I absolutely love that Perth is covered in street art, and I am always totally amazed at people’s incredible talent.

Earlier this year I planned a Banksy street art tour when I had a day spare whilst visiting London, something I’d planned to do for years. I’ve always followed his work closely and his contribution to the urban landscape in London (and Bristol) is just insane. I literally had the best time wandering around London Town (albeit slightly hungover), hunting down his incredible, often hidden (or sadly defaced/tagged – London could learn a lot from Perth in that respect), iconic pieces that have featured so heavily in the media over the past few years. The feeling of seeing an original Banksy (or ten) in one day was just amazing. But that really is a blog for another time…

I’ve always been a huge fan of street art, you just need to look through the years of my Instagram posts to see that. I love how street art (note: not graffiti) can essentially transform streetscapes into open-air art galleries, and in some cases even enrich neighbourhoods (or business, Holly Raye’s! But more about that another time also…). Whether it’s a mural, paste-ups or stencil, I’m happy to post it #nofilter. And (again I stress), the FEELING you get when you see a work of art from one of your favourite artists right there in front of you (eeek) is just THE BEST.

Now, most of you will know I’m an absolute crazy bird lady, vibrant colours adorn my life… and who doesn’t love a glamorous ‘sexy-face girl’?! It makes perfect sense therefore, that I should have an absolute obsessive crush on Perths very own artist, Anya Brock. She is just ridiculously talented, iconic to Perth and I love her. I do. She’s super.

Anya is known around Australia for painting an assortment of animals, from beautiful birdies to gigantic giraffes – and her beautiful sexy-face girls are also a fan-favourite. She has an incredible way of crafting geometry into her pieces, using bold black lines, striking patterns and unique brushstroke technique. Neutral pastels and bright neons are inspirationally splashed together in most of her pieces – and it is perhaps this fondness of kaleidoscopic colour, coupled with her signature dribbled finishes which ultimately define Anya’s unique creations.

Having made her start in the fashion industry, running her own label ‘Anan’ for eight years and working for British fashion powerhouses Christopher Kane and Richard Nicoll, Anya realised the fashion business wasn’t for her. It was art which gave her her creative fulfilment and an outlet for inspiration and expression. As she put it in an interview with Perth Now in 2013, “Yep, this is it, this is the s***.” You can see why I love her. She now lives in Sydney, but often returns to WA (yay!) for work and friends/family. Her inspirational murals illuminate some of Perth’s most popular locations, each piece just bouncing with it’s own unique personality.

Over a year ago I was driving through Subiaco on my lunch and saw a girl with huge headphones on, dancing away whilst spray painting a gorgeous butterfly on a shaded wall. Being the street art nerd that I am, I went back the next day to Instagram the finished piece – only to realise that that dancing girl had actually been Anya! Ever since I have followed her work and enjoyed discovering her bright, striking and energetic pieces on the walls of her (and now my) home town…

I’ve been so excited to publish this blog and share just some of the Anya Brock pieces I’ve photographed around Perth and to further celebrate her talent! I really hope you enjoy!

Let’s start with her most recent Perth creation from earlier this month…

 Angus the dog mural, Holly Raye’s Cafe Bassendean 
Fierce Face mural, Wolf Lane, CBD
(and my favourite!)
Cow mural, Beaufort Street InglewoodButterfly murals, Subiaco
Giraffe mural, Maylands Girl mural, Murray Street, CBD Collection of murals in Northbridge





Zebras, South Fremantle

I’m heading to Sydney next month, so I’m hoping I’ll have a Part II coming your way with even more exciting pieces, yay!

I wanted to finish this post with some copy lifted from Anya’s website;

“(Anya’s) larger-than-life murals can be found splashed across walls throughout Los Angeles, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Fremantle. Her budgie mural that adorned four 10-foot tall windows in Perth was featured in the New York Times.”

I mean, c’mon guys – this chick paints budgies on windows and they get featured in the New York Times. She’s fucking badass.

Adore Anya as much as me? Chase the rainbow with her…

instagram.com/anyapaintface
facebook.com/anyabrock
pinterest.com/anyabrock
twitter.com/anyapaintface

anyabrock.com
Psst… To my Perth readers, be sure to check out MANY 6160 in Freo – space in a former Myer department store which houses a whole host of cute pop-up shops from various artists, including Anya who has her own gallery space there!

ANYA BROCK GALLERY (MANY 6160 – old Myer building) / 2 Newman court, Fremantle, Perth, WA, 6160

THE ANYA BROCK SHOP / Shop 461, Oxford St, Paddington, Sydney, NSW, 2021
WEARING: JEANS: Lee // CAMI: Topshop // THONGS: Havaianas // SUNGLASSES: Tiffany & Co.

PHOTOGRAPHED BY: KATIE REBEKAH