Instagram sometimes isn’t always bad. In amongst the masses of bland influencers, you often find a gem of an account, a little artist just doing their own thing.
David Hourigan is one such example. The Melbourne artist crafts incredible artworks of some of Melbourne’s most beloved buildings, making replicas of the city’s best architecture, whether it be an iconic music venue or a busy chicken shop.
His meticulous attention to detail is unreal. His latest was just completed last week, a spot-on replica of Collingwood’s legendary Tote Bar.
“To celebrate the end of Melbourne’s lockdown: Get on the beers!” Hourigan captioned his post on Instagram introducing his new artwork. “Here’s my completed Tote miniature, finished today. This piece sold today to a private collector who already owns one of my other miniatures, they got in quick.”
His scale model of The Tote perfectly captures all the rough charm of that music venue; it will make you immediately remember many a messy night out at the place. There are adorable little VB bottles and 2mm mini cigarette butts on the street. There’s even a ‘Don’t Read The Herald Sun’ sticker in one of the windows.
Particularly fond of the industrial Western suburbs, one of his best artworks is a miniature recreation of the original Franco Cozzo’s warehouse and showroom in Footscray. With the buildings having been demolished some time in the 1970s, Hourigan only had two old black and white pictures to use for guidance, making the end result all the more remarkable. “I really wanted to resurrect this from being long-forgotten,” he said back then.
Another Footscray icon, the Olympics Doughnuts van that stood outside the train station, was also made into miniature. He’s also done other favourite music joints like the CBD’s Cherry Bar, from its original AC/DC Lane location.
Cherry Bar and The Tote are the first in a planned series of live music venues artworks, so expect the likes of The Croxton and Retreat Hotel to follow. Check out Hourigan’s artwork on his Instagram and give him a follow to see what he makes next.
Check out this documentary on David Hourigan’s miniature art:
