MOOSE JAW — Moose Jaw is known for its many creative and colourful murals that celebrate the community’s history, but a forthcoming painting will focus on warmly receiving people into the city.
Standing on a ladder, with a paintbrush in hand, artist Carly Jaye Smith worked on a massive mural — “Welcome to Moose Jaw” — on the Manitoba Street Expressway concrete barrier on June 16.
“I was more than excited and eager to tackle a big wall like this,” Smith said during a break. “It’s an honour to put my name on such a big piece of street art that will be kind of a staple to welcome people into our city (and) into our downtown.”
This is the largest canvas on which the mural artist has ever worked, as it is roughly 200 feet in size. In comparison,
Based on a mock-up rendering, the new mural will incorporate the Snowbirds, 15 Wing Airbase training craft, Mac the Moose, the tourism trolley, the Tunnels, a bridge and an outline of the city.
Smith said that, surprisingly, taking on this project was not as intimidating as she thought it would be. She pointed out that she’s been painting for a decade and approaches every wall differently.
“It’s a trial-and-error process always, but it’s fun, honestly,” It’s (also) hard, especially working in the elements,” she continued. “It’s always mural season in Saskatchewan, (which) can go from rain to 40 degrees (Celsius) pretty quick that you’re kind of playing a game of work-around-the-weather.
“And that’s probably the hardest part of it all.”
The preparatory work was a big task, as the graffiti and faded, peeling mural had to be addressed. However, the DMJA hired someone to pressure wash the concrete and then scrape and sand it. Then, Elite Coating System painted a concrete-specific primer on the surface, which should contribute to the mural’s longevity.
Cloverdale Paint then donated all the exterior paint that Smith required for the project.
Smith was unsure of the mural’s history, but knew that Grant McLaughlin, a long-time community mural artist, painted it with his high school students. She contacted him before she began and informed him of the plan so he was aware. He understood, while he also knew that his mural was in rough shape.
Following in the footsteps of a great mural artist is an honour for Smith.
“Both him and Gus Froese, I have been big fans of theirs since I was a child,” she said. “Grant actually taught me Grade 9 art class, so there was some heroism there in my eyes to be adding my name to (a list of) people like (that) … in our collection of murals in our town.”
Smith’s first artwork was the Al Capone-themed mural on the south wall of the Cornerstone Bar and Grill Restaurant. She created that one almost to the day of when she started this mural project.
Smith began working on the mural around June 13, while she expected that it would take another three weeks to complete, weather permitting.
She joked that she was “a circus act” since she worked in intervals. Sometimes the east-facing wall becomes too hot and the paint won’t adhere to the surface. This forces her to start at 7 a.m., take a break, and then return later to work until dusk.
Smith added that it’s great to work with the DMJA to beautify the downtown, while she wouldn’t call herself a professional mural artist without the community’s support or its pursuit of encouraging the arts.
