Some of Pavart´s creations. Photo Credit, John Pavart, supplied to ABC News.
We´ve all heard of decorating eggs for an Easter egg hunt, but how about spontaneously finding a brightly painted coconut?
A hobby has become worldwide success for Australian John Pavart, a former opal miner from New South Wales. He accidently started painting coconut husks several years ago, when he spotted one lying on the ground whilst out and about, and, happening to have his art gear with him at the time, picked it up on a whim and decorated it.
Rather than taking his creation home with him, Pavart placed the coconut back down, and was gratified to watch someone pick it up and walk away with it. He decided to paint more coconuts, and noticing that people seemed to like them, started leaving the pretty husks on beaches on the coast of Magnetic Island for visitors to take as souvenirs.
It wasn´t long before the unusual and unplanned project became an iconic part of Magnetic Island´s charm, to the point where these days, demand exceeds local supply, and Pavart has to take trips to his nearest continental shoreline, Queensland, in order to source more.
The artist told ABC News Au that he enjoys seeing people´s faces light up when they find one of his colourful coconuts, and he estimates that to date he has painted around 750 husks, each with a unique design. He explained to the Australian publication that he favours beachscapes and sea life as the inspiration for his unusual artwork, and expressed his pride that the coconuts can now be found worldwide, as a result of travellers claiming them as souvenirs and taking them back to their homes.
Since the project has become something of a global phenomenon, Pavart has launched a Facebook page in which he posts a photograph of each coconut once decorated, and the page has sparked excitement amongst local children, who love to venture down to the beach for a free treasure hunt.
Has one of Pavart´s nutty works of art made it to your hometown?
