ESTEVAN - Three gorgeous murals in the Garden Park on Fourth are now completed, turning the downtown oasis into an open-air art gallery.
For the 10th anniversary of the park, Gale Tytlandsvik, local artist, green thumb and champion for Estevan's beautification, partnered with another local artist Brenda Blackburn to add an artistic touch to the small blooming city park. In June artists started working on three impressionist landscape framed murals, which they painted on the east side of the park.
Murals are the birthday present, and a way to mark the last decade of the park, located on Fourth Street between the Salvation Army and the SaskTel building.
It took artists about three months on and off to complete the project, which had many learning curves. The community was following the progress with interest, which made the work more exciting.
"It was really enjoyable because as we painted, lots of people came to have lunch or to walk or have coffee or just see us paint," said Blackburn.
They said they had a lot of great visits at the park this summer, which made this project even more enjoyable.
Most of the time, artists only had half of the day to paint, as once the sun was high in the sky the colours wouldn't look the same. Wind and the extreme heat Estevan experienced this summer also stopped work a few times.
"It was so hot this summer, so the heat would dry the paint faster than we could get it on. It doesn't land real easy, you have to work pretty fast, so we'd have to quit," Blackburn explained. "So we'd have to get up early. And then we still put in five, six hours a day."
"We'd get so much done in one day, and then it would take us weeks, it seemed like, to get the detail or something," Tytlandsvik added.
Working with house paint was also something new for both of them. There were a few tricks to learn along the way, as colours wouldn't mix the way they do with arts paints, so they had to buy extra paint. Fortunately, the Estevan Arts Council covered all their materials for murals, allowing them to complete the project. They will also cover materials for a metal art installation, planned for the west side of the park.
"Thanks to the arts council," Tytlandsvik said.
"Big shout out to arts council for their ability to foresee beauty," Blackburn added, saying that without that support they wouldn't be able to get the paintings done properly.
"And to SaskTel for letting us (use their space) because they didn't have to. And to the Salvation Army for letting us use their wall," Tytlandsvik said.
Tytlandsvik painted the mural closest to Fourth Street, and Blackburn did the middle one. The third one, depicting the sunrise over a sunflower field, was created by both of them. They said to have two people working on big paintings was an advantage as one could stand back and give directions when it was needed.
Frames became the last part of the project and gave the murals a complete look. They also added a little scavenger hunt element to the project, as now visitors may challenge their kids to find bumblebees, dragonflies and a ladybug in the park.
Tytlandsvik plans on completing the metal art this year but wasn't sure when it will be installed. She also hopes to have a pergola, creating some shade for visitors, built for the park one day.
The plants in the park also look gorgeous now, but it took Tytlandsvik many hours watering and taking care of them to ensure they make it through this hot summer.
"They look better than they have all year by far," Tytlandsvik said.
Now with hundreds of flowers blooming, hummingbirds visit the park on regular basis. So do many residents. Some come to have coffee Wednesday mornings, others would bring their lunch, have a break at the park or take some pictures, and some are just stopping by to enjoy the flowers, pick a couple of tomatoes or herbs from the garden and enjoy the artwork.
Graffiti that appeared on the walls earlier and a theft of flowers from the park were the two downsides to the project. It took artists quite a bit of effort to get rid of the people's vandalism, and after hours and hours of work they put in to beautify the park, they hope no more incidents will occur there.
Tytlandsvik hopes that eventually, people would start using the park more for all kinds of recreation, for example, to hold fundraisers, as a gathering spot or to take pictures. To have a fundraiser in the park, people would need to contact Tytlandsvik first, so she could arrange it with SaskTel.
The joint project proved to be a success and made artists think about further work together. They already received a request from Trinity Lutheran Church that wants their hall painted "pretty," as Tytlandsvik described it.
"That might be our next one. We might just be doing murals," Blackburn said.
Tytlandsvik is also looking for more spots for murals in the city to continue with beautification.
