The Murals of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada: "Rest in Peace"

 
 

Each year, we lose some good outdoor art in Winnipeg. For the year indicated, here's a last look at, a last goodbye to some of the artwork that has disappeared that year.


Displaying Locations 284-288 of 509

         



Other
Views,
This
Location

Osborne Underpass (4)   

   'Horsepower'
This piece was rendered by Charlie Johnston and Sarah Johnston in 2003; one of 4 panels by Mural Artists for beautification of the Osborne Underpass. Sponsors for the overall project were Take Pride Winnipeg!, City of Winnipeg, CN Rail, Pem-Brand, McDonald's, South Osborne Beautification Committee, Red River COOP, Golden Rule Seniors, IBEX Payroll Services, Lord Roberts Community Centre, St. Mary's Nursery & Garden Centre, Province of Manitoba, Manitoba Hydro. In 2006, additional sponsorship allowed to extend the original scene in both directions shown. The original smaller scene from 2003 can be seen in photo 2. This artwork was subject to much grime and salt over the years- moreso than the other three; and in 2016 the deteriorating piece was removed. Original notes follow:===

Sarah Johnston: ”I think this is my favourite Mural so far. I think it's because we worked and followed each other and literally made our mark simultaneously. Our energy is in the hay.”

Charlie Johnston: “We were rolling in the hay together!” (laughter)

Sarah: “I guess I liked it because there’s a limited colour palette and the fact that was fall. I just loved the rust and the golds and the way Charlie chose that beautiful purple up at the top as a kind of complimentary colour to the gold. I think this took it one step further than just another rendering; the beauty that you sometimes see in a fall scene.”

Charlie: “My initial outline for this wall was for a bush plane with all the trees the colour of fall. Osborne already had a plane Mural, so they wanted me to do something different. So the fall harvests, horse and buggy became another concept. They also wanted to have something to do with vehicles. There is no automotive representation on the other three Osborne underpass walls. So I thought this would be a good chance to do an image of the Bennett Buggy. So we have this crossover aspect and shows what happens when the new technology fails. At times during the Bennett era, there was no gas for cars; so people would start hitching their horses up to the cars and pull them around and using them the same way they used to use wagons: thus the name Bennett Buggy. That’s a loose portrait of my Dad steering the Bennett Buggy up there.”

“I agree with what Sarah said about our energies combining; the colours of the season. This was a relatively small project compared to the other ones I worked on this year, so we could spend a little bit more time concentrating on one set of relationships. We’re both familiar with a lot of historical art. Because it's a fall scene and it involves people at work, we thought Millet and Pourbet, some of the French artists from the 1800s who drew ordinary people, people at work, real earthy imagery, lots of sepia tones, like a part of the earth they're working in. That was the thing: I felt that the people of the thirties that were working the land would be connected to the land itself. That was the look I was going for and the real struggle of ordinary people.”

Displaying Photos 1-2 of 2