Realism

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

  • Golden

    Golden explores notions of identity through the cultural symbolism of mandarin oranges. In Chinese culture, mandarin oranges represent happiness, good fortune, and wealth. Presented at funerals, as housewarming gifts, or placed on tables after a shared meal, the oranges bring a large abundance within their small shells. The thin material of the plastic supermarket bag bears the weight of heavy traditions. A shield concealing a certain difference, a certain flavour, a certain feature. Yet the bag is torn, revealing the contents within. The tear begs an action: an invitation to look in or a release of itself. Rather than patching, this tear grows larger and wider, allowing the oranges to be seen

  • SÔHKÂTISIWIN

    ᓲᐦᑳᑎᓯᐃᐧᐣ, meaning “sôhkâtisiwin” or strength/power in Cree, and it depicts B-Girl and traditional fancy and hoop dancer, Angela Gladue. The mural is based on a photograph taken by Calgary photographer, Candice Ward.

  • ᑮᐦᑳᔮᓱᐁᐧᐤ KÎHKÂYÂSOWÊW / SHE SHINES BRIGHTLY

    This piece was created in collaboration with both Kayla Bellerose and Mackenzie Brown. The portrait of Amy wearing a buffalo robe is a recreation of an original photograph by Yamuna Flaherty, a photographer and friend of Amy’s. The circle behind Amy’s portrait is the sun with 7 beams of light representing the 7
    Sacred Teachings of Truth, Honesty, Respect, Humility, Love, Wisdom, and Courage. Amy Willier embodied these teachings with the way she lived her life with family and community. The symmetrical butterflies represent the transformation of coming from darkness into light, and we chose the colour orange to honour
    the children being found at unmarked mass graves in residential schools across Canada, and green to honour the intergenerational healing of our future generations. Amy advocated for Orange Shirt Day for years, so we know that she is now a helper in the spirit world bringing home the children who never
    made it back to their family.

  • Pandora’s Snail

    A mural that took 14 days to paint, Pandora’s Snail looks like a page from a timeless storybook you could get lost in. Rich blues and pink adorn the cerebral clowns on Kayla’s canvas, between whom sits an ancient snail. What secret’s loom inside this snail? What stories do these characters bring to the Beltline? Inspired by the Cirque du soleil show KOOZA, Kayla says “The mural is about two curious but mischievous clowns about to open Pandora’s snail to release chaos onto the world. The snail is a slow moving creature making it easy to catch and open with the key. The mural uses costumes and motifs from KOOZA to tell a brand new story created by MILKBOX.

  • N/A

    In a special mural that was designed to ‘Commemorate Canada’ through generous funding from The Government of Canada, the artist was asked to ruminate on the nuances of the era we are in through his installation. In response to this Alex Kwong brings us a beautiful mural capturing a pivotal moment in time between father and daughter. Depicting Curtis and his daughter Odette on a warm summer afternoon in Calgary, Kwong hopes to expand on the idea of love and how individual relationships can serve as starting points to greater connections with friends, family, and most importantly ourselves. Loving connections in these most familial relationships can be a window into our true nature and the realization that we are all in fact connected and one. Kwong is an exceptionally skilled local artist whose large scale figurative works have become well known in Western Canada.

  • N/A

    Freehand painting of a six-story-high, whimsical mural on 17th Avenue. It depicts the personal baggage of how an average person lives with everyday.

  • Look Within

    My BUMP mural was inspired by the business behind the wall. When I discovered the wall I was to paint I immediately went in to meet the business owner and took a few photos. Later on I realized I needed to go back and take more inside shots as my ideas for the concept were beginning to develop. This was my first time doing a mural and I wanted to be excited about the design but also be confident that it could be executed properly with the timeframe and structure of the wall.

  • Akin

    Unity and concept of “being in this together.”

    Fragments of diverse young faces intermingle in a column of light within swirling ribbons of colour in this eight-story-high street mural. They coalesce into a radiant triple portrait with a message for our times. Akin is a refreshing work of urban art with an intelligent dose of spatial complexity and social engagement, wrapped up with remarkable craftsmanship.

  • Sunday Evening

    “A pandemic, climate crisis and rising inflation. I’ve never been more broke. But I’ve also managed to gain a new insight into the beauty that occurs every day. Inspired by my recent experiences of transitioning primarily to biking, Inner City Summer is a peaceful testament to how today’s youth breathe life into their cities. The more time I spend on my bike, the more I notice the beauty of these minute interactions between individual and public space. Pockets of people in their own little world. Each like a beautiful painting. By portraying a young woman sprawled across the grass reading alongside her bike, my concept romanticizes a simple moment in time. It champions the beauty of individualism. How do we move through these spaces expressing ourselves from one stop to the next? The woman pictured in the concept is a friend and an emerging artist who embodies a warm, confident, yet introverted energy. I see myself in her. I see my friends in her. She represents a universal mood I began to see on my solo bike rides. This piece is intended to be painted in an impressionistic style (loosely realistic). The warm greens and skin draw the eye and give greater emphasis on the young woman’s tranquil isolation and confidence.”

  • New Paradigm

    “New Paradigm” is a simple representation of the natural evolution of life through the use of abstract realism.

    The vertical composition brings the viewer through time as they scan the mural from bottom to top; seeing the mural transition from a flower bud to a flower at full bloom and then to a hopeful woman gazing into the future.

    Text taken from yycbump.ca

  • Sky Dancers

    This mural celebrates multiculturalism within the art of dance. Starting from the left side, there are two large figures from the Chai Folk ensemble, which is a Jewish Folk dance group who practice in a space near this building. Next to these two is a male Chai Dancer, repeated in a stop motion-like fashion performing a dance move. This leads to an Indigenous hoop dancer in the very centre. On the right side, Caribbean folk dancers are depicted, following two Chinese Lion dancers. Along this vibrant, colourful scene are wave lines meant to represent different rhythms of music. The dancers ride along these lines as they move.

  • Berwick Fruit Company LTD

    The Berwick Fruit Company Ltd mural is the first mural project organized by the Berwick Mural Society.The mural is an ongoing project that began in 2021, with new sections added annually.The objective of the mural is to highlight the significance of the Berwick Fruit Company Ltd in the establishment of Berwick as the Apple Capital of Nova Scotia. The first section was completed in September of 2021, which depicts an image of apple barrel transport in Berwick. The second section of the mural was completed in September of 2022, which shows a bustling scene of the Dominion Atlantic Railroad’s Berwick Station.

  • Wild Water’s Edge

    Completed: July 2023 I am inspired by the trails, conservation areas and proximity to the Credit River that Halton Hills residents enjoy. These spaces provide spectacular experiences for its human population and contribute essential habitat for native wetland flora, fauna and migratory species. Titled Wild Water’s Edge, my Bell Box mural design is meant to echo…

  • Wonder and Wander

    Located at the Ignite Youth Centre, this mural is meant to inspire students of Elgin County and St Thomas. A little bit of nature and magic for the youth centre tying into the neighbouring Horton Farmers Market.

    The piece brings a beautiful burst of light to the alleyway, conjuring up themes of movement, freedom & the pursuit of knowledge … what is the woman in the mural reading? where is she going? how did she arrive in this place?

  • Amusements

    “Amusements” is an art installation celebrating the fairs and festivals throughout the history of St. Thomas. Tattooed in a bingo card, this elephant depicts the Lockes Fair, the Iron Horse Festival and the St. Anne’s Fair.​