Exploring Some of Downtown's Murals

In my wanderings around Victoria I enjoy exploring the balance between what I call "conscious" art and "unconscious" art.

I call murals conscious art; that is, an artist consciously sets out to create a design for others to enjoy. I have discovered that between the City of Victoria and private sponsors, there is quite a culture of mural painting, and appreciation.

I use the term "unconscious art" to reflect creation of beauty that happens by chance. Someone who created an appealing garden, a cluster of flowers in front of an interesting wall, a viewscape that has both foreground interest and a complementary backdrop...

In this post I'm describing a colourful journey I took exploring a few blocks of the downtown. Mostly it's "conscious" art, but I found a few "unconscious" scenes along the way.

A "mural" on the ground: vibrant walking near the Heliport off Wharf Street.

A mural under a walkway along the harbour. I like the clever way the support has been turned into a vertical story (totem) pole. The Victoria Harbour ferries have hardly been running the last year due to Covid 19.

In the vicinity of the Capital Iron building on Store Street are a large number of murals. First, a brief look at some of the architectural features of this and adjacent buildings.

Detail near the Capital Iron Building. I liked the resonance between the pink and the brick colour, and the detail of the wrought iron.

Valhalla Pure Window, next to the Capital Iron Building. I liked the intricate painting of the bricks, the arched window, and the whimsy of the Valhalla Pure logo surrounded by the heart which Covid has made so popular.

Pottery store near Capital Iron Building. I liked the interplay between the skyline scene reflected in the glass, and the earthy colours of the pots.

Detail from entrance of the pottery store.

And now, to the murals. First, I am amazed by the quality of the painting in these murals. Here are a few samples.

Around the corner of this building is the Grindstone Cafe (detail photos shown below). The mural artist is Mario Labonte (http://www.muralsbc.com/)

Detail, Grindstone Cafe building mural

Detail, Grindstone Cafe building mural

Complementary colours of red and green, with bright splashes of yellow - a nod to nearby Chinatown, add to the appeal of this frontage. I would call this scene "unconscious" design.

Detail of mural by Jeff King, painted on a concrete block wall facing the parking lot across from Capital Iron. There is so much to appreciate here - from the way the bear's fur is depicted, to the ripples in the water, and the shimmering boulders in the river.

Another detail in Jeff King's mural. I am impressed at the intricacy of this artist's work, and how he was able to depict rocks under water.

Inscription on the mural by Jeff King. King signed the mural in 1996, which makes it almost 25 years old. That it has lasted this long is a testament to the quality of his work, and to the paints he used. 

The full breadth of King's mural

The next murals are part of the Rock Bay Mural Project, a joint project of the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations, BC Hydro, and Tervita Environmental Services, and intended to honour the traditions and history of the Songhees and Esquimalt peoples. Here is the logo from the sign:

The murals take up the length of almost a block, and have been painted on plywood surrounding a vacant lot being remediated. The banner of the website https://rockbaymural.com/ gives a glimpse of the project's scale. I learned that the team of artists did the painting indoors - unlike mural painting on concrete, where the artist has to work perched on ladders or scaffolding.

There are many more murals than I have reproduced here. Two primary artists are responsible - Butch Dick and Darlene Gait. However, I do not know who did what work. There were also a number of young Aboriginal artists involved; their photo appears on the Rock Bay Mural website (https://rockbaymural.com/)

I was initially drawn to the waterfall; then I noticed the second, more metaphorical waterfall, of the tears falling from the women's faces. The mural is called "Sword Fern". When the fern first emerges from the soil, its curled up "fiddlehead" provides important nutritional value. Sword ferns also are used in Aboriginal cultures as bedding, lining for baskets, and for wrapping food in cooking. 

I liked the dramatic elements of this piece, "Grandmother Moon", which somehow is able to bring many parts together and still create a sense of unity. The figures on the left and right are the prevailing winds.

I was attracted by the shining head and eyes of this raven. This is a portion of a larger mural honouring the Devil's Claw plant, which is used for traditional healing properties.

The flow of the stylized salmon and water attracted me, with its many shades of blue. This is part of a larger piece, which is immediately below.

I liked the way the artist portrayed the rocky outcrops of land in this mural. 

Above and below water... some creative perspectives on orcas.

This cedar frond motif is repeated on a number of panels of the project.

A few more images struck me in my meanderings in the area looking for murals. Here are some:

This is what I would call "unconscious" aesthetic. I liked the colour and texture contrast of the dried grasses and the greenery of the tree, the horizontal black railing echoed in the black of the restaurant banner, the warm red brick, and the soft lines of the archways over the windows.

The sculpture "Four Winds", at the water end of Herald Street. The sculptor is Chris Johnson (Ice Bear), who is originally from the Chippewas of Nawash on Georgian Bay. The piece was unveiled on Aboriginal Day in 2001. According to the CRD Landmarks page on its website, the sculpture represents "an indigenous expression about the future, as foretold in messages carried by the winds".  I liked the flow of the sculpture, and its sense of movement. The turquoise complemented the brick red of many of the surrounding buildings.

One of the twelve Hands of Time installations in central Victoria, this one along Wharf Street. The sculptor is Crystal Przybille. The series was commissioned to celebrate Victoria's 150th anniversary.

Part of the Ship Point Plaza on Wharf Street honouring the 2010 centennial of the Canadian Navy. The building with the green construction material is the Customs House development. The facade of the original Customs House has been retained, and an entire new building created behind it, and beside it. The building will house upscale luxury residences (https://customshouse.ca/)

A delightful design on the back of one of the many Orca statues around Victoria. These were created as part of a fundraising project for Easter Seals Camps in 2004, "The Great Orca Auction".

This post has given just a hint of the colour in murals and art I am discovering around Victoria. The city is truly a walker's delight.

Sources for additional information:

https://www.vicnews.com/entertainment/local-and-international-artists-paint-murals-across-victoria/

https://www.victoria.ca/EN/main/residents/culture/public-art/concrete-canvas.html

https://rockbaymural.com/

https://www.crd.bc.ca/landmarks/artworks/Four-Winds