Easter Pysanka

I've been saving this beautiful Vegreville pysanka statue / weather vane for this season. Here it is today -- a week before Good Friday.

We stopped in Vegreville on our trip through Alberta last fall to photograph this largest pysanka in the world. It was put up in 1974 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the RCMP and to celebrate the cultural diversity of the Vegreville community. Hubby, standing at its base, gives an idea of its size.


Pysanka are traditional Ukrainian Easter eggs. They are made with chicken eggs using a batik process, where wax, funneled through the tip of an instrument that's as fine as a pen (stylus), provides a resist to many baths of dye. The end result is amazingly intricate and colorful.

My husband is of Ukrainian descent and his mom had her own collection of pysanka -- not made by her, though.

For a detailed description of the process and explanation of what the colors signify, visit "Art of Ukrainian Pysanka" by artist and muralist Patricia Buzo of -- Patricia's Palette.

For a collection of hand-made pysanka that spans years, check out Luba Petrusha's Annual Collections gallery. Click on each year (top) to view the collection of that year's pysanka. Absolutely stunning!

Airport Murals

A few years ago I had a wait at the Calgary airport. I believe that is where I photographed this interesting collage mural.




When I was back through Calgary a few weeks ago, I looked for it - but it was nowhere in sight.

Instead, this horsey mural was on display in the flight lounge area.

murals to fool and pleasure the eye

Patricia Buzo is a muralist who lives and works in Minnesota. She specializes in trompe l'oeil (to fool the eye) murals as well as painted tapestry hangings and decorative designs.

I will whet your appetite with just one of her beautiful tapestry murals (which has obviously been designed with her client's tastes and collections in mind). Another view of the same piece can been seen here.


Clicking on any image on her gallery page takes you to enlarged views and details, information about the location of the mural, an explanation of technique and media, even some photos of the work in progress.

Her elegant web site also has a history page, where you can learn a lot about decorative painting, trompe l'oeil and murals.

Finally, don't miss her blog, where she posts on topics as diverse as Ukranian Pysanka and the marbles of the world.

Bible story murals

I'm running low on original mural photos so it's time to go to some sources. In the next little while I'll share with you some of the exciting murals and artists' web sites I've found online.

I'll start today with a couple of Bible illustration mural sites.

This beautiful "Jonah and the Whale" mural was painted by Doug Westbrook, a graphic designer, illustrator and muralist. He and his wife have been the Children's Church directors at Central Baptist Church in Houston Texas for over 15 years.


His web site features 22 more beautiful Bible illustration murals including this striking crucifixion scene.


Find more Bible illustration murals at Bruce Barry's Bible Story Murals.

Mural miscellany

Here are a couple from my miscellaneous file.

This pastel water scene decorates the wall of the swimming pool and water slide in an Edmonton Super 8 motel.




I sometimes wonder how people choose the subjects for murals in various places. Like this Roman style bath-among-the-ruins mural. It's in one of our local shopping malls. Maybe I'm thick, but I don't exactly get the connection with shopping.

Murals of ambience

Restaurant murals add to the ambience. These aren't great shots, but you get the idea.

This street-front mural covers a wall of Dadeo's, a Cajun restaurant in Edmonton Alberta.

This pastoral / architectural ruins scene is from Stella's Tap and Tapas Bar on Commercial Drive in Vancouver. (Not sure what the guy on the left is doing - harvesting some of his brewsky?)

Happy New Year!

"May the Lord fill our sails with fair wind,
support our hulls in inviting seas,
guide our hands upon the tiller toward pleasant places
and bring us home to a safe and loving harbor."

- a traditional maritime blessing quoted in Sidewalks and Sand by Constance Daley

(Murals from West Vancouver)

Langley carvings - Mayor Ernie

This carving of first Langley mayor Ernie Sendall sits in Sandall Gardens - 201 A Street & 50 Avenue.

Sendall Gardens is an almost 4 acre park with beautiful and unique plants, shrubs and trees, plus two duck ponds. Apparently it is a popular place for wedding and family photos. The day we visited Mayor Ernie was the only person we shared the park with. The carving is by Pete Ryan.

Langley carvings - The Portage

This handsome carving of two men portaging a canoe stands in the plaza in front of the building that houses the library and Langley City offices. It's at the corner of 204th and Douglas Street. Carvings are by Pete Ryan.

Langley carvings - The Traders

These two figures make the piece called "The Traders." They stand facing toward each other near the corner of Fraser Highway and Glover Road. Carvings are by Pete Ryan.






These two figures stand facing each other near the corner of Fraser Highway and Glover Road.

Langley carvings - The Station

This pole sculpture shows scenes from the city's past. It's found at the corner of Logan and Fraser Highway.

Langley carvings - The Conductor

This is my favorite of the Pete Ryan carvings I've seen so far. It's called "The Conductor" and is at the corner of 204th Street and Fraser Highway in Langley.

Wood carvings of Langley - The Farmer

Since moving to Langley at the end of August, we've been exploring its streets and alleys. Along the way, we've made some lovely discoveries -- like the wood carvings done by Pete Ryan. So far, we've found six. Over the next few days I'll introduce them.

Today meet The Farmer. He stands at the corner of Glover Road and Duncan Way.

Changing times

Langley, B.C. - McBurney's Plaza

Lumby murals

On our recent October holiday, we passed through the town of Lumby, BC. Besides being a pretty little town with a restaurant open for breakfast (even on a Thanksgiving Monday morning) it had murals!

In addition to the war memorial mural, I also found these beauties.

Taken straight from someone's album? These murals even have photo corners.

Some of the local wildlife.

Hanging out.

Not sure about this one, but it looks like a family tribute, judging from the coat of arms on the left and the formal family posed in the middle.

Overlapping images in the shape of saw blades add interest to this wide mural that celebrates Lumby's colorful gold rush and logging past.

Remembrance Day

"Lest We Forget" mural - Lumby B.C. (click on photo to enlarge).

logging in the old west

Creston (B.C.) murals of how logging was done, once upon a time.

Murals of Duck Lake - 3

Before we leave this little Saskatchewan town, let's take in a few slice-of-pioneer-life murals...

This painting celebrates the coming of the railroad.

This charming mural helps us experience recess at the one-room school.

And which child growing up on a prairie farm hasn't heard threshing tales, complete with descriptions of meals and coffee brought to the field?

Murals of Duck Lake - 2

A few more murals from Duck Lake...

In the decades before the northwest rebellion, the main street of Duck Lake was part of a system of trails and waterways known as the Carlton Trail. It linked Winnipeg in what is now the province of Manitoba with Edmonton in present day Alberta. Below are details from the mural, "Carlton Trail" and below that the entire painting.

(Click on any photo to enlarge)






In the mural below artist Glen Scrimshaw shows a settler crossing the river using a red river cart as a raft.


Inscription at the bottom left:

Imagine... In the early 1800s a young native youth no more than five winters old lying hidden on the river bank catching his first glimpse of the "White Man." His grandfather has told him of these men, their odd way of dressing and the funny looking buffalo that pull their noisy means of transportation. This is so strange! I must ran back to my people's camp and tell the elders and everyone of this strange occurrence.