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Hāwera turns over a new leaf with mystical mural

24 Mar 2021

In Hāwera, artist Lotte Hawley is creating something magical on a 30-metre-long wall. Using Resene paint for this fun and epic project, Lotte created a page turning mural called Discover Your Hāwera, a corner of tranquillity in the Taranaki town. “It’s not every day you get to paint huge street walls,” Lotte says. “The wonderful thing about street art is that it becomes almost like performance art. The community gets to enjoy it too.”


Lotte began the design process with pencil sketches and a digital sketch.

Towering over the town in a scissor lift with only Mount Taranaki for company, Lotte knew she was right where she was meant to be. She’s at her most creative when she is outdoors and her mural invites serenity into the town environment using colours inspired by nature. 

“Every time I open up a Resene testpot I let out a little gasp of happiness,” Lotte says. “I think ‘ahhh yes, I know exactly where this green blue is from, I saw it in the mountains 1200 metres up last weekend’.”

Although she hails from Wellington, Lotte has a spiritual connection to Hāwera and has always been an outdoor adventurer. “Mountain biking, sailing and getting outside to enjoy this beautiful land is an absolute necessity for me,” says Lotte.


Nature lover Lotte loves mountain biking and exploring the countryside. She enjoyed working outdoors to create the mural in H
āwera.

In the mural, a girl discovers a bookcase that becomes a secret passageway to an enchanted world. The mural’s theme of discovering a magical land highlights the importance of caring for the environment and Lotte hopes the piece will also encourage viewers to learn more about Hāwera’s history. Each book represents a different writer that has come from the area.

“I wanted to illustrate knowledge from traditional learning forms as well as from the land we live on,” says Lotte. 

“The girl invites us into her journey, we open the secret door with her, we go on the Hāwera adventure with her.”


Lotte colour matched her digital sketch to Resene testpots. She used a range of vibrant reds including Resene Havoc, Resene Red Hot, Resene Volcano and Resene Burgundy.


Lotte’s preparatory painting meant that Resene Sour Dough, Resene Ashanti, Resene Tangaroa and Resene Teal Blue all made the cut and ended up in the final mural.

The life of an artist sees Lotte up at 5am for an early yoga session, then back to work with the help of a good cup of coffee. By day, Lotte works in the film industry developing creative skills that also improve her own art practice. “I love having a day job,” Lotte admits she keeps a busy schedule. “I am lucky to juggle two passions. When I have downtime in film, I then pump energy into my own artwork.” When she’s not painting, Lotte enjoys hiking and watching movies. Being an Aunty to six nieces and nephews also keeps her pretty busy.


The scissor lift gave Lotte a new perspective and brought her closer to Mount Taranaki.

Lotte prefers a monochromatic palette that uses moody colours. She used Resene testpots to help her decide which colours to use for the final mural. She achieved a sunrise feel to the bookcase with the colours such as Resene Red Hot, Resene Burgundy and Resene London Hue which she gave clean edge using charcoal black Resene Double Foundry. “I pretty much added a little bit of Resene Double Foundry to everything!”


Lotte’s final mural uses Resene High Tide, Resene Half Raven, Resene Blackout, Resene Almond Frost, Resene Double Foundry, Resene Paradise, Resene Half Red Berry, Resene Lynchpin, Resene Red Hot, Resene Vintage, Resene London Hue, Resene Bismark, Resene Designer White, Resene Half Sour Dough, Resene Ashanti, Resene Volcano, Resene Tangaroa, Resene Burgundy and Resene Teal Blue.

Check out Lotte’s incredible creations on her website and her Instagram

Published: 24 Mar 2021