SMUG (Scotland)

Originally from Australia, SMUG has called Scotland home for over 20 years. An internationally renowned artist known for his realistic large-scale mural installations, he takes inspiration from people and nature, exploring the harmony in the relationship between the two.

Smug’s work reflects his heightened sense of perfectionism since everything is indeed elaborated down to the last detail. You can also find topics and themes such as aggressiveness, the eternal struggle between good and evil, as well as quite a lot of humorous scenes. His main characteristic is his surprising spontaneity: with very little preparation, if any, he tackles a miserable and dilapidated wall freehand with the help of his aerosol spray cans and lets his imagination run free.

Whether it is graffiti, portraits or representations of scenes, the Australian artist knows what he’s doing and manages to produce extremely realistic paintings that will brighten the lives of passers-by. When viewing his work, what is immediately obvious is his perfect mastery of artistic techniques and proceeds. Whether you are an amateur or connoisseur, Smug’s art will most definitely not leave you indifferent.

SMUG will be painting on the Murray Bridge Regional Gallery side wall (opposite Baden Powell Hall).

Sofles (Qld)

Sofles’ has been both reviled and embraced by the media over his ten-year career that began as a graffiti artist in Brisbane. Following years of perfecting his craft, he burst onto the scene in the late 2000s with various sold-out exhibitions and collaborations with artists such as Anthony Lister, Ben Frost and Revok, and contracts with the likes of Red Bull and Adidas. Sofles’ imagery is wide and varied, with collages of mind-bending abstraction melting into intricate form, perfect snapshots of the artist’s wild imagination. His bold use of colour renders pieces so distinctive that they have firmly set his reputation as one of Australia’s and the world’s most-watched contemporary street artists. Constantly working, be it in the studio or on walls in home town of Brisbane, Sofles’ continues exploring new techniques and mediums, keeping the ever-building snowball rolling. Audiences regularly show up en masse to witness his larger than life pieces in the flesh with works popping up throughout Australasia, Europe, South America and beyond. However, his career defining moment was indeed the viral video and exclusive exhibition accompaniment, ‘Limitless’, which clocked over 12 million views!

Sofles will be painting on the side wall of the Murraylands Skills Centre (Bridgeport Hotel carpark).

DRES (Vic)

Drez is a multi-faceted artist that explores colour, space, flow and the breakup of information. With a wealth of experience across many mediums and styles, he is currently exploring abstract imagery and subtle colour combinations to create dynamic walls with developed movement and depth.

Drez has been painting walls for over 8 years and has developed many techniques that allow him to swiftly create large-scale dynamic pieces that can extend across any facade. He can reliably and swiftly paint any location Melbourne wide.

DREZ will be painting the Edwards Square Soundshell.

Stephanie Cartledge (NSW)

Stephanie Cartledge is a Port-Macquarie (NSW)- based artist and muralist. Her work places a deliberate emphasis on the interplay of shapes and their ability to create a sense of balance within compositions. Steph’s art often depicts the natural world, emphasising its beauty and significance. She encourages others to consider their own relationship with the environment and aims to create artwork that is visually striking and resonates with the viewer.

In 2018 she painted her first mural triggering a love for public art, its accessibility, and the inevitable exchange it creates between the artist, artwork, and the local community. By creating art in public spaces, she hopes to make it more approachable and encourage more people to engage with it on a daily basis.

Steph has collaborated on projects with notable organisations and brands such as Art Aid, BirdLife Australia, BMG Australia, City of Ballarat, GPT Group, Sanrio, and Sesame Workshop.

Steph invites the community to participate in her mural ‘Current Connections’ with a paint-by-numbers on the MBHS Independent Learning Centre from 12-14 April.

Justine McAllister (Vic)

Justine McAllister is a Melbourne based illustrator, artist and muralist. She specialisies in large-scale murals and digital illustration, her pieces are bold, playful and almost always centred around a sense of a character. After studying Fine Art at the Victorian College of the arts, Justine transitioned into the world of illustration which led her to produce work for client based projects, advertising, private commission and large scale mural jobs. Justine’s works are an amalgamation of her Fine Art background intertwined with aesthetics inspired from pop culture, vintage illustration, comic books and animation.

Justine recently won the Melbourne Art Tram award and her work is currently riding around the city she calls home. Her time is spent merging her art style between illustration and murals, which clearly leaves pixels and paint as her medium of choice. She has recently worked with a range of clients to realise her work including Bartronica, The Imperial, GG EZ, Radio Velvet x Star Wars and Melbourne Central.

Justine will be painting on the Salvation Army Thrift Shop (corner Railway Terrace and Fourth St).

The opportunity to deliver the Wall to Wall festival in Murray Bridge sprang from the Silo Art project, which was unable to be realised due to circumstances beyond Council’s control. The Wall to Wall artists will focus on themes identified throughout the Silo Art Project’s Community engagement process.

Wall to Wall Murray Bridge is presented by The Rural City of Murray Bridge and Murray Bridge Regional Gallery in partnership with Juddy Roller and was made possible with the support of the Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) Fund – an Australian Government initiative.