This Mt Maunganui mural is a beautiful balance of both shape and scale

11 Nov 2020

Walk down Steeple Lane in Mt Maunganui and you’ll come across a mural – warm, abstract and apricotty. The piece is Jasmine Smith’s second foray into large-scale mural painting.

 “My first mural [a large public piece in the heart of Tauranga] was so bright and punchy, so I wanted to experiment with more of an earthy colour palette,” says Jasmine, who, over the last 12 years, has carved out a career spanning art, fashion, textiles and graphic design.

Terracotta Resene Twizel was one of the foundational pieces for Jasmine’s mural. Coupled with Resene Scrub, a dark green, she created a stunning supporting palette of soft apricots, olive greens, buttery yellows, greys and whites. 

“It's not often you get such an open brief!” she enthuses of this commission by Street Prints Mauao, Tauranga’s international street art festival.

“The palette began with Resene Scrub, a dark mossy green, and Resene Twizel, a rich terracotta. Then I built the rest of the palette with tones of warm apricots and soft olive greens, plus a few pops of white and buttery yellow.”

For this expansive mural in Mt Maunganui, Jasmine used Resene Half Pot Pourri, Resene Wafer, Resene Scrub, Resene Beethoven, Resene Florentine Pink, Resene Twizel, Resene Bitter, Resene Siam, Resene Coyote, Resene Buff and Resene White.

But before Jasmine had paint colours, she had paper. “I created the initial design though paper collage,” says Jasmine of her process. “Once I was happy with the overall feel, I scanned each of the cut-out elements into Adobe Illustrator. Then I could play around with shapes and colours to get the right balance and scale.”

It was an approach that carefully tapped into her given brief, ‘Ahakoa he iti, he pounamu’, translated to ‘Although small, it is precious’. As a result, the finished design, full of bold angles, is closely aligned with this initial guideline: look close enough and you’ll find koru and hei matau (fish hooks), and a careful balance of sizes.

Jasmine completed her mural in 40 hours using an assortment of paints including Resene Half Pot Pourri, Resene Wafer, Resene Scrub, Resene Beethoven, Resene Florentine Pink, Resene Twizel, Resene Bitter, Resene Siam, Resene Coyote, Resene Buff and Resene White.

In many ways, the project pushed Jasmine to explore new avenues. “This mural was twice the size of the walls I was used to painting on,” she explains. “Also, it was my first time using a scissor lift, which was a whole lot of fun.”

See more of Jasmine’s work at her website, Pinch & Punch.

images Jasmine Smith

Published: 11 Nov 2020