It is so exhilarating and powerful to leave your permanent mark, your unique artistic vision on something. I had this amazing opportunity to paint a mural on two brick garden walls outside the St Thomas Tourist office in downtown St Thomas, Ontario, Canada. It has been so wonderful hearing the positive comments of people passing by. And thank you for all the love on Social Media!
Special thanks to St. Thomas Economic Development Corporation, Railway City Tourism and Graphenstone paints.
Prepping the Wall
This was my first time painting on brick and I learned that it was a good idea to apply a primer beforehand. So to begin, I applied a colourless primer from Graphenstone paints, AmbientPrimer L44 and let that dry for 24 hours.
The background colour
For the next step, I painted a blue background using a very pale blue (INDO WATER) and a darker blue {PARAIBA). Paints from Graphenstone Grafclean Premium line.
An ecoGreen paint with a matte white finish recommended for exterior walls with high humidity. It is free of all toxic substances and also highly breathable. The product contains lime which acts as a natural preservative thus eliminating the use of harmful chemicals and/or carcinogenic materials. Manufactured with Graphenstone technology, providing resistance and durability.
I must say I am loving these paints!
Day 3: outlines and added some colour
Day 4 progress!
Day 5. It was so hot today! A lot of great comments from people passing by.
Day 6…almost done. Added a butterfly and my website signature for those passing by and taking photos 🙂
Day 7- Scorching hot day
The final photos and reflection
What an incredible opportunity to work on this project. It was an honour and privilege to produce a permanent work of art in the heart of Downtown St Thomas Ontario.
The story of Jumbo the elephant is rather tragic and sad. He was a circus animal that was hit and killed by a train in St Thomas in 1885. In 1985 this statue of Jumbo was erected here.
I am hoping my mural will help to heal the elephant spirit. I love the elephant symbol, she is so gentle, wise and strong. Did you know elephants will come together to mourn their dead? I see all these new painted elephants around St Thomas coming together to lament and honour Jumbo in a joyous way.
This was part of the Track to the Future mural project coordinated by Railway City Tourism in collaboration with Andrew Gunn Consulting and young & free press with generous financial support from the Estate of Donna Vera Evans Bushell. Thank you!
Thank you so much Railway City Tourism for the fantastic “About the Artist” article where you can read more about me and the mural!
Thank you Hometown St. Thomas for the great article in the September 2021 edition! – Helping to Heal Jumbo’s Spirit
