Deborah Zibah's mural jazzes up reopened Stage Door Waterfront Restaurant

The newly renovated restaurant has taken on a jazz feel with what is the largest hand-painted mural in a regional commercial building. 

Measuring 11.5 by 2.5 metres and taking a total of three weeks to finish, the piece was the handy work of local artist Deborah Zibah. 

The inspiration? A holiday which owner Gayle Lanetta and her partner had to put on hold. 

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“She shared with me her vision; she said her husband and her love jazz and they were going to go to New Orleans, but when they bought the Stage Door that was their holiday up in smoke,” Ms Zibah said. 

“She said: 'Look Deb, we love jazz and we love the jazz theme and it's a massive big wall and we want something jazzy in here'.

“Because it's right next door to the performing arts centre, Gayle's vision is to stay open later so that the people who go to the theatre have somewhere to go after hours.”

Ms Zibah went away to research the concept, coming back with an image inspired by the “sleazy, jazzy, Al Capone-ish” nightlife which was brought about by the American prohibition, and the Parisian nightlife works of French artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in the 19th century. 

“So there are glamourous things in there as well,” she said.

“We have high gloss varnish in there; we've got half of my jewellery stuck in there plus half of Gayle's jewellery stuck in there as well just to give it that glitz and glam.” 

Ms Zibah is no stranger to painting murals, particularly in Mandurah. 

She was the artist behind the murals in the old Ruffino’s on the Terrace and at Mandurah Gates Resort, as well as others in private homes and at different Perth hotels and restaurants. 

But having not painted many in recent years, it’s a medium which Ms Zibah wants to get back into. 

“Murals that are really site-specific murals with that content; that's what I'm going to be targeting,” she said. 

“I am looking to do a whole lot of new work for big businesses that have a space that needs to be lightened up. 

“You could have a dramatic painting but I think that being on the wall – because it's so big and it goes around the corner a little bit – I think that's quite unique.

“There's the aspect to it that has the wow factor because it is directly on the wall and it can't be moved. It's there, for a long time.”