by downtownkamloops | Jan 22, 2020 | Art Gallery
No Parking Mural
This downtown mural is called “No Parking” and was painted by Kelly Wright in 2018. This impressive mural of a massive grizzly bear took four weeks to complete. Following the completion, the KCBIA held our second Back Alley Block Party where members of the community were invited to throw paint filled water balloons at the wall. Afterward, the artist used the colour from the splattered paint to fill in the beautiful grizzly bear pictured above. The “No Parking” mural is an important addition to the collection of murals because it commemorates our second downtown block party. This piece of art is unique as members of the community were presented with an opportunity to help in the creation.
If you’d like to see more work done by Kelly Wright, follow this link to her website. Wright has been involved in the creation of a number of murals in the downtown Kamloops area. Another mural done by Wright is History of Brewing located on the side of Red Collar Brewing.
Would you like to see more of the downtown Kamloops murals? You can check out the list of murals on our website or contact us to arrange a free tour.
by downtownkamloops | Jan 22, 2020 | Art Gallery
The Jaguar Gate
“The Jaguar Gate” is a mural located behind Caffe Motivo at 233 Victoria Street.
The artist of this mural, Alexx Moir-Porteous completed the project in 2017. The mural depicts an ancient South American civilization temple site.The ruins of the site have become overgrown with vegetation and forestry where a jaguar perches as the guardian at the gate. This mural features a megalithic stone wall at the front where the jaguar sits and a step pyramid in the background. Looking at this mural, it is easy for one to imagine themselves standing in another time and place. The mural draws creative inspiration from diverse cultural backgrounds to add depth and breadth to the growing downtown mural project.
Since the start of the mural project, a number of downtown murals have been painted by Moir-Porteous. Inspiration from each of these murals range from different topics and themes. In fact, many of his murals include cultural or historical references. Check out the mural by Alex titled “History of Brewing” here.
If you’re interested in checking out more of these murals, you can find a list of them on our website. Or if you’d like a free tour of the back alley art gallery, contact the CAP team to arrange a time for your tour.
by downtownkamloops | Jan 22, 2020 | Art Gallery
The Mystic Mural
“The Mystic” mural painted by Ken Wells in 2017 has an intriguing story behind it. The tale revolves around an old mystic man is sending his roses out into the world with his doves. The roses are received by the lady (painted at the front of the building) who doesn’t know where they’re coming from. The intention of this mural is the promotion of peace and love throughout the world. The moral behind the tale is one of sending love without knowing who the receiver is. The ladies’ patio in the painting seamlessly blends in with the office balcony that overlooks Victoria Street.
The story behind this mural remains something we can all learn a lesson from. Remember to send out love and gratitude to the universe knowing it will be received and sent back to you.
Ken Wells designed elements within this piece to camouflage parts of the building structure, thus the window became a bird cage. By using this technique, the artwork is not diluted by the building, nor the building diluted by the artwork.
Do you enjoy this mural? Let us know and check out more work done by Ken Wells by looking at his Flickr here. Additionally, you can check out more of his murals by scrolling through the mural gallery on our website.
by downtownkamloops | Jan 22, 2020 | Art Gallery
Homage to the Leland Hotel Mural
The “Homage to the Leland Hotel” mural was designed as a tribute to celebrate Kamloops’ rich history.
Situated behind the McDonald’s on Victoria Street, this mural represents the buildings history. Created and painted by Evan Christian and his two assistants in 2017, the mural pays homage to a building destroyed in 1980. The Leland Hotel, built in 1905, met its end in flames. Conceptually, this mural pays homage to the rich history that Kamloops offers. It does so by recreating the memory of the Leland Hotel in a modern and unique way.
This colourful and energetic work of urban art was created with a combination of wall paint and spray paint. It’s a dynamic and contemporary addition to the collection of murals that we have accumulated downtown.
Although this is the only mural done by Evan Christian, this mural demonstrates his talents nicely.
Are you interested in going on a free tour of the back alley art murals? If so, you can contact the CAP team and let us know so we can arrange a time for your booking. But if you’d rather sit at home and take a tour though the murals, you can always tke a look at the back alley art gallery on our website!
by downtownkamloops | Jan 22, 2020 | Art Gallery
Bee City Mural
The “Bee City” mural adds colour and creativity to the downtown core. The mural, painted by a number of local artists, brings a pleasant atmosphere to the area. The artists responsible for this mural are Alexx Moir-Porteous, Ken Wells, Evan Christian, Marianna Abutalipova and Kelly Wright. Artists worked on “Bee City” in the parking lot of the Kami Inn.
This collaborative mural decorates the side of Jonathan Buchner jewellery store and complements the parking lot nicely. Painted in a variety of styles by an array of artists, the flowers and bees in this mural allude to a much needed environmental awareness.
During the weekend of the Spring Festival in 2017, artists came together to combine their skills in this unique collaborative mural. Spring Fest of 2017 remains an exciting art event wherein an artist completed a mural over the weekend. Overall, the vivid display of colour and vibrancy adds to the atmosphere that we hope to perpetuate in downtown Kamloops.
Additionally, many of these artists designed other murals found around the downtown area.
If you’re interested in seeing more of the murals done by these artists, check out the back alley art gallery on our website.
Or if you’d like a free tour of the downtown murals, contact the CAP team to book one!
by downtownkamloops | Jan 22, 2020 | Art Gallery
Italian City Mural
The “Italian City” mural painted by Ken Wells in 2012 is a unique perspective of an Italian neighbourhood. This painting offers a magnificent glimpse into Italian architecture. An archway creates a window into vibrant neighbourhood. With the theme of a meeting place, standing near this mural can offer a similar feeling of meeting with a dear friend.
Ken Wells painted a number of the murals located in downtown Kamloops. Within many of his murals, the viewer may see a small white dog painted in the scene. This breed of dog, a Welsh Sealyham Terrier, is a symbolic nod toward Wells’ mother, a dog breeder and artist located in the United Kingdom.
After seeing this beautiful mural, you might be interested in checking out more of Ken Wells’ artwork. If that’s the case, you can find more of his work here.
If you’d like to see more of the murals from this back alley art gallery project, you can check them out on our website.
Additionally, the CAP team offers free tours of all the downtown murals. If you’re interested in booking one of these tours, contact the CAP team for more information. We would love the opportunity to share the beautiful art in our city!
