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Episode Two
Angler’s Shack with Simone Haag
Part Two — Murals by Tom Gerrard
Photography: Victoria Dunham
Tom Gerrard, the man behind the face(s).
In this episode we return to Angler’s Shack—Simone Haag’s family retreat in Phillip Island—to reveal the
Shack’s exterior facelift and creative murals by contemporary artist Tom Gerrard.
Tom was invited to bring his unique style to the beach house by painting directly onto the walls,
including the backyard skate ramp—permanently binding the artworks to this inspiring space.
Angler’s Shack x Tom Gerrard
Angler’s Shack is more than just a beach house—it’s a special space for Simone and her family to gather,
rejuvenate and create memories. So having just finished the refresh, Simone took the bold move to invite
contemporary artist Tom Gerrard to stay at the Shack and leave his own mark on the space. Simone herself does
her best work with an open brief, so her only instruction to Tom was “just do your thing”.
And that’s exactly what he did.
And that’s exactly what he did.
It started off as a small project, with plans to paint the side of the ramp in Simone’s backyard,
but quickly grew from there.
“I ended up painting the hallway in her house and then other random spots that I chose... yeah, I ended up painting a lot” — Tom Gerrard
“I ended up painting the hallway in her house and then other random spots that I chose... yeah, I ended up painting a lot” — Tom Gerrard
Simone said ‘paint wherever you want and paint whatever you want’, and that’s just what I did.
“We were so excited to have Tom share his craft with us at the Shack as part of the Tint collab.
It is one thing to hang artwork – it is temporary in its nature, and can move around the space.
But there’s something very special about the permanence of his murals and how so subtly,
yet cleverly he intertwined our space and our family into his work.
Seeing “Rodriguez” on the skate ramp every time we enter the gate makes us smile. We are so thankful for his efforts and know that if we ever sell the house – we may have to cut the works out of the plaster, as we wouldn’t be able to part with them.” — Simone Haag
Seeing “Rodriguez” on the skate ramp every time we enter the gate makes us smile. We are so thankful for his efforts and know that if we ever sell the house – we may have to cut the works out of the plaster, as we wouldn’t be able to part with them.” — Simone Haag
“I spent most of the day just drawing and then marked out certain areas where I'd like to paint and
that was all that happened on the first day. Then the second day I woke up and went “Wow, I gotta
get to work”. The way the discussions went with Simone and I — she trusted me to do my thing and I
had to trust myself to do my thing
— and that's just what I did really.”
— and that's just what I did really.”
Inviting guests into a cherished family home is one thing, but inviting a stranger to permanently
express themselves on the walls is something not many of us would do. But Simone’s willingness to
give complete freedom to Tom, and Tom’s passion for bringing unexpected joy to everyday spaces,
has resulted in something truly special — a lasting testament to the power of openness, creativity
and letting go.
Angler’s Shack Colour Collection
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