-to-earth nature of our locals.”
The competition also has a strong connection to the region, with artists coming from Lockington, Nanneella, Cohuna, Numurkah and Bendigo.
Cohuna-based artist Abby Rose Smith brings a strong connection to rural Australia to her entry Legacy of the Land.
A realist artist specialising in detailed animal, architectural and portrait drawings, Smith was raised on a farming property near Cohuna and completed a Bachelor of Visual Arts in Bendigo.
Olivia and Sophie Hurley, both 13-year-old Lockington residents, have grown their artistic skills since becoming interested in art at primary school.
The pair said the mural competition represented an opportunity to step up their artistic practice and create a large-scale work, with Olivia drawing inspiration from moths and Sophie from space and night skies.
The new murals will replace works created during the previous competition in 2021, which have deteriorated after years of exposure to the weather.
Ms McDermott said she hoped the new artworks would not only brighten the Pump Track precinct but encourage people travelling through Lockington to stop and spend time in the town.
“The festival is an opportunity to support a small rural farming town with a wonderful sense of community spirit that works incredibly hard to better itself and remain relevant and viable,” Ms McDermott said.
The Lockington Mural Festival will run from September 10 to 13, with the murals created live at the Lockington Community Centre before being installed in the Pump Track precinct.
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