Outdoor Wall Mural Festival ReImagine
Muralists at Work in Penticton, BC

by Fida Wild

The September sun was smiling at the muralists during the outdoor wall mural festival ReImagine last weekend in Penticton BC. It was a pleasure to wander through the streets and see the artists at work.

The funky ReImagine Art Festival emerged last year from a spontaneous idea to revitalize the back alleys of Penticton and at the same time give aspiring muralists a chance to showcase their mural artwork. The festival was so successful that there are plans to make it a yearly event.

"This year, with a grant from the City of Penticton, we are able to expand the Festival to two days and include some outstanding and totally unique events. Penticton hasn't seen anything like it" said Barb Haynes, executive director of the Downtown Penticton Association.

Lynne Beebe

…almost finished.

Additional artistic activities were offered throughout the city. The Penticton Museum presented the Shatford Spectacularium, a multimedia Installation. Various interactive projects took place at the Okanagan School of the Arts; from creating lawn furniture with pellets to a collection of movable art murals.

A welcome massage for tight muscles...

Students of Pen High created chalk art on the sidewalks, and PenMar Cinema presented "Exit Through the Gift Shop", the world's first public art disaster movie.

The Vancouver based Aeriosa Dance Society performed an acrobatic dance in the 'vertical realm' on an exterior hotel wall - exclusively choreographed for the ReImagine Festival. The festivities ended Saturday night with The Ultimate Garage Par-Tay at the Barking Parrott.

Not all street art is equal. So-called "taggers" will apply graffiti to various surfaces without permission. Graffiti Reduction is a program created by the Downtown Penticton Association to help citizens deal with the problem.

Emily Ludington

"Since muralists have painted entire walls, thankfully tagging has been reduced. Even taggers seem to respect a silent code that works of art by others are not to be destroyed," said Lascha Main from the Downtown Association.

Endrene Sheppard

Endrene's helper sticking stickers to the wall for windows, and the result on the right side.

…and the finished outdoor mural

Making art in front of people is maybe not every artist's cup of paint. But creating work of such dimensions can be often very costly. It can 'eat up' gallons and gallons of expensive paint and sponsors are needed to give artists the possibility to express themselves.

Eswen Blagdon

…after the last stroke still enough energy left for a little dance

A festival like ReImagine not only provides free paint, it gives emerging artists a chance to introduce their work to a broader public. It is a welcome learning experience for all to perfect their mural techniques.

Artists are free to choose size and theme. Therefore, a wide variety of topics adorn the walls. Some portray environmental and social issues to bring awareness to a cause, others entirely imaginative themes close to their heart.

Muralists paint from sketches made in advance; some detailed, others with only rough outlines. Working in a specific time frame can be a challenge or even stressful. There is not enough time to wait for the 'kiss of the muse' and implementing emerging ideas throughout the process can mean a delay. Sticking to the original plan is essential to finish in time.

Jamie Eberle

Jamie Eberle’s sketch

The muralists started their work on Friday noon and had time until Saturday evening 5pm, when the judges flocked to the scene to assess their work.

Representational Winner: Luke Hunter
Located on the side of the City Centre building - Pentagon - 399 Main Street

Luke Hunter still at work

Classic Street Art Category Winner: Chris Jones
Located behind Propeller Clothing - 309 Main Street

Chris Jones

Overall Winner: Will Hoffman
Located at the entrance to Voodoos on Nanamio Street.

Will Hoffman

The outdoor wall murals can be found throughout downtown Penticton, in the back alleys of Martin and Main Street.

For more outdoor wall mural photos of Penticton click here.

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