"A decade of dedication": Meet Helen Wilding, the talented artist who is capturing every detail of Melbourne’s vibrant Brunswick Street.
Every week, Helen Wilding finds herself and her artistic companions seated on the curb, sketchbooks in hand, ready to translate the lively scene around them into art. Today, she’s comfortably settled on a compact folding stool nestled between a few potted plants, diligently focusing on a nearby plant nursery that appears to be closed for the day.
For the past seven years, Wilding has been devotedly sketching this very street in inner Melbourne. Brunswick Street, which spans a couple of kilometers through Fitzroy—one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods—offers a delightful mix of everything, including cafes, pubs, residences, churches, markets, shops, and even a branch of the famous A1 Lebanese bakery.
On her lengthy strip of paper, which resembles an accordion with its sections flapping in the breeze, Wilding has almost completely captured the essence of the block. As she works, the sounds of the city surround her: a fire truck speeds by with sirens wailing, followed closely by a couple of trams rumbling along their tracks, temporarily obstructing her view. This scenario is all too familiar for an artist who sketches in real-time. "Sometimes you’re just sitting there, and a truck pulls up and blocks your view for hours," she explains.
While Wilding may consider herself an introvert, her project has fostered a small community around her. In the nearby streets, other sketchers are busy documenting their own pieces of Fitzroy. Occasionally, curious passersby stop to chat, including tourists eager to snap a photo for their social media feeds.
"I had the chance to meet the owner of Polyester," she recalls, pointing to the record store just a few doors down from her current location. "I even gifted him one of my sketches." In another instance, someone who lived in the building she was illustrating approached her to admire her work, sharing amusing names they had given to the pigeons on their roof, which Wilding whimsically incorporated into her drawing.
Having called this area home for over twenty years, Wilding often hops on a tram along Brunswick Street to reach her job as a librarian. This profession undoubtedly influences her meticulous approach to art; her sketches exhibit remarkable attention to detail, capturing shop signs, individuals, and the unique nuances of each building with quick strokes for antennas and individual bricks. Even the murals, which may have faded in reality, are represented in her sketches with equally muted tones, mirroring the changing colors of the leaves. However, one element she intentionally excludes is graffiti—while she appreciates street art, she draws the line at what she deems vandalism.
That said, her sketches are not without their imperfections. "There are plenty of inaccuracies in these drawings," Wilding admits, "but those mistakes often get overshadowed by the details." She holds up a completed line drawing to illustrate a mishap she made on one of the facades: “My friend Joe pointed out that this one doesn’t have any eyebrows.” On another occasion, she had to add an extra piece of paper to a sketch after misjudging the height of one of the buildings.
Alf Green, an 85-year-old artist, sits on a stool in a side street, meticulously sketching an aged wooden doorway as cars zip by. He embarked on his sketching journey about a decade ago while residing in a small country town. "I ventured to the neighboring town and stumbled upon an artist society. I inquired about joining, hoping to enhance my skills in color and composition," he shares.
Before long, Green found himself fully engrossed in the hobby. "I discovered there would be a gathering of sketchers in one of Melbourne's suburbs," he explains, referring to a group organized by Wilding. Now, he travels over an hour each week to sketch alongside fellow artists. During their lunch break, they gather to enjoy a parma and a pot, showcasing their latest creations.
Completing her line drawings takes Wilding between four to six hours, often spread across several weeks. Once finished, she paints them at home with bright, vivid colors—sometimes bending reality for the sake of conveying the atmosphere rather than strict accuracy. She doesn’t always get to painting immediately, resulting in a collection of line sketches waiting for their splash of color, neatly organized by street number in a cupboard.
Sketching used to be a pastime reserved for travel adventures for Wilding. "When you sketch while traveling, you notice things differently," she reflects. "You tend to look up more often." However, when you traverse the same path daily, it can feel monotonous—she likens it to another iconic Melbourne artwork, Collins St, 5 p.m. by John Brack.
Through sketching, Wilding has discovered a deeper connection with her local surroundings. "I still feel like I don’t know it that well. It’s like I’m still on an exploration mission right in my own neighborhood."
Her sketches also serve as a visual journal documenting the transformations of the street over time. Drawings created during the COVID lockdowns depict shuttered shops and notices for canceled events, as well as the Black Lives Matter protests. In one poignant illustration, a friend can be seen across the street, a reminder of how social distancing limited their proximity during those times.
Not far from where Wilding is seated today was once another plant nursery adorned with colorful gates. Upon learning it was slated for demolition, she made a special trip to capture it in her art before it was replaced by an apartment complex.
Though changes are inevitable, Wilding and her fellow sketchers plan to return next week to continue their artistic endeavors.
"It might sound trivial to say I'm going to draw an entire street, but it’s quite an extensive project," Wilding remarks thoughtfully. "I could easily see this taking me another ten years or more."
You can follow Helen Wilding's ongoing streetscape project on her website.
