The Outdoor Art Gallery unveiled its first two murals in Gibsons Landing on Sunday afternoon, Sept. 7. The first was an installation at Zócalo, 441 Marine Dr., and then an hour later, a second mural was unveiled in Molly’s Lane with the artwork situated eight metres up on the Gibsons Quay wall. Both murals were created by Elizabeth Evans and each was approximately one metre by three metres in size. The common themes depicted in the paintings were the earth, sky and water and featured creatures whose existence is threatened. The shadow of a bear reminds the viewer of the fragility of this animal should its habitat be lost.
The invited guests at the first unveiling applauded enthusiastically when Joann Hetherington, owner of Zócalo, ripped away the tarp covering a painting entitled Time Will Tell, revealing bright, bold colours within the powerful composition. “It’s absolutely gorgeous,” she exclaimed when seeing what she’d unveiled. The guests were invited to sip some Gibsons champagne, and a toast was proposed by Patricia Hetherington, Joann’s sister.
William Baker, co-founder of the Outdoor Art Gallery, was excited to share the Gallery’s first works of art with the Town of Gibsons. “We intend to install more murals and sculptures in the coming year, creating a wonderful art walk for visitors and locals to enjoy,” he explained.
“Once we’ve completed our crowd-funding campaign (www.paintourtown.ca), we will seek additional art and artists to participate in this unique project. When completed, Gibsons will be home to the world’s only year round outdoor art gallery,” he added.
“We are looking forward to working with some of the Sunshine Coast’s most talented artists to provide a truly unique and amazing art destination and are confident that the residents of the Sunshine Coast will support this initiative,” Baker said.
The second mural, entitled Trilogy in Time, was unveiled in Molly’s Lane by Thomas Murray who built both the mural structures. All the artwork is for sale and the Outdoor Art Gallery is planning to replace the art annually. The existing murals will be sold to art collectors.
Evans, who painted the murals in her unique brickilism style (“bricks” of colour that merge to form a seamless image) spoke to the guests and pointed out that the sun in each of the paintings is a central theme in all her work.
“I absolutely loved the challenge and fun of creating these large paintings that can now be shared by everyone in the Town,” she said. “The subject matter is relevant and stimulating in a way I hope will invite discussion.”
