They just kind of multiplied.
When Kootenay artist Bryn Stevenson set out to create an ambitious visual tribute to late freeskier JP Auclair, he was initially looking to recreate a solitary yellow avian image — but somehow he ended up with 16 birds in a row, leading up Gordon Road in Fairview.
The mural was intended as a backdrop for the ski film Imagination, which was filmed in Nelson a few weeks ago, and required rush approval from the city. And though the weather was less than ideal, it ultimately took him about 20 hours of spray painting to complete.
“I’m really grateful to be part of such a cool project, and honoured to represent JP. I didn’t know him personally, but I know he was a great skier and a great person,” the 34-year-old artist told the Star.
“He had a real sense of style and he was a total character, happy and positive.”
Auclair was killed in an avalanche in 2014, and Sherpas Cinema envision their film as a tribute to their late friend. Director Dave Mossop worked closely with Stevenson in preparing the mural, which will appear in the background as skier Tom Wallisch flies by it.
“We drove all over the city looking for walls, and this wall just seemed like the perfect one. We started with the original idea of doing one yellow bird, but once we started looking at how much it would cost and what it would take, we came up with the idea to do a whole bunch of them.”
Stevenson has work displayed all around town, and he’s known mostly for his paintings of Kootenay mountains. He’s currently under contract to complete another avian-themed mural in the Slocan Valley.
“I’d love to do a really nice local landscape at some point. It would be fun to do more. There’s been talk of potentially coming up with a community project so people can pitch in to get a mural in their neighbourhood.”
