KITT Bennett, the noted Melbourne artist behind the Millicent Skate Park mural, believes the giant squid artwork turned out “better than anything I had envisioned”.
Squid Park, as it has unofficially been dubbed by residents, took a week in the making.
Kitt worked long hours to complete the mural, which was supported by Imagine Millicent and Wattle Range Council, with the winter conditions being described as “less than ideal”.
“The rain at the start was a bit of a problem, but everyone at Imagine Millicent was very accommodating, and in particular, Chris Hollingsworth was a saint,” he said.
“She’d help set up shelter so that I could work and I couldn’t have done it without her.”
Another local loaned Kitt a leaf blower to make his work easier, and the artist was always willing to have a chat with any curious bystanders.
The media had also been visiting Kitt for the past week as he set about his Herculean task, but his favourite questions came from the kindergarten across the road.
“They would ask me stuff like, why am I doing this, and why I am painting, so you know, it wasn’t exactly hard hitting stuff,” he laughed.
“But yeah they were just loving it, and I was happy to answer their questions.
“Towards the end they knew my name and so they’d call out, ‘Hey Kitt!'”
To paint a mural on the scale of the giant squid took a great deal of planning before any paint was set down, Kitt explained.
Towards the end of the week things became easier, and laying down the colours on the mural was a particular highlight.
“I hadn’t used some of those colours before so I was happy with how it came out.”
With the deadline well and truly under control, Kitt took the time to go to some local cafes at the end of the week, and said if he returned to do some work in Millicent and the weather was nicer, he would spend more time exploring the town.
“I’ve got some jobs lined up elsewhere for now, and it’s a goal of mine to go and do a painting overseas.”
