Artist Lily Findlay hopes the light of a setting sun will bring some lightness during heavy times.
She’s the talent behind one of the sections of a new mural painted on a fence along Huron Street in Collingwood. Hers is a swirl of orange and red and a silhouette of a shore lined with trees.
“I started by thinking of what I’ve really been yearning for during quarantine and I kept coming back to memories of being on the water, watching sunsets and being with those I love,” she said. “I wanted to create a design everyone would recognize … allowing each viewer to fall into the piece and take their minds off the current situation, if even for a moment.”
Findlay’s sunset mural is one section of 100-feet of hoarding fence being covered with original art by her, Ruth Hurdle, Sam Nellicks, and Blaze Wiradharma. Wiradharma painted word art reading “We’re in this Together” in the middle of the mural.
The project was commissioned by the town “to uplift the community and help inspire happiness and hope in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to a news release put out by the town.
“I really wanted to be part of something that was going to bring joy to those who viewed it,” said Findlay. “This mural project gave me the perfect opportunity to create just that, in a location that would easily be seen by many.”
She said it’s also a prime location for sunsets, which was another reason she chose to paint on for her section of the mural.
The four artists have had an email chain going where they’ve shown each other their designs.
They’ve been painting in turn in order to observe physical distancing on site.
“Getting out of the house alone has been spectacular,” said Findlay. “But getting to talk to so many people from across the sidewalk and on social media, hearing how much they love the work … and hearing all the shouts of encouragement as people drive by has been such a great feeling. It’s allowed some great connections in this time of isolation.”
The mural will be temporary for as long as the hoarding fence stays up. And though it’s on private property, it’s still public art, which is important any time, but especially at times like these, says Findlay.
“It really gives a sense of togetherness to each and every person who passes by, allowing everyone to experience these great works and talk about them together,” said Findlay. “It gives us all something positive to communicate about … in times like these when we are missing our interactions with friends, it’s great to have something new and different to talk about.”
The Town of Collingwood’s director of parks, recreation, and culture, Dean Collver, said he’s grateful for all the support from the property owners, to council and the artists for helping this project come together.
Collver said it’s a “small but significant impact on both the local arts community, and the larger community as a whole.”
Findlay also does her own painting on canvas and had one of her pieces accepted to the Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts Juried Art Show, which has gone online this year.
