Mural takes a wander through the mind

Take a wander through the forest of your mind with ‘Mindfulness’ created by Ethan Zonneveld, aka Zonny, on the wall of the former RSA in Te Puke. Photo: Bruce Barnard.

For those searching for an elusive state of mindfulness, a visit to the new mural gracing the Vector Group Charitable Trust building in Te Puke might just be the inspiration you're looking for.

Street artist and rapper Ethan Zonneveld, aka Zonny, completed the mural last week as part of school holiday activities at the town's youth creative space - formerly the old Te Puke RSA.

Entitled ‘Mindfulness', the mural depicts a wander through the forest of your mind. 'It's pretty interpretive, so you can find your own meaning for it,” says Zonny.

‘Mindfulness' was initially created in digital format on Photoshop then transferred to the wall.

'It's changed a lot from the original, but you can see where it comes from,” says Zonny.

The mural was painted with brushes, exterior house paint and paint marker pens, but Zonny also works with spray paint.

'The pens make it fun, and you can get some nice lines and make it a lot sharper. It's a lot faster to use sprays – it's quite wild – but it's a different look. If you're looking for a more detailed work, brushes are easier to use.”

Many in the Te Puke community, including young people, dropped in during the week to watch the artist at work.

'The nice part of it is having people appreciate your art. It makes it feel worthwhile. I've really enjoyed the experience.”

At 18, Zonny has already completed about 20 murals and is keen to spread his work as widely as possible.

Originally from Whakatane, and now living in Napier, Zonny says he has always been 'into art” but also has a passion for music. 'It's another outlet for my creative side,” he says.

He gave an intimate performance of his music while in town last week and the Vector Group hope to get him back some time for an encore show.

The mural was created with funding from Creative Bay of Plenty.

To see more of Zonny's work, and to listen to his music, visit: https://zonny.myportfolio.com/projects

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