Murals of Duck Lake - 1

On our recent visit to Saskatchewan we took a side trip to the town of Duck Lake in order to see and photograph its historic murals. Many of them illustrate the way things were before the settlers arrived and changes that European settlers brought. They also allude to the events that occurred in and around Duck Lake during the tense time of the Northwest Rebellion of 1885 and after.

(As described by Wikipedia - "The Northwest Rebellion of 1885 was a brief and unsuccessful attempt by the Metis people of Saskatchewan under Louis Riel to bring to the attention of the Dominion of Canada their concerns for the survival of their people. It resulted in the complete destruction of all Metis and allied Aboriginal forces, the hanging of Louis Riel, and increased tensions between English Canada and French Canada.")

The specific battle that involved Duck Lake was fought near the beginning of that rebellion on March 26, 1885, when Gabriel Dumont (another Metis leader) defeated the Northwest Mounted Police at Duck Lake.

The Battle of Batoche took place a little later, on May 9th. There Canadian forces under Middleton captured Louis Riel while Gabriel Dumont and others on the Metis side fled into Montana.

(Click on photos to enlarge)




The words on the scroll (left-top) in the mural below:

Listen to the winds of time, they echo the words of promises, promises of treaties and a new beginning...

Sign 'Treaty' with the Great White Mother and the following shall come to pass...

'WHAT I OFFER DOES NOT TAKE AWAY YOUR WAY OF LIFE. YOU WILL HAVE THEN AS YOU HAVE IT NOW... IT WILL BE SO FOR AS LONG AS THE SUN SHINES, THE GRASS GROWS AND THE RIVERS FLOW."

This is a scene of the prairie before the settlers came and divided up the land into square parcels...

...and a detail of the above.

prairie life

As we drove up and down the streets of the various towns and hamlets on our recent trip back 'home' to the prairies, I was, as usual, attracted to the murals. They are all over!

The Saskatchewan town where my husband grew up, Blaine Lake, has some that weren't there the last time we visited.

These first ones are downtown. They illustrate scenes typical of the prairies and the activities of the people. My favorite is the outdoor skating scene, which brings back memories of skating on the dugout.





This painting of Jesus the Good Shepherd is on the Blaine Lake Gospel Chapel.


This striking depiction of Blaine Lake in its grain elevator era is painted on the back of the arena. When I was taking the photo, being careful not to stray off the sidewalk, the lady who lived in the house directly behind me popped her head out her front door and in typical prairie-town fashion invited me to come onto her property to take a better picture. I did - and this is the result (thanks again!).

mosaic murals

This gorgeous mural titled "Trust" was put together by Lewis Lavoie and is a mosaic. It is made up of one-foot-square tiles, each of which is by a different artist and a picture on its own. It was unveiled at the Cochrane Ranche House, Cochrane Alberta, last week.

Check out the mural's web page. There you can view the individual pictures by clicking on the mosaic squares. Mr. Lavoie lets us in on some of the secrets of creating such a mural here.

The site links to other mosaic murals as well. Mr. Lavoie is presently working on a new mural called "King of Kings" and is posting his additions to it weekly.

Finally, here's a You-Tube of Mr. Lavoie, creating "The Creation of Adam" (about 2.5 min.).



Thanks to Joyce, who gave me the heads-up on these amazing works of art!

Blue and surreal

This rather surrealistic mural is on the back of the rink and recreation center in the Whalley section of Surrey.

I first noticed it from the chair in my dentist's office several years ago. Thus when I went to the dentist a few weeks ago, I made sure I had my camera with me just in case the mural was still there.

It is. Perhaps a little the worse for graffiti - but the athletes are still laboring, the pretty girls still beaming down on passersby in all their blue glory. (The building walls are straight, not curved, as the last panorama, stitched together out of three shots, would suggest.)

I don't know who the artist is.

Beach creature

This fanciful dragon mural decorates the wall of one of the washroom buildings along the promenade on the White Rock beach. It was painted by Elizabeth Hollick, a local artist and mural painter.

Other murals by Hollick include these two on Commercial Drive in Vancouver. They are part of the Graffiti Management Program initiative.






Take the Graffiti Management Program Virtual Mural Tour to see over 100 more murals from all over Vancouver.

Fort Langley historicals

Time to catch up on some murals I've photographed in the past few weeks.

You'll find these colorful paintings, that focus on the native heritage of the area and the coming of European settlers, tucked away in Gasoline Alley just off Fort Langley's main street. They were painted by Brandon Gabriel, a graduate of the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design in Vancouver, and a member of the Kwantlen First Nation in Fort Langley B.C.

