On 118th Avenue in Edmonton is an abandoned movie theatre. It has been standing unused for at least eight years, when I moved to the area. It is on a large piece of real estate in an area that is central to the city, and I have always wondered why no-one has bought it to […]
Just behind some shops on 82nd Avenue in Edmonton is an alley with some interesting murals. They are from several different artists and show a variety of styles, but they have one thing in common; courageous flair. I am always impressed by the confidence it takes to create artwork on such a massive scale, and […]
Today’s morning walk took me along the North Saskatchewan River from Louise McKinney Riverfront Park to Irene Parlby Park. I enjoyed seeing the play of light and shadow on the ground and through the leaves of the trees. I also enjoyed watching a group of about ten women learning to use Segways. When I first […]
It is easy to dismiss murals as graffiti or even as vandalism but over the years, and the last ten years in particular, they have flourished and have become widely accepted. What was once sometimes rude and crude is now often artful and valued. Wherever I go, I enjoy seeing mural art. Most cities encourage […]
Today I saw some new murals at Kingsway Mall in Edmonton. The first is called Nimihitowin and the artist is Nelson “Dedos” Garcia. The work is a tribute to two Nehiyaw (Cree) artists: iskocês (lunacee) and mitêw kisêynô (creeasian). (Kingsway Mural Project) The artist has said: “It is a celebration of the positive work that […]
In August 2019 I took some photos of graffiti murals that I didn’t understand. At first I thought it was a sentence, but I decided eventually that I was looking at a series of names. This week I noticed that all but one of those names have been painted over. The new murals are bright […]
While walking along the North Saskatchewan River valley yesterday, I was delighted to find some wonderful murals under the James MacDonald Bridge between Rossdale Park and Irene Parlby Park. The artwork is by Nomadic Alternatives.
Many of the murals in Legal depict people who lived heroic lives, and today I have chosen two people whose heroism has made them very significant in Canadian history. One heroic person depicted in the murals in Legal is Roméo Dallaire. He was the Force Commander for the UN peacekeeping force in Rwanda in 1993 […]
There are so many great murals in Legal that it is hard to pick out a few to show you. Today I have chosen the portraits of two more homesteading families. This first is of Joseph St Martin and Marthe Calage. Joseph was the stepson of Jean Calage (1848-1927) and the two men each paid […]
Following my first discovery of the town of Legal, Alberta, I decided to create a series of blog posts highlighting some of the many murals in the town and the history behind them. This is part two of that series. The mural that tells the story of George Bugnet draws attention to some of his […]
When first approaching Legal, Alberta, visitors can stop at the Ensemble-Together Monument that was created by Ernest Chauvet, welded by Louis Forcade, and painted by John Ellenberger. It has a Canadian flag at the centre and the flags of Britain and Quebec on either side. The monument affirms the cooperative spirit of 1775 when the […]
Until yesterday, I didn’t know I lived forty minutes away from the Mural Capital of Canada and the French Mural Capital of the World. And, it is wonderful! The town of Legal (pronounced lé-gal, not lee-guhl) is inhabited by 1345 people living in 448 private dwellings. It was established in 1894 by French settlers and […]
Good murals add colour and interest to an inner-city neighbourhood. I admire the designs and appreciate the amount of work that goes into creating them. It doesn’t matter what city I find myself in, I always come across murals that draw my attention and engage my thoughts. A few days ago, I came across a […]
My Friday walk around the neighbourhood brought a few messages to my attention. I saw these on 118 Avenue and they provided heartwarming messages of solidarity in a time of crisis.
Yesterday I discovered some new-to-me murals and a pocket dog park within one block of West Santa Clara Street between Almaden Avenue and San Pedro Street. I went into the dog park to take a picture of the mural and while there I made friends with Lucy the dog.
Here are a few more murals that I was able to photograph this week. It was a cloudy day but the colorful images actually stand out nicely against the gray background.
Snowbird of Paradise 