Rachel Hagan, Yorke Peninsula Country Times

A fabulous creature from the deep has washed up at the Warooka Hotel, helped ashore by Marion Bay artist Jason Swales.

Across the past two weeks, Mr Swales has brought his love for the coast onto Main Street, Warooka by creating two enormous murals at the hotel and the Ballara Art and Lifestyle Retreat.

The makeover was made possible thanks to Yorke Peninsula Council and Ballara Art and Lifestyle Retreat, which have joined forces to create the Artists in Residency program to connect artists to their communities.

Mr Swales says he is humbled to be the first recipient of the program and iss eager to add to art he had already completed in Warooka.

“We heard about the grant and applied for it because we thought it would be really good to get a bit more art in Warooka, I was really keen to do some murals here,” Mr Swales says.

“I was really stoked with the opportunity and it gave me a bit more confidence painting in public.”

When visiting the hotel, visitors can see the more humorous side of Mr Swales with an octopus breaking through the pub’s wall with its own bottle of rum.

“I was sticking with the whole animal and underwater thing happening here, and I just saw it as a bit comical and quirky,” he says.

However, the eagle he painted at Ballara has a more sentimental meaning to Mr Swales, after he received a helping hand from his daughter Maya.

The original plan was to paint the eagle spread out over the shed midflight, but Mr Swales thought the picture may be lost with the constant opening and closing of the shed doors.

Luckily, he came up with a new plan of eagles watching over the nest, and Maya made her dad proud by helping to paint the baby eagles.

Country Arts SA arts and cultural facilitator Sonya Rankine says the program emphasises community engagement and allows artists to collaborate with the community.

“This initiative is designed to foster a deeper connection between artists and the community, enriching the cultural fabric of the region,” Ms Rankine says.

The residency also involves engaging young people in workshops, and their work will be exhibited at the Baker Bros Gallery in Warooka.

“This program not only highlights the talent within YP but also underscores the region’s commitment to fostering and celebrating local arts and culture,” Ms Rankine says.  

This article appeared in  Yorke Peninsula Country Times, 25 June 2024.