McBurney's Coffee and Tea House

If you read my other blog, you will know we're moving to the city of Langley in less than a month. This is a place we're not unfamiliar with, but neither do we know it well. It's where our church is so we've made multi trips through town but never spent much time in it. Our new home is walking distance from church and is a few minutes' drive from Langley's downtown.

Langley has more of a small town feeling to it than Surrey (the sprawling city we live in now, which really doesn't have one downtown, but four or five business centers -- like Cloverdale, Ocean Park, Guildford and Newton -- which used to be the centers of small towns or settlements )

We really noticed the change in ambience when we drove out to Langley in early July to show some friends the property we had bought. After that we went downtown to where there is still angle parking on some of the streets. We browsed in a few shops, then went for a coffee at McBurney's Coffee and Tea House. (In the virtual tour - link above - McBurney's Coffee House is right of the McBurney Lane sign.) Apparently they have regular live music evenings there - like jazz and such. Judging from the mural on the wall (photo above), one should expect a good time!

propaganda

I snapped this picture of the mural on the wall of the North Poplar Fine Arts School in Abbotsford just over a week ago. I like the art but the subject matter not so much. It's predictable and politically correct to the point of being propaganda in my books (with its cultural diversity and ecology themes - not that I'm against those things: I'm not). This is typical of the murals seen on school buildings around here.

White Rock whaling wall

One of my favorite local murals is this whale mural in White Rock, seen on Johnston Road as you head toward the beach.

A little sleuthing on the internet has netted me some interesting info about it.

The 21 metre long mural of three life-size gray whales was painted by Wyland, in September of 1984. At the time he was only 28 years old and lived in California. It was the fourth of Wyland's "whaling walls." In February this year he completed number 95 in Key Largo.

List of Wyland's whaling walls

Wyland painting whaling wall 79 in California.



Painting the Key Largo wall (number 95).



and fast-forward ...

Noah's Ark mural

This cheery Noah's Ark mural greets the youngest members of our congregation every Sunday.

That plus these underwater scenes on the walls -- all drawn and painted by (or under the supervision of) Kim Block -- give a wonderfully kid-friendly atmosphere to the children's foyer of our church.

Summery mural

It's mural season again! I don't know why but somehow the summer seems more conducive to photographing murals than winter. This bright painting from White Rock, B.C. is sure to get one in a summer mood. Happy first day of summer!

Chemainus, B.C. - 6

Japanese immigrants made a considerable contribution to Chemainus and Vancouver Island life in general. Several Chemainus murals comemorate this immigrant community.




"The Lone Scout" by Stanley Taniwa, Clanwilliam, Manitoba (1991)

A tribute to Edward Shige Yoshida for the realization of his dream in 1929 of starting the 2nd Chemainus Boy Scouts, an all Japanese-Canadian troop and the first of its kind in the country.



"The Winning Float" by Joyce Kamikura, Richmond B.C. (1991)

The winning float in the parade on June 30, 1939 at the Victoria Lumber Manufacturing Co. Ltd.

Read more about the history of the Japanese on Vancouver Island here.

Chemainus, B.C. - 5

"Climax Engine Number Three" painted by Dan Sawatzky (Cultus Lake, B.C.)

Engine No.3 hauling logs in 1907. Shown is Sam Alexander, an engineer for 50 years on the Victoria Lumber and Manufacturing Co. Railroad.

Chemainus, B.C. - 4

Lenora Mines at Mount Sicker - 1988 (Painted by Peter Bresnen, Halifax, Nova Scotia)
On May 16, 1897 Harry Smith and partner staked the famous Lenora Claim for copper.



More information about Mount Sicker can be found here. And here is a page of black and white B. C. Archive photos of the copper mining era.


Chemainus Hospital - 1988 (painted by Doug Driediger, Calbary, Alberta)
When built in 1899 it was the only hospital between Victoria and Nanaimo. Notice the nurse uniforms and caps.

The Spirit of Chemainus - 1991 (painted by Dan Sawatzky, assisted by son Peter - 15 at the time, Cultus Lake, B.C.)
This mural of this graceful sailing ship decorates the wall of the Pacific Shores Inn. The boat that served as model to this mural was built in 1985 as an offshoot of and tribute to the Chemainus Festival of Murals.

Chemainus, B.C. - 3

The town of Chemainus continued to add to its mural collection year by year.

