Realism

Realism, sometimes called naturalism, is generally the attempt to represent subject matter truthfully, without artificiality and avoiding speculative fiction and supernatural elements.

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    I’ve been feeling a connection to the Raven Animal Totem for a while now and this spot finally felt like the perfect place to paint it.
    I was stoked to meet multiple people with personal connections, stories and tattoos of this beautiful animal. Hearing their tales and appreciation for the Raven was magical and made depicting this large symbol of the Death / Rebirth cycle especially memorable for me

  • The Mojave Phone Booth

    In my design, I create the illusion of an oasis within an urban location. I wanted to commemorate the curious and serendipitous connections made in places of importance which are often overlooked. I chose to reference The Mojave Phone Booth, commenting on liminality and mirroring the history of 11th Ave in many ways.

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    Exploring the shared iconographic relationships and cultural usage of Buffalo, Deer and Elk hide in First Nation cultural storytelling in addition to the Romanticised ‘Western’ Aesthetic of North America.

  • Joy & Fertility

    This mural was imagined during the lockdown because that’s when human activity slowed down and nature was able to catch its breath. I represented this return of nature to the city through these two goddesses.

  • The Labyrinth of Lifelong Learning

    The labyrinth in this mural was initially designed by Anne Nesbitt, a labyrinth instructor at Creative Retirement Manitoba. The creation of this piece was a collaborative and matriarchal one too, where women from all over the community came together to create it. These were women of various ages, and backgrounds. Each person’s own style came through in a different way in the painting, yet it remained as one image. The labyrinth is a metaphor for the journey of life, and many spectators of the mural have said it brings them peace and relaxation.

  • Power Play

    This mural celebrates Winnipeg’s passion for hockey and the return of the Winnipeg Jets to the NHL in 2011, after the franchise had been absent from the city since 1996. It represents an evolution of one’s career in the sport, starting out playing as kids on a homemade outdoor rink, to playing professionally in an arena with a crowd of thousands of fans. In the centre of these two scenes, displays many of the trophies and achievements of Winnipeg Hockey stars. such as Johnathan Toews and Bobby Hull. It includes also many trophies such as The Allan Cup, Smythe Trophy, Calder Cup and the Avco Cup. Other symbols such as the Winnipeg Jets and Manitoba Moose logos are seen throughout, as well as the Winnipeg Golden Boy standing at the very top. Golden scrolls list various Manitoba hockey players throughout history.

  • Burbon Street Mural

    Design-wise this was relatively simple one for me. The owner of the Bourbon Street Cafe provided a lot of the pictures of things that he wanted on the wall representing Bourbon Street. So I had a theme, and all the source materials! He had photos for me so all I had to do and is piece everything together into a cohesive scene. I made a few things up and it was done. In fact I don’t think I made a rough sketch before I started; I just went in there with my photographs and I designed it in my head; I used the photographs with the overhead. This was the first location I used the overhead projection method. The people of the Bourbon Street Cafe were fantastic and a big help. They’d give me hamburgers! It was really nice. I’ve never experienced a job site where I’ve had quite that level of kindness and generosity and good will and warmth conveyed to me.

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    Collaboration mural by Moises/Luvs and Hotsnackz for the 2022 KJ BIT Laneway jam, with the theme “INSPIRE.” Supported by Canada Council for the Arts and the Toronto Arts Council.

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    Garage door mural by Cesar AR for the 2023 KJ BIT Laneway jam, with the theme “GLOW.” Supported by Canada Council for the Arts and the Toronto Arts Council.

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    Garage door mural by Olivia di Gregorio for the 2023 KJ BIT Laneway jam, with the theme “GLOW.” Supported by Canada Council for the Arts and the Toronto Arts Council.

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    Garage door mural in aerosol by James Wilson for the 2023 KJ BIT Laneway jam, with the theme “GLOW.” Supported by Canada Council for the Arts and the Toronto Arts Council.

  • Valley Wall

    I have been intrigued with the city built along the river and its valley. The potential for a healthy city is, in every respect, as limitless as the park’s nature to grow in harmony with the city.

  • The White Tiger of the West 西方白虎

    This is the first of a 4 mural project series. These guardian beasts will be painted as landmarks around Edmonton’s Chinatown. This is a message that Chinatown will remain protected from the colonizers. The combination of 4 murals in different parts of Chinatown will be an allegory of its unity that guarantees its existence and longevity.

    In our mythology, the night sky is divided into 4 quadrants of constellations. These are represented by the White Tiger (West, Metal, Autumn, Courage), Azure Dragon (East, Wood, Spring, Fortune), Black Tortoise (North, Water, Winter, Longevity), Vermillion Phoenix (South, Fire, Summer, Wisdom). They protect important or sacred grounds, such palaces and tombs. In this project’s case, it will be guarding Chinatown.

    This mural faces the west direction, having this guardian white tiger watch over west of Chinatown. The other 3 will be painted accordingly to the direction, which the respective wall faces.

  • The Chain

    Our inspiration for this one came from the natural initiatives happening in Edmonton, like the bee hotels seen around the city and the goats who eat noxious weeds in Rundle Park. We were interested in urban animals and our relationship to them in terms of navigating this urban space mutually. And of course, TrashCo is always interested in playing with mythology and urban legends, so we had to throw that into the design mix. With a nod to the Muttart Conservatory fans in the center.