Artists Amy Canfield and Jules Warner are back in Moree working on a new mural at House of Deliciousness. Photo: Moree Online News
Former Moree residents Amy Canfield and Jules Warner are back in town, this time transforming the House of Deliciousness building with a new mural.
The pair expect to spend about two weeks on the project, with the work unfolding in full view of passing motorists, children and customers waiting for House of Deliciousness to reopen. For Amy, that means people see much more than the polished artwork normally presented at the end of the creative process.
“If I was to paint a canvas, you don’t see the mid-stages of that painting,” Amy said.
“But when you’re in the public eye and you’re doing a large-scale public artwork, that’s not going to be done fast for a start.
“You’re going to see all the mistakes, the back and forth, the layers.”
Amy said the mural was intended to give something back to the community and had already prompted interest from people driving past and House of Deliciousness customers.
Children had also been asking questions as the mural took shape, something Amy hoped might encourage them to consider art and creative careers differently.
The design itself has continued to evolve. Amy said the mural was being created largely freehand, with elements changed right up until painting began and further adjustments made on the first day.
The project is not Amy and Jules’ first time working together on a Moree wall.
Both previously worked on the mural at the Moree McDonald’s drive-through, a project Amy described as a major learning experience in her development as a mural artist.
“Maccas really was such a big learning curve for me,” she said.
“I say I probably did a four-year uni degree in the space of a month. Two months at Maccas.”
The scale and challenges of that project ultimately gave her greater confidence to work freehand and adapt her process.
Amy’s connection with mural painting in Moree stretches back further. She said the first mural she ever painted, before she considered herself a mural artist, was under the bridge in Moree.
Since leaving town about three years ago, Amy has continued painting murals around the Manning region, including Taree, Harrington, Forster and Wingham.
Jules’ departure from Moree is much more recent. She left in April, and said both women had found it difficult to replicate what they valued about living in Moree after moving away.
“We’ll take any excuse to come back,” Jules said.
Amy agreed.
“Moree is magnetic, I like to say.”
For Amy, family connections were behind the move towards Taree. Jules also spoke about the difficulties created by Moree’s isolation and gaps in some services, while making clear the town continued to hold a special place for both of them.
Their return for the House of Deliciousness mural may not be the last, with the pair looking at a few other possible projects around the Moree district.
For now, the mural is still taking shape, giving people passing House of Deliciousness a chance to see the progress, layers and changes that would usually happen out of public view.
