In 2024, I finally left for an adventure to Australia. It was a dream I had for a long time, and it was finally becoming a reality. Following my habit of traveling through volunteering, I settled in for a month at an organic farm near Penguin, Tasmania.
My daily life there involved taking care of pigs and chickens, improving the interior of the bus where the volunteers stay… but most importantly, painting its entire exterior. Challenge accepted!
After completing my very first mural in Porto Cristo last September, I couldn’t wait to try a large-scale project again. I had never painted on a vehicle before, let alone such a complex surface, but the adrenaline from Mallorca was still with me.
The owner wanted a field of sunflowers, like the ones growing on the farm. Let’s go!
After choosing my colors, the work started. First step: a big cleaning with a pressure washer. Once the surface was clean, I painted the whole bus with a white undercoat to prepare my giant canvas.
Finally, it was time to paint the sunflowers. For once, I decided to stop thinking and just follow my emotions. This was very different from my usual work. In botanical and scientific illustration, every detail and every line is calculated… everything is about control.
Here, it was the opposite. I let the colors mix on my plate before putting them generously on my big brush. It was a real pleasure! The experience was relaxing and felt very free.
Once the sunflowers were finished, I decided to add a blue sky with some clouds. I wanted the bus to blend into nature. To do this, I used a roller with blue and white paint: the clouds seemed to create themselves with the movement. It was magic! The bus started to disappear into the landscape.
But painting such a large surface is hard on the body. Because of the big, repeated movements, I ended up with a severe case of “writer’s cramp”. The tension in my forearm was so strong that I had a tingling feeling for several days.
I had to take a forced break and try “dry needling” (using needles to relax the muscles). It was a very painful experience that I didn’t know before, but it was necessary to get back to my brushes and finish the project.
Painting this bus on the other side of the world was one of the highlight of my Australian adventure. This experience taught me to let go and to be brave enough to change scale.
I’m leaving with my head full of colors and one certainty: no matter the surface from cotton paper to an old bus, the most important thing is to leave a touch of beauty wherever you go. I hope I get the chance to paint on a large scale again one day!
