Andrew Grassi-Kelaher works on the reptile zoo’s waterfall and lagoon mural at Federation Square… “Thankfully I have the best job ever, and seeing people’s response to my work, especially little kids, it makes their day and that, in turn, makes mine.” Photo: Lily Pass

The Grinch gets an arm around the artist at Grassi-Kelaher’s mural outside the Christmas shop where Andrew has hidden gingerbread men all the way through. Photo: Lily Pass

Andrew Grassi-Kelaher in front of his mural for the mini-golf course at Federation Square. Photo: Lily Pass

ANDREW Grassi-Kelaher, 50, has had his art displayed in Aarwun Gallery in Gold Creek for more than 20 years.

But, in the last six years, his work in Federation Square, Nicholls, has grown to new and exciting heights.

“I’m an artist, that’s my proper job, but I did my first mural 10 years ago,” he says.

“Some people in Sydney collected a lot of my paintings, and I dropped off a commission piece and I jokingly said if they want any more paintings I’ll have to paint their back fence, and they asked if I could actually do that and gave me some money, twisted my arm, so I did it.

“I painted this big mural on their back fence and I didn’t even sign it, and from that mural, even without a signature, people knocked on their door to ask who painted it and it’s grown from there.”

As his popularity grew, Andrew was asked to paint a mural in Manly, which caught the attention of Bob Stephens who owns Aarwun Gallery.

“Bob sells my artworks, and he asked me where his mural was,” says Andrew.

“We spoke to John and Lyn Anderson, who own Federation Square, and they organised for me to come down and paint a mural.”

Since 2017, Andrew has spent more and more time in Canberra, away from his Central Coast home.

“Originally, I painted around the side of the gallery, but they did some extensions so they got me back down to do some more painting,” he says.

“I now have murals at the gallery, the mini-golf, the reptile zoo, the Christmas shop and I’ve been asked for quotes for the dinosaur museum, too.”

Lyn says Andrew is a beautiful, gorgeous and very clever man, and she’s pleased to see so much colour and joy on the walls.

“He’s currently working on a mural in the alleyway, it’s a red-belly black snake,” she says.

A 3D snake head will sit out facing the car park, with people encouraged to follow its body as it leads all the way through, “to make the lead into the reptile park a bit of fun,” says Andrew.

“Talking and chatting with people as they pass by is my favourite part of doing this. When I’m at home in my studio painting, I’m by myself a lot and it gets a bit boring.

“Thankfully I have the best job ever, and seeing people’s response to my work, especially little kids, it makes their day and that, in turn, makes mine.”

A bit of a child himself, Andrew admits he likes to hide subtle things in his art.

“I started exhibiting paintings really young, in my early 20s, and one day I did a big exhibition in Sydney,” he says.

“My mates told me to do something funny, so I hid little nude women in all the paintings and the exhibition sold out and we had a laugh about it, so now it’s a thing. Whenever I have an exhibition there’s something hidden in all the paintings, and in some of these murals, too.”

In his murals around the Gold Creek Christmas shop, Andrew has hidden gingerbread men all the way through.

“Little kids love it, running around trying to find all the hidden gingerbread men, and I love seeing the joy it brings them. 

“The Christmas shop got an extension, and so I’ve done a Christmas, Easter, Princess and Halloween train and we’ve got little seats for people to get photos on.”

Andrew signs his paintings as Grassi, because his nickname as a kid was grasshopper.

“I thought Grassi looked classy, arty, so now it’s like a hyphenated last name, Andrew Grassi-Kelaher. Grasshopper came about from when I worked in a snow ski shop and the guy who taught me to tune the snow skis was the master, and I was the young grasshopper,” he says.

In a secret admission to “CityNews”, Andrew shares he does have a science degree with a double major under his belt.

“It’s probably not good for my art reputation that I’m a nerd, I did really like science. But, I worked in an office job in Sydney where I used my degree for not even a month, and then I quit and never went back,” he says.

“I would do art anyway, but people are paying me to do it, so it’s awesome. I just do what I do and people love it.”