Over the last few years, beloved visual storyteller Shaun Tan has produced dozens of small paintings depicting the inner Melbourne suburb of Brunswick. Best known for his beautiful illustrated storybooks (The Rabbits, The Lost Thing), Tan will show over 50 of these works at Tinning Street exhibition space from tomorrow. Here’s what Tan has to say about the exhibition: “I’ve been painting little oil sketches of local environments since the age of thirteen, when I saw a show of Arthur Streeton’s 9×5 landscapes painted on cigar box lids. These unassuming miniatures seemed to capture entire worlds, and I’ve always aspired to do the same. I rarely exhibit my own sketches, regarding them only as painting exercises, somewhat removed from my other work as an illustrator, writer and film-maker. Ironically, this actually makes them very good subjects for an exhibition! There is a freshness and honesty about them, and kind of loose purpose that is often hard to emulate in larger projects. Since moving to Melbourne in 2006, this work has also helped me build a …