There’s a small cupboard in a modest home on a quiet street in Berkeley Vale that holds an unassuming magic.
For decades, the tools and materials inside the cupboard have allowed tiny hands to shift stormy thoughts, stories of deep passion, feelings of confusion, boredom, love and inspiration from the mind to the paper, to construct countless artworks that have transformed spaces and created connection and smiles that are invaluable to those who bear witness.
One pair of tiny hands so used to unlocking the power from within the cupboard belonged to Central Coast artist Grant Molony, whose own children are now the next generation of tiny artists to ‘grab a pencil and a paper and they’re set’ from the cupboard in their grandparents home.
“We had everything we needed in that cupboard,” Molony reflects of the childhood he shared with his four brothers under his parents roof.
“My whole family really connected to the ocean and the surf but if there was no surf, there was always that cupboard. We had everything in there; with pencils, paper and the surf we were complete.”
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The strong connection to the local environment is evidenced in almost every piece of Molony’s art that locals and visitors alike are so used to seeing on the Central Coast.
There’s the whale on the side of the dental practice at Bateau Bay, the hands on the yoga studio wall at Modern Organic at Long Jetty, the animal murals at Erina Fair, even the birds on the side of The Entrance Boatshed.
Then there’s a variety of larger than life murals featured at community centres, swim schools, early learning centres and preschools, cafes, bars and businesses right up and down the Coast. You’d be hard pressed to find a person in the region who hasn’t been exposed to Molony’s inspirational work. In fact, Grant created a custom piece as the cover for the latest, Spring ’22 edition of Coasties Magazine.
Molony says his exclusive cover artwork for Coasties of the black cockatoo represents more than just our local wildlife, but an animal with strong spiritual meaning.
“The black cockatoo is really significant,” Molony, a Guringai man, explains.
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“It can mean spiritual enlightenment. Personally, I’ve noticed they’re starting to be a lot more present after Covid, so that spiritual meaning is quite deep for me now.
“Some stories say the cockatoos were all white, and were cheeky little suckers to the eagle who is the king of the sky.
“Eventually, the eagle got so annoyed he threw them into a volcano which turned them all black, and the rain Gods took pity and made it rain to wash away the black but it didn’t work, and that’s why we also connect the black cockatoos with rain.”
It’s often the connection to the stories and the meanings behind the artworks that power the self-taught artist to create his projects.
It’s also the gift of art to the community that keeps Molony inspired.
“On the Coast you can dramatically change a space pretty quickly with art being present,” he explains.
“For public pieces, as soon as I finish, it’s not mine anymore, it’s out there for the community to take ownership or reject it, it’s all part of the changing story and the life of the art.”
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Art, with a message.
“I want people to feel something – I want people to feel positive,” he says.
“I like to reflect the beauty of our environment so I hope it inspires people to tread more lightly or live a little better. This land is our home, we want to look out for it as much as we can and if putting art on the wall reflects that and gives the community ownership and lifts them up, then that’s one of the great things about art.”
Molony and his partner Rowsie Lane have a shared multi-functional creative space, Grant Molony Gallery X ROWSIE Lane, where you can view artworks, participate in floral workshops, book creative kids birthday parties and host events.
Visit Grant Molony X Rowsie Lane at 11 The Entrance Rd, The Entrance or online at grantmolony.com
Congratulation!