In June 2021, I created a small wildlife mural in Dún Laoghaire, Dublin, as part of The Walls Project, a public art initiative bringing colour, creativity and local stories into the urban environment.

The subject was a particularly appropriate one for this seaside town: an oystercatcher, one of Ireland’s most recognisable coastal birds. With its striking black-and-white plumage, long red bill and bright pinkish-red legs, the oystercatcher has plenty of visual character, making it an ideal subject for a bold piece of public-facing wildlife art.

I wanted the illustration to feel playful and approachable while still retaining the recognisable features of the real bird. Rather than presenting wildlife as something distant or confined to a nature reserve, a mural can bring it directly into people's everyday surroundings. In a coastal town like Dún Laoghaire, the connection between the artwork and the local landscape is particularly natural.

Public art is an interesting extension of my wildlife illustration practice. Working at a much larger scale changes the way an illustration needs to be conceived: shapes have to remain clear from a distance, details need to work at architectural scale, and the artwork has to interact with its surroundings rather than simply sit on a page.

And yes, the project also gave me the opportunity to add operating a cherry picker to my rather eclectic list of creative skills.

I’m particularly interested in wildlife murals and public art that help connect people with the species and habitats around them, whether that means a single local species or a larger biodiversity story.

If you are considering a wildlife mural, biodiversity artwork or public-facing illustration project, get in touch to discuss a project.