On Victoria Crescent in Nanaimo is a very popular cafe, the Vault Cafe. I visited it a year or so ago when I was seeking directions to a photographer, but I have not actually spent much time there.

Last week, however, I was hoping to take pictures of a new mural and ultimately found myself unexpectedly at The Vault Cafe again. At the time, a nearby businessman was unloading a vehicle that blocked a significant portion of the wall that I had wanted to photograph. I waited a short while to see if he would leave, but I felt like a stalker so I left.

I walked a block or so away from my original goal and as I reached The Vault Cafe, my eye was struck by some murals I had not seen before. They included some design elements that seemed to me to have origins in first nations artwork. In my imaginings, a young indigenous mural artist was practising their craft on these walls.

You can decide for yourself if my hunch has any merit, but you have to agree that the repeated overlays and varying styles are fascinating in themselves. If this were a jigsaw puzzle, I would buy it in a heartbeat!

The collectibles and antiques being advertised on the wall are in the Upstairs Bazaar which is on the second floor of the same building as The Vault Cafe.