New Historic Mural Underway In Famed Vancouver Island Town
September 11, 2009, Chemainus, B.C. – Painting has begun on a joint venture to create a new historic mural between the Chemainus Seniors Drop-In Centre Society and the Chemainus Festival of Murals Society on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. Officially designated Mural #41, this newest addition to the over 40 murals, carvings and sculptures distinguishing the picturesque and vibrant town of Chemainus is well underway with the first of 5 segments already started.
The 5-segment mural includes a 60 foot by 18 foot north wall as the main scene - set in the late 1800's - of an outdoor Chemainus town gathering, with Mount Brenton in the background. The remaining 4 segments will decorate the south wall and three places on the eastern wall of the Seniors Drop-In Centre on Willow Street in Chemainus. Each will feature scenes of townspeople heading toward the event depicted on the northern wall.
"It is very exciting to see this new mural project completed this summer and in these difficult economic times," said Dr Karl Schutz, the originator of the mural project. "It was a joy assisting with this project on behalf of the Festival of Murals and the project sponsor". Karl mentioned this was only the second mural for which an artist had fully donated the time to paint the mural.
Artist, Lurene Haines, began work on the southern wall on August 30 and despite rainy weather, the work is moving forward steadily. "I'm committed to evenings, weekends and holidays to accommodate my regular work schedule," the artist said, "I want to try and get as much work completed before the winter weather hits."
Haines started with the southern wall which faces the Senior Drop-In Centre's parking lot and Water Wheel Park. "There is a Tour de Rock Breakfast and reception for the Cops for Cancer bike ride at the end of the month. I'd really like to have as much of this segment done as possible for that event. It would make a great backdrop for such an important event."
A blog, Flickr photo page and YouTube channel have been created to document the progress of the mural. In addition, the artist is on Twitter doing regular updates on the mural.
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For more information on the Festival of Murals and Mural #41, please contact:
Murray Schafer, Chemainus Seniors Drop-In Centre Coordinator - 250-246-9968
Lou Roelofsen, President, Chemainus Festival of Murals Society - 250-246-4181
Dr. Karl Schutz, Founder, Chemainus Festival of Murals Society - 250-246-6602
To follow the progress of the mural please visit:
http://mural41.wordpress.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mural41/
http://www.youtube.com/chemainusmural41
http://twitter.com/mural41
The Chemainus Festival of Murals Society is a non-profit, volunteer organization formed in 1981 by resident and businessman Karl Schutz, a group of volunteers, and the committed support of then mayor Graham Bruce, and the municipal council, to revitalize the town Chemainus following economic hardship. The vision of a town filled with creative and historical murals led to winning the prestigious New York Downtown Revitalization Award in 1983. Chemainus has since gained world-wide acclaim for the integrity and superb artistry of its huge depictions of the town's history with 41 outdoor murals plus carvings and statues. For more information on the Chemainus Festival of Murals Society visit http://www.muraltown.com/
The Chemainus Seniors' Drop-In Centre, started in 1980 in a small rented building and today is housed in an 8750 sq ft building owned by the members. The CSDC is a vibrant non-denominational centre with over 500 members, and offers a wide variety of programs, activities and classes as well as special events and community activities. Membership is open to any seniors 55 years+ -- or to associate members with a spouse of 55 years+ -- and costs only $15 a year per person. The Chemainus Seniors' Drop-In Centre is run by the members and encourages active participation. For more information on the Chemainus Seniors' Drop-In Centre visit http://www.chemainusseniors.ca
LURENE HAINES BIOGRAPHY
LURENE HAINES has been an illustrator and writer since 1986, and is recognized for her pencil, color pencil, oil, and watercolor renderings. Lurene started her art career in the comic book and video game industries working on noteworthy projects such as Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters for DC Comics and Hellraiser for Epic Comics. She has also worked on projects for Marvel Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Malibu Comics, Heavy Metal Magazine, Arena Magazine and Cards Illustrated. Lurene has done an extensive variety of fully-painted comic book covers and a fully-painted special edition Deep Space Nine comic.
Lurene has also done trading card art for a variety of publishers and has even created and illustrated an original Star Wars character for a Star Wars Galaxy trading card from Topps Trading Cards. Two of Lurene's books, The Business of Comics and A Writer's Guide to the Business of Comics - in-depth manuals for aspiring comics professionals - have garnered extensive critical acclaim, a Harvey award nomination. A Writer's Guide to the Business of Comics has also won the NY Public Library Top List for Teens award. Lurene has conducted seminars based on her work at a variety of institutions including the Savannah College of Art and Design, in Savannah, Georgia.
Lurene retired from the comic book industry in 1999 and then spent two years as Writer/Artist-in-Residence at Children's National Medical Centre in Washington, DC. She currently works, at her leisure, on writing and illustration for a variety of children's' picture books. She also designs and builds web sites through her company, Web Fire Studio (http://www.webfirestudio.com).
Lurene's mural work includes a variety of projects from private home commissions to professional offices, including a 52' x 12' aviary with an Amazon jungle theme.
After living abroad for over 20 years, Lurene has returned home to Vancouver Island and currently lives in Saltair, B.C. near her family.
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