Creatures of the forest and residents of the area have been watching each other for as long as there have been footprints in the Cariboo.
Passersby can gaze upon a new scene of nature now on permanent display at the Quesnel Tillicum Society-Native Friendship Centre. The Quesnel Mural Group (QMG) has unveiled their latest work affixed to the front of the popular building on North Fraser Drive. The three artists primarily involved were Maureen Hobbs Wheeler, Leigh Cassidy and Keith Prestone.
According to Prestone, the work was done over the past six weeks, sometimes over a 12-hour day, sometimes smaller time bites.
“As with any group of collaborators, this mural was a mix of various ideas and solutions by each person on the team, however it is based on photographs and textures from artwork by Maureen,” Prestone said.
The fourth collaborator in the mix was the building itself. A prime view of the city was available on the chosen wall, but there were windows, doorways, and construction materials to take into account. The society stressed that they wanted a mural that reflected local nature.
“The concept of celebrating our natural world fits very well into many facets of our lives as Canadians and is a beautiful fit for the Tillicum-Friendship Centre as a whole,” Prestone said. He expects the new installation will be a positive draw of attention and boost of welcome for the building.
He has seen this happen before in the past mural projects the QMG has been part of.
“In the case of murals, there is also the wonderful opportunity to tell others about what the Tillicum Friendship Centre values in a way that is very accessible to a wide variety of people,” Prestone said. “And just as importantly, to beautify our city and make it a more interesting place to live in and to bring others to see - a place that we can be even more proud of as it draws professionals, business leaders, retirees, creatives, visitors, and many others to our beautiful area of the world.”
Another reason the public might be spotted staring at the new mural is the hidden gems built into it. Like the nuanced impacts of the society’s work, and the multifaceted effect of art, this mural has some secrets: three subtle faces painted into the overall scene.
“Most people can find one and some people can spot the second one, but most find it difficult to find the third one,” said Prestone. “Interestingly it’s often the kids that can locate them the quickest.”
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