Happy New Year!

I'm not sure whether this White Rock Beach mural is a sunrise or a sunset. Whether it's  the sun setting on 2012, or rising on 2013, it comes with wishes for a very

happy, prosperous, and healthy New Year!

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Christmassy on Broadway

 With it being so close to Christmas I was combing my mural photos for something at least a little bit Christmassy. This mural, with its reds and greens, is the closest I can come. It was photographed in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, the Broadway Ave. area.

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School days

Cutouts of kids busy doing what kids do decorate the side of the Salt Spring Island Elementary School.

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Stream of dreams

A fence-mounted poster explains the Stream of Dreams mural.

The mural consists of individual fish (painted by students who have learned about local watersheds) arranged on the chain link fence that borders the school property.

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What's that song?

on the Acoustic Planet Music store (just beside the Transitions Thrift Store), downtown Ganges, Salt Spring Island?

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Flowery welcome

Next door to Salt Spring Coffee, a flowery mural welcomes customers to the Transitions Thrift Store - downtown Ganges, Salt Spring Island.

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Coffee plantation

A stylized frieze of coffee leaves and beans decorates the wall of the Salt Spring Coffee building in downtown Ganges.

Mickey McLeod tells the story of this tasty organic fair trade brew on this YouTube video.

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Overgrown

I love the dense forest that has overgrown the walls of this commercial building in Ganges - Salt Spring Island.

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Buzzy

A sweet bee mural decorates the sidewalk seating area of a coffee shop at Fulford Harbor,  Salt Spring Island, posing the question, "Why are bees so important to our planet?" (Do you know the answer?)

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Underwater

This smiling dolphin gives a cheery welcome to the patrons of Grateful Heads Hair Design, on McPhillips Street, Ganges, Salt Spring Island.

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Butterfly wall

I just loved this eye-catching wall of butterflies. It borders a parking lot on McPhillips Avenue, I think, in downtown Ganges, Salt Spring Island

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Salt Spring Island Buoy

This downtown Ganges (Salt Spring Island) mural fascinated! I photographed it several times in changing light in order to get a detailed view of all sides.

Buoy Mural - Ganges, Salt Spring Island, BC

 

The Saltspringisland.org website explains the mural's history and significance:

"The famous Landmark Mural on a retired can buoy is a "must see" while in Ganges. The buoy used to mark a spot 420 km up the coast at a location known to the Coast Guard as Delta 10 near Skeena River. It now marks the entrance to Centennial Wharf in Ganges, BC. There are Orcas, salmon, cod, an octopus seals and other marine life adorning the buoy, as well as a Coast Guard cutter and kayaks.  The mural depicts what would be seen on and below the water near Salt Spring Island.

The Landmark Mural was painted by  Amarah K. Gabriel and Timothy Hume of The Art Angels."

 

Read more about Ganges 

Elvis is in town!

This mural of Elvis along with his pink Cadillac (by Michelle Loughery) is on the side of the Beer and Wine store in Merritt B.C. (part of the town's musical theme hearkening back to its Merritt Mountain Music Festival days).

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Papa's Pizza

A little calligraphy and greenery to welcome you in. 

Blossom Fantasy

 Another Vancouver wall—gone to the birds and bees!

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Mural sampler

 This Vancouver city wall looks like someone was trying out various mural styles. (A few more would make it look even more interesting.)

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Beautified alleys

 On a recent visit to Vancouver we took a shortcut through an alley and discovered murals there too!

(The building looks curved because this is a photo stitch)

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Vancouver mosaic

These scenes of multi-race, -age, and -ability are painted on the wall of a cultural center on Main Street in Vancouver.

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Aloha, Hawaii

This mural in the Kahului airport bid us goodbye. I hope we get to visit Maui again!

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Maui on the beach

This mural decorates the back of the lifeguard station on Kapalua Beach on Maui.  It captures the joy and energy of this beautiful little piece of paradise.

Happy B.C. Day!

Today is a holiday where I live. It's called B.C. Day—a day set aside to celebrate our province, British Columbia. This mural features the B.C. flag and a a few stylized sights of B.C.'s largest city, Vancouver (e.g. the downtown buildings and sails at B.C. Place bottom left). The mural is located in Vancouver. 

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Ka'anapali dreamin'

This colourful scene decorated the wall of one of the lanai buildings we passed on the Ka'anapali (Maui, Hawaii) walkway where we got a bit of exercise each morning before the sun got too warm. 
 

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Happy 100th - Calgary Stampede!

These murals from the Calgary Stampede grounds helped celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Calgary Stampede, July 6 - 15, 2012 (photos recently in from my Alberta correspondent / mural chaser, Ramona Heikel)

Murals from the Calgary Stampede grounds 2012 (Photo © 2012 by Roman Heikel)

(Photo © 2012 by Roman Heikel)

(Photo © 2012 by Roman Heikel)

(Photo © 2012 by Roman Heikel)

These murals were only a portion of the public art on display at the Calgary Stampede this year. The Stampede Public Art site features many other pieces. Clicking on the images on that page will, in most cases, whisk you to pages of large photos and descriptions of the mural or sculpture featured.

Other Calgary Stampede murals found on Flickr:

• Mural on Big Four Building

• Concrete Mural

Maui vineyard

I snapped this mural on our vacation in Maui this January. I believe it was in Paia. 

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Japanese style

This colorful nature mural is a beautiful draw for Japanese Noodle.

Mural serendipity

I stumbled on this mural in a Saskatchewan town on our vacation last year. I'm not even sure which town it was. It may have been Outlook. If you're a mural chaser, keep your eyes open and camera at the ready during your summer travels!

Mural on wheels

Need a drawing surface for your mural? How about your car?

This blue station wagon looks like it's enjoying its life as a traveling picture book.

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Orgosolo murals - 3

Our final two murals from the village of Orgosolo, on the Island of Sardinia, Italy.

It would be interesting to know the story behind the mural directly below. It appears to be a strong message, not completely lost in translation.

Photo © 2012 by T. Fisher (Used with permission)

 I love the mother-earthiness of these stylized women. On another site, this mural is captioned:"Botero-style painting devoted to women, mothers and workers."

Photo © 2012 by T. Fisher (Used with permission)

Orgosolo murals - 1

Orgosolo murals - 2

Orgosolo murals - 2

More murals from the village of Orgosolo on the Island of Sardinia, Italy.

I love the feeling of family and community these communicate. Though different in style, they both exude stability, tradition, determination, stoicism, and, the bottom one especially, a little outrage? 

Photo © 2012 by T. Fisher (Used with permission)

Photo © 2012 by T. Fisher (Used with permission)

See Orgosolo Murals - 1

Two more murals from Orgosolo next week.