The ceremonies were Held on the 22nd of July at 10:00am in Sidney, BC Canada, at the BC TEL building, located at the corner of Beacon & Resthaven.
The unveiling and dedication of the first work of art of its kind, a giant bas reliefed, (sculptured and painted) mural featuring 10 native paddlers escaping a storm.
The first nations peoples of Saanich have always used the canoe as a means of transportation. The Cedar tree, from which the canoe is made, is very sacred to First Nations people as it is used for transportation, housing, medicine, and spiritual needs.
"Before the Cedar tree is taken down there is always a special ceremony performed so that there would always be a relationship between the Cedar canoe and the First Nations people of Saanich.
The Water in which the canoe would be in is also cared for and talked to because the First Nations of Saanich believed that new born children must be introduced to the Water at the very beginning so that the First Nations people would not be strangers to the Waters and we and the Water would always look after each other."
....an elder of the coast Salish People
Background
This project was commissioned by BC TEL in the fall of 1996. The concept grew from what was originally envisioned to a massive three dimensional, nine month (three months to research and design, six to create) project. The vision was offered to the community of Sidney. Some 30 individuals and companies contributed cash and/or materials to the artist's efforts to help create the only mural of its kind that we are aware of. It has become a major topic of conversation for the local residents, and has attracted attention from travellers and artists from all over the world. (A complete list of contributors is can be seen below).
The people of Sidney have also been great supporters of the mural and the artist's work, even though all they could see of it was the section actually being worked on. As "The Wall" is 65 feet long, it takes three large tarps to protect the work in progress from the elements, and generally only one tarp at a time was ever raised. For much of the creative period, the tarps doubled as a tent to keep out rain, and the occasional snow or hail storm.
As Chris worked on "The Wall" in all kinds of weather, people came by with words of support, encouragement and questions. And there have been many small gifts that have brightened cold, wet days, and refreshed the artist on those rare long hot ones. From biscuits and tins of dog food for Sheba, (who often keeps Chris company), to a basket of home-grown strawberries, cookies, soft drinks, and other treats, to eagle feathers and a bag of runes. Many of the gifts were set on the scaffold by strangers who didn't even stop long enough for Chris to say thanks. There have been photographs mailed to us from tourists from Alaska who passed by, and a poem written about the mural and delivered by an inspired fan.
Subject Matter
The painting depicts 10 Coast Salish paddlers in a dugout canoe desperately fleeing a storm, and taking the risk of bringing their canoe to shelter by running through the reefs. The faces of the canoeists depict determination, fatigue and the occasional hint of fear. What comes through it all is the quiet confidence of the chief and the main paddler, (the most experienced of the crew), knowing that their canoe has been made with care and respect for the elements, and will bring them safely through the storm to shore.
The time is pre-contact (about 400 years ago), and considerable research went into determining details of clothing and equipment. The artist spent time at the Museum of Anthropology at UBC, capital region libraries and at the Royal British Columbia Museum, where he was enthusiastically assisted in his research by Grant Keddy, Curator, Anthropology. In addition, the Tseycum community elders, with special assistance from Elder Tom Sampson and Chief Vern Jacks provided advice, materials and canoes for the artist to use for reference.
The theme is a tribute to the original residents of this region. It also serves as a remembrance of sailors of all races and cultures who have traveled the waters in this region, often discovering, to their dismay, that conditions can change very quickly, and a pleasant day's cruise can become a terrifying experience for the unwary. This, also a reminder, that the sea from whence we came and on which we all depend for our survival, can be friend or foe, and must be respected and cared for at all times.
The artist also hopes that by describing what is a common experience for many, no matter what their ancestry, that each viewer will find they have much more in common with those of other cultures than they realize and that the mural will help them find common ground.
The Creative Process
Chris started the sketches for the mural in November 1996. From preliminary to final draft there were a series of six pencil sketches. Each sketch was discussed with BC TEL and members of the Tseycum village and modified to ensure that not only was the work artistically pleasing, but also culturally and historically accurate.
Unlike many murals, in which the finished artwork is done as a painting in the artist's studio, then projected onto a wall and colours applied, the mural on the BC TEL wall is the original artwork.
