Award-winning mural by Mark Noble unveiled in Rotorua fuses art and nature

Rotorua artist Mark Noble's award-winning U R Nature mural on the corner of Te Ngae and Basley Rds. Photo / Supplied

Rotorua artist Mark Noble has unveiled his award-winning mural titled U R Nature on the corner of Te Ngae and Basley Rds.

Mark was one of 10 winners nationwide who took out the top prize in Keep New Zealand Beautiful's Resene Nature Murals Competition 2021.

This is the second year he has placed in the competition.

Mark says the mural was inspired by the Māori proverb Ko au ko te taiao, ko te taiao ko au – I am the environment and the environment is me.

This is depicted in the large letters/words U R Nature, showing how we are a part of and reliant on nature.

"Through the mural I wanted to accentuate the innate understanding that you, me, we, are reliant on fresh air, clean water, and healthy soil.

"The large flower is a soft reminder that nature will always be bigger and more powerful than us, thus we should respect and uphold nature to its fullest importance," says Mark.

The Resene Nature Murals Competition, which is part of the Paint New Zealand Beautiful programme, ran from April to June, with artists encouraged to submit mural designs that included an environmental message.

Artists from throughout New Zealand sent in their designs, with the top 10 murals selected based on their environmental message, enhancement of the community, and originality/creativity.

Artists then have 12 months to bring their mural to life.

Winning designs receive a $1000 grant upon completion, along with a $750 Resene paint voucher and other materials to paint their mural.

Keep New Zealand Beautiful chief executive Heather Saunderson says: "Our Nature Murals Competition is getting more popular every year."

"This is the fifth year we've run the competition in partnership with Resene, and once again we've been overwhelmed with not only the quantity, but the quality of the entries we've received.

"We know the benefits that beautification of public spaces can have on local communities, so we're always excited to see it when these murals come to life."

The 10 winning artists and regions - the designs can be viewed on the Keep New Zealand Beautiful website

• Brigita Mana Botma, Our Next Generation, Auckland
• Corey Harbrow, Game Over, Christchurch
• Denise Fort, Let's Grow Together, Raglan
• Deow Owen, The Journey of the Piwakawaka, Waianiwa
• Faye Chadburn, Circalunar Rhythm, Tauranga
• Jennifer Corbett, Feed Me, Taranaki
• Joel Nicholls, Water Water Every Where, Auckland
• Louie Zalk-Neale, Matairangi, Wellington
• Mark Noble, U R Nature, Rotorua
• Stanley Mans, Nourish Nature Naturally, Hastings