The Uptown Mural Project has proven popular in Rutland. Now a related initiative is splashing colour into Kelowna's downtown as well.
As part of a newly created art course, students in UBCO's Department of Creative Studies have already taken paint and brush to a downtown alley.
The result has turned a drab alleyway into an attractive focal point.
The project has given a hands-on opportunity for the budding artists involved. “This course gave students an experience common to painting murals including the use of projectors," mechanical lifts, and a variety of paint applications and techniques,” said Artistic Director David Doody.
The mural can be found in the alley off the 1300 block of St. Paul Street. It took five weeks to complete on the north-facing wall of CTQ Consultants. Over the course of the five-week class in July and August, the students met and worked collaboratively to paint a colourful two-storey mural.
CTQ collaborated with UBCO on the project. "This is a great addition," said Matt Cameron, "and our entire team is proud to have been a part of cheering up the downtown core.”
Doody is pleased with how it turned out. "These open-air public galleries add a splash of colour onto ageing architecture and breathe new life into their surrounding communities," said Doody.
The work is full of bright colours and depicts a salmon swimming in front of an eye-catching background of yellow, blue and green. The images have extra meaning for QTC which recently engineered a massive pump system at Harrison lake which is safe for salmon.
Now that the project is complete, work is underway to find other walls in the downtown with the potential to become a canvas for the young artists.
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