Street artists give Ruth Avenue tunnel a makeover

By Alexandra Brothers
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
August 4, 2023 Edition

Mount Pearl’s first ever street art competition brought some of the city’s hidden artistic talent to light. The contest was designed to promote local artists by giving them an outlet to showcase a form of art that is often frowned upon. As a bonus, the project also helped revamp a somewhat neglected part of the city. The Ruth Avenue underpass by O’Donel High School has never looked better.

The contest took place on July 15th and 16th. Those who had submitted a design to the City in advance had two days to complete their pieces before they were evaluated by a panel of judges.

Contest winner Matthew Austin is relatively new to this form of art, having only started doing street art and spray painting within the past year. Austin, 40, grew up in St. John’s and Mount Pearl and now works for the federal government. Although he has always been drawn to art, it was never something he pursued publicly — until recently.

“The street art contest was the first time I did anything of that size, so it was a huge jump for me,” said Austin. His girlfriend and boys are a continuous source of motivation for him, and it was thanks to their support that he pushed himself to take his artistic interests to the next level. His advice to other aspiring artists is to “have fun and don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.”

Austin draws much of his artistic inspiration from space and nature as well as the bold and colourful style of comic books. These inspirations are reflected in his winning painting which features a view of Earth from space coupled with a fantasy-inspired Viking ship sailing over the planet.

Taylor Piercy took home second place with a painting entitled “The Dog Days of Summer.” The painting features bright colours, cheerful nature scenery and, fittingly, adorable dogs.

Pattian Bradbury’s third place winning piece depicts the silhouettes of birds against a sunset sky with the inspirational message, “Learn to F.L.Y.—First Love Yourself.”

Bradbury, 54, is a Mount Pearl resident and is mother to a nine-year-old son with Autism. Bradbury’s interest in art developed in 2010 and she turned it into a career in 2013 by pursuing nail art professionally. Like Austin, Bradbury is new to street art. In fact, the competition was the first time she ever tried this kind of art.

Bradbury’s art is driven by positivity. “The world can get ugly sometimes. Especially for teens and youth,” she said. That’s why she appreciated the chance to have her work displayed outside of a school. She hopes that her art can shed some positivity on those who see it.

While street art may be seen as an unconventional form of art, the artists who competed in the contest see it as a medium with great potential for public engagement. “Street art is very raw, it’s very real,” said Austin. He spoke of the spectacle involved with making large-scale art in a public setting, adding that what sets street art apart from other art forms is that “it's really just a lot of fun.”

Bradbury pointed to the accessibility of street art. “It’s art that you don’t have to go to an exhibit to view. It’s there for the public to see and enjoy,” she said.

Both artists commended the City for its efforts in organizing this competition. “I think the street art contest was a great program, I think it was something that Mount Pearl did really well. I’d love to see them do more of it and maybe even incorporate some of the high schools and some of the students,” said Austin. “Giving people an outlet to actually put art up in the city like that is just fantastic. I think that’s what a lot of artists really aspire to, is just to have something out there...that people can see and appreciate.”