Chemainus Tug Boat - 1984 (painted by Harry Heine, Victoria, B.C.)
Built in 1909 for the Victoria Lumber & Manufacturing Company Ltd.


Chinese Bull Gang - 1984 (painted by Ernest Marza, Victoria, B.C.)
Twenty-three men of the “Chinese Bull Gang” struggle to move a huge timber through the lumber yard to a waiting sailing vessel.


World in Motion - 1986 (painted by Alan Wylie, Fort Langley, B.C.)
1883- 1939 Parade, Heritage Hotels and Shriner Band.


Chemainus Harbor 1910 - 1987 (painted by Colin Williams)
A panoramic view of Chemainus in 1910 capturing the colorful memories of the old logging town.

Chemainus, B.C. - 2

Downtown Chemainus had been rejuvenated in 1982 with five beautiful historic murals. Then in 1983, the town’s biggest employer, the lumber mill, closed after 120 years. Almost 700 people became unemployed in a community of just under 4,000.

But instead of giving up, this Cowichan Valley town surged ahead with a new dream of attracting tourists with murals. The Festival of Murals Society was established that year. That year Chemainus also won the New York Downtown Revitalization Award for redevelopment of the downtown core. Seven more historic-themed murals were added to the town’s collection in 1983:

“Logging With Oxen”
Around 1898 oxen were the main form of power in logging.
(painted by Harold Lyon, Fountain Hills, Arizona)

“Camp 2 On A Sunday”
Loggers spending their Sunday on personal chores at Camp 2, 1902.
(painted by David J. More, Red Deer Alberta)

“Company Store”
An interior rendering of the Victoria Lumber and Manufacturing Company Store, 1917
(painted by Dan Sawatzky, Cultus Lake, B.C.)

“Temporary Homes”
Accomodation for a construction crew in 1912 during road building north of Chemainus.
(painted by David White, Nassau, Bahamas)


"Native Heritage"
Based on the figures from the Native past and present in this area, three tribes are shown.
(painted by Paul Ygartua, Vancouver, B.C.)

Also painted that year were "The Arrival of the 'Reindeer'" and "Chemainus 1891"

Of all these, my favorites are the oxen and the temporary homes. Clicking on the "Logging with Oxen" link takes you to the mural tour page with some fascinating information about how one logged with these beasts.

The temporary homes mural looks a lot like a watercolor to me - beautifully done!

Mural Mecca - Chemainus, BC (Part 1)

It was pouring rain when we left home for Vancouver Island the morning of January 2nd. One of the things I really wanted to do while were we on the Island was visit Chemainus, a little Vancouver Island town now famous throughout the world for its collection of historic murals. We had hoped to do that on the 2nd – but in a deluge?

When we disembarked at Swartz Bay, the precip seemed lighter. And so, thinking this might be the best that we got – keeping in mind the moody winter we’ve had so far on the coast – we made a snap decision at the junction of Highways 17 and 1, and turned north onto 1 and the road to Chemainus.

Despite a confusing interchange which took us on a thirty-minute detour in search of lunch, we got to our destination around 3 p.m. Even as I climbed out of the car to snap the first mural, the few remaining sprinkles of rain turned to pale sunshine. So for the next two hours, we tramped around downtown Chemainus following the yellow footprints painted on the sidewalks in a self-directed tour. I managed to photograph twenty-eight of the thirty-eight murals but only two of the ten sculptures – which only means I need to go back!

Chemainus’s mural project began in 1982 when the town council decided to put some muscle into beautifying the downtown. Ideas for the first murals came from historic books and photos. Five were painted that first summer.

"Steam Donkey at Work" was the first mural painted. (Click on any photo to enlarge)

It shows a steam donkey and crew hauling a log from the forest. It was repainted in 1994.
Artists: Frank Lewis and Nancy Lagana - Victoria B.C.

Other murals painted in 1982:

"Thirty-three Meter Collage"

Stevedores at the Chemainus wharf.

A boom man sorting logs.

Engine #21 rolls off another load of logs into Chemainus log dump
(Artists: Frank Lewis, Nancy Lagana - Victoria BC & Paul Marcano - Saltspring Island BC)

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"Steam Train on Bridge Over Chemainus River"

Locomotive #4 hauling logs over Chemainus River.
Artist: Paul Marcano - Saltspring Island, BC

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"The Hong Hing Waterfront Store"

Hong Hing ran a laundry and then a general store from 1915 to 1950.
Artist: Paul Marcano - Saltspring Island

Video clip showing artists at work on this mural

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Fallers Undercutting a Fir

(This one I missed)

To be continued...