Chris started by creating a conti crayon outline sketch on the wall with the assistance of a projector. The rest of the sketch was then completed freehand, and painting of the background areas began. With much of this area completed, the canoe and paddlers were silhouetted, and a patterns of these shapes were made. The patterns were divided into manageable sections and then used to cut shapes from the foam boards. These were sculpted into final shapes, hardened with resin, fibreglassed, then applied to the wall with bondo, edges sealed and weatherproofed. The reliefed area was then sanded, cleaned and primed.
The artist has treated the wall as a very large canvass. It was entirely painted by hand, with no brushes larger than three inches. Most was painted with brushes of one inch or less, and all the detail work was done with regular artists brushes. No airbrushing here. A protective UV coating will be applied to the finished work to protect the colours and to allow regular cleaning and maintenance.
Contributors
• Sidney Rotary Club • Industrial Plastics and Rhinohide Paints • Oceanus Reinforced Plastics • Thrifty Foods • Canada Safeway • Nesbitt Burns, Sidney branch • The Boathouse Marine Centre • Flair for Fabrics • Canoe Cove Manufacturing • Color King Photofinishing • Sigma Technologies • Blackline Marine • Olson Family, agents for Washington State Ferries • 7-Eleven • Beachcomber • Pemberton Holmes (Real Estate) • Sure Copy • Mrs. Evelyn Hamilton (retired) • Richlock Rentals • Home Hardware • Curtis Paxton Miles, Architect • Clive Tanner 6 - Tanners Bookstore • Village Gallery • Capital Iron • Superior Collision • Port Sidney Marina • Discount Printing • Dave Goulet • John Spaulding • Penninsula News Review
Mural Trivia
This list is a strong indication of the community support this project received. Most of this material was contributed by the community, either directly as product from the local businesses, or as cash grants to fund the acquisition. Additional funds have been raised through the sale of T-shirts.
Materials used in the creation of this project include:
• Rhinohide donated all the Industrial acryllic paint 68 litres • Trymer foam board: Fibreglass matt: approx 150 sq. • Resin: about 12 gallons • BPO catalyst: approx 2 litres • bondo: 10 gallons • acetone: 3 gallons • sicoflex: 6 tubes • primer: 3 litres • exterior spackle: 1 large can • modeling paste: 2 jars • sealer: 4 jars Golden Gloss Medium • artists paints: about 8 large tubes Golden Acrylic • UV coating and sealer • paint brushes ( none more than 3 inches): 29 • artists brushes: 15 • sandpaper: about 100 sheets • masking tape: about 1O rolls • paper for patterns: 100 metres • plastic sheeting: about 500 sq ft • tarps ( for weather protection) 6 • scaffolding • ropes for tying tarps: several hundred feet • drop cloth • 200 latex gloves: 200 • 2 disposable coveralls • cotton gloves: 20 pair • misc. materials, rags, etc. • and last, but not least.... 7-Eleven coffee: about 50 gallons
CREATIVE DIRECTOR and ARTIST
Chris Johnson (Ice Bear)
Chris Johnson is a member of the Chippewas of Nawash Band of Ontario, which forms part of the Ojibway Nation. He has been an artist since he was first old enough to hold a brush, and studied at the Toronto Artist's Workshop and Sheridon College in Toronto.
From there, he set out on a career that would see him learning his trade as a creative and artistic communications specialist with some of the largest companies in Canada. He went on to become a partner in a Type & Design studio in Toronto, providing specialized services to some of Canada’s biggest and best known advertising agencies. You will have seen his work many times over the past 20 years in magazines and on signs from coast to coast. He moved to Vancouver 15 years ago, and now lives on the Island, commuting to Vancouver for business, but preferring to live away from large cities and modern technology.
Chris is the creative inspiration and art director for the communications boutique he and his partner own: Ice Bear Studios. His studio is located in Sidney, where he hopes to spend more time painting and sculpting. The current project, the mural on the side of the BC TEL building in Sidney, was unveiled on July 22, at a ceremony conducted by the Coast Salish people of this region.
The next project, another mural featuring the history of the Sidney will be formally announced within a few weeks. An earlier fine art project? the mural in Market Square, focuses on the history of that area of Victoria, unlike his smaller works, inspiration for which comes from his Chippewa and Ojibway heritage.
