Emeritus Archbishop Barry Hickey blesses the mural of Jesus at 44 Chelmsford Rd on Tuesday 6 November. Photo: Matthew Lau.
By Matthew Lau
The artistic handiwork of Sacred Heart Primary School’s Year 6 class has manifested in a laneway mural of Jesus Christ in Mount Lawley.
Twenty-five students of the Highgate-based school co-painted the piece under the guidance of accomplished artist James Giddy.
Mr Giddy used a grant from the City of Vincent to create the “Watch this Space” street art mural, which symbolises the life of a family who have lived in the street since the 1960s.
Emeritus Archbishop Barry Hickey blessed the artwork on 6 November at the Rechichi family’s Chelmsford Rd residence.
Emeritus Archbishop Barry Hickey addresses those present prior to blessing the mural of Jesus. Photo: Matthew Lau.
The ceremony took place in the presence of the Rechichi family, School Principal Tanya McGuire, John Carey MLA, as well as City of Vincent Mayor Emma Cole and Chief Executive David MacLennan.
During his address, Emeritus Archbishop Hickey spoke of his appreciation for “fascinating” street artwork as they “show great skill”.
“Here we have a great mural of the face of Jesus. It is my pleasure to bless it,” he said.
Emeritus Archbishop Hickey blessed the mural using an olive branch cut from the garden of the Rechichi family’s olive tree in their backyard.
Principal McGuire reminded her students that Catholic schools are “the jewel in the crown of the Church”.
Curtin University Fine Arts graduate James Giddy commended the pupils for their desire and commitment to the project.
The art project would not have come to life had it not been for Sacred Heart Primary School teacher Jenni Del Marco, pictured speaking before the Rechichi family. Photo: Matthew Lau.
“The concept for this piece was largely guided by Jenni Del Marco; she did a good amount of research and explained to me the story of the Italian family,” he told The eRecord.
“I was trying to give an artist’s impression of the information I was relayed whilst using the techniques of Impressionism and montage to create a narrative of sorts.”
The public mural reached completion after four days, two days of work by Mr Giddy alone and then two days with the students.
“Painting on a wall is a completely different game to painting on paper. The children did an amazing job and I could definitely see some of them pushing their talents further,” he added.
The Sacred Heart Primary School sang with gusto at the official blessing on 6 November. Photo: Matthew Lau.
Sacred Heart Primary School Visual Arts teacher Jenni Del Marco pulled the strings to ensure the project went smoothly.
Her inspiration for the mural, as a Mt Lawley local, derived from many years of walking past the blank wall that she believed would make “a great canvas”.
“I had no idea how to do it until I got James Giddy on-board, he regularly paints street art,” she said.
“I asked the [Rechichi] family if they would mind us painting something on the wall and thought it was important for it to relate to their family stories.
“The City of Vincent is also very big on street art and I wanted to give the kids a relevant reason to create art as a public statement for the wider community to enjoy,” Mrs Del Marco concluded.