THE COLLABORATIVE approach between renowned street artist Hiroyasu Tsuri, known as TWOONE, and young South Gippsland locals Eileen Tanaka and Riam Chilver is bringing the area’s flora and fauna to life on a trio of transformed ArtCubes.

Once their new look is complete, the ArtCubes, which are currently located in the carpark near Leongatha’s South Gippsland Shire Council offices, will continue to host various artists, enabling them to engage with the public and share their creations.

While TWOONE is mentoring Eileen and Riam, their contributions are blending in seamlessly with his, each inspired by the work of the others.

That collaboration succeeds because of a flexible approach that involves reflecting on the existing images and adapting to them rather than starting with a fixed final picture in mind.

Hiroyasu’s use of a single colour on the white background of each cube and his choice of tools and techniques help tie the trio’s work together effectively, despite Eileen and Riam having never worked on such a large scale previously.

TWOONE’S technique includes using gardening spray bottles to apply a mix of outdoor paint and water, as well as long-handled rollers normally associated with house painting.

“I had a feeling that the final product would have a cohesive look because of the techniques and the colour,” he said, with the trio’s agreement to adopt a theme of flora and fauna seen locally, also helping connect the appearance of the cubes.

Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arrangement, is another theme running through the project.

Promoting thought through physical actions and reflecting on and responding to the work of others has created a natural flow to the images, the artists relying on visual communication rather than stringent verbal directions.

Eileen of Korumburra said it is cool to have Hiroyasu visit the area, remarking that it is exciting he works internationally but comes out to regional places.

Council’s Arts Development Officer Mary Sullivan mentioned the opportunity to apply to work alongside TWOONE, something Eileen was keen to do given her enjoyment of art and her Japanese heritage.

“Mural work is very different to doing little paintings and drawings and you don’t get many opportunities to start drawing on a giant cube,” she said.

Leongatha’s Riam who had never done an artwork bigger than she could fit on a canvas, explained that the size of the ArtCubes is only part of the challenge, with adapting to the unevenly corrugated surfaces of the cubes while learning Hiroyasu’s unique techniques adding to the experience.

While that hasn’t been easy, Riam has enjoyed the process.

She noted the importance of stepping back to get a proper perspective, a contrast to her previous artistic pursuits.

Eileen has loved the process of working together, feeling it has created greater variety in the designs, remarking on there being “three different cubes, three different colours and three of us”, and that it has been easy tying them together without losing touches of individuality.

She’s been pleasantly surprised by the different approaches Hiroyasu takes to his art.

“I didn’t think you could use garden spray bottles for art,” Eileen said, believing it didn’t make sense and the nozzles would get clogged up.

“They do a really good job of adding a basic foundation, adding texture and value to the background,” she said of the effectiveness of the spray bottles.

By value she means shading, creating darkness and lightness in the art.

Eileen said the reduced control the spray approach gives over your art is consistent with Hiroyasu’s philosophy of allowing things to take shape rather than always being completely in charge.

She and Riam said the drips and splashes form part of the work.

“You can see it all come together and there’s not really any blank spots,” Eileen said, observing that even areas that appear superficially white, have splashes, sprays, and lines going through them.

“There’s something going on everywhere and the more you look, the more it’s happening,” she said, all of that adding to the interest of the overall look.

Support through the State Government’s FReeZA Youth Activation Fund provided the opportunity for Riam and Eileen to collaborate with and learn from TWOONE.