THE sun shone on Warrnambool’s art scene yesterday, and the crowds turned out to bask in it.
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About 200 people stopped by the Civic Green to watch two artists at work as part of the Arts On The Grass series.
The summery weather was a relief for organisers, who had to cancel one of the December events and move another indoors due to rain.
Former Warrnambool artist Tom Pendergast and local graffiti artist Shaun McIntyre entertained the crowd by creating an artwork each from scratch in two hours yesterday, while Warrnambool guitarist Dave Burgess performed on the Civic Green stage.
The WAG’s curator of exhibitions and outreach Gareth Colliton said the turnout was excellent.
“A lot come for an hour for their lunch break and then they go and the next wave comes for their lunch break, so the seats are always full,” Colliton said.
“I’d say a couple hundred would stay for a while, and a lot more would pass by, check it out, and move on.”
With two more sessions to take place over the next two Fridays — each featuring different artists — Colliton said each Arts On The Grass event exposed audiences to different artistic styles and techniques.
Pendergast and McIntyre both used spray cans in their work, which Colliton said showed off different methods of using an uncommon medium.
Another new twist at the event was the addition of kids’ easels, where children could create art as well as interact with the artists.
Some of the youngsters were certainly interacting, telling Pendergast to add clams and a shipwreck to his picture.
“It is a little bit strange, I suppose, because art is usually a solitary pursuit,” he said.
“But it’s been good having people come up and talk to you.
“The kids are full of suggestions.”