In the darkness of February and March, Chemainus Art Group members put on their thinking caps to find their happy spring inspirations.
Each of 33 artists was given a prepared one foot by one foot square to turn their creative thoughts into a masterpiece. For fun, each square had to follow certain guidelines so that when all squares were pushed together in the right order, it would result in one overall design for a full four foot by eight foot mural.
Adding to the excitement and anticipation, the artists didn’t know the overall design. It was kept a secret until last week.
With all squares submitted and a bit of preparation, dozens of the artists joined in for a Zoom gathering online and shared images of each piece of artwork as well as the challenges in creating the masterpieces.
Some commented on how fulfilling the project was and how uplifted they felt creating their happy painting. Finally, using a time-lapse format, the artists watched with delight as all the squares danced across their screens to meet at the centre, creating the final vibrant heart flag image.
The theme of the mural, A Joyful Spring in Chemainus, became a joyful time for members together, yet apart to see the single pieces of art combine to become a full masterpiece mural mosaic.
The world-renowned Alberta team of Mural Mosaics (muralmosaics.com) provided the inspiration from their whale mural on Galiano Island for the Chemainus group to share skills and talents to create this community art project.
After the mural backing and upright stands are completed and when COVID restrictions allow, the artists hope to display the mural mosaic in local communities this summer. Until then, you can visit https://www.chemainusartgroup.com to view the mural and the artists’ individual art pieces.
