On River Time

**Artist **Jordan Lucky

**Production date **2025

Media Mural: Spray paint, acrylic paints,

Covered in anti-graffiti coating

Credit Tamworth Regional Gallery with assistance from the Regional Arts Fund

“On River Time”, the mural at Manilla has been created by the artist Jordon Lucky. This mural is based on the theme of ‘Overhead and Underneath’ and the design work is by Jordon Lucky from Playstate after extensive community consultation, and implementation support by local artist Tess Reading.

“Taking the time to look overhead or underneath your feet can be a centring experience that makes one appreciate that exact moment in time. With this theme, we observe our natural surroundings.

Using the artist response to naturalistic observation, we create a mural that responses to place and meaningful observation. This mural invites the viewer to slow down, take time and look, observe and marvel at the world we exist in.”

Community consultation has identified the desire to respond to the local natural environment. In Jordan’s own words “The iconic Platypus glimpsed at dusk or dawn on quiet stretches of the river, a nod to the history of Henry Burrell’s ecological studies and a main stay of intrigue and excitement for locals and visitors alike.

The double barred Finch, which seems to follow visitors from fence post to fence post as they explore the bird routes of the Manila area. The shapes and textures through the artwork embody the flow of river, banks of sand and stone, the endless flow that has shaped the landscape and brought with it the opportunity of life.”

It is great to see these legacy public artworks coming to life and celebrating the natural world around us. This project has been funded by Tamworth Regional Council with assistance from the Regional Arts Fund NSW.