The Murals of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada: 545 Arlington Street

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'Prairie Spirits'

 



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Location: NE corner Arlington & Ellice; South Face

Occupant: Telesky Taxidermist

District: West End

Neighbourhood: Daniel McIntyre

Artist(s): Brian Gasenzer

Year: 2015

Sponsors: Take Pride Winnipeg!, West End BIZ

Brian Gasenzer: "This is a Woodlands Mural- an Aboriginal Style of art. I think we need to see a lot more of it in the city because it has a beautiful style and blocking of colours. We all have a connection with animals and animal spirits and we use them as our guides. In reality they are part of our consciousness of how we act as human beings."

"I've been blessed with the skills and ability to put small scale artwork (maquette in photo 2) onto a large wall. As you can see, it changes. The middle of the mock-up drawing starts changing with the energy that's surrounding me from the neighbourhood."

"This old brick has a kind of a gritty feel to paint on. When it comes to the surface of a wall, be it stucco or brick or flat wall, I'm well versed in different styles so I know how to use the appropriate style to make the art work and 'pop'. Starting as a graffiti artist I've learned that from working on all sorts of surfaces with spray art. I love using both aerosol and acrylic paints together- I call it mixed medium art. Everybody's doing it all over the world and I'm just another one of the people who are using mixed medium styles with aerosols and acrylic paints. Aerosol is one of my favourite mediums as it allows me to flow on rough surfaces. It's all about flow for me. On a flat wall I love using the brush and incorporating aerosol as well."

"I'm here to beautify the city and it's one of the reasons I've never moved out of Winnipeg. I've had opportunities to move to other cities and doing what I'm doing now but on a larger scale. But I find that there's something here in Winnipeg. The feel that the spirit is so strong here- I'm really tapped in and connected to it and I really want to help share it with communities not just in the West End, but also in the North End and communities that really need it."

"That's the part I love about it- the healing through colour and through conversation. Some of the people that come to the wall that I'm talking to- they don't really talk to anybody at times I find. And then I see them here and they're so happy to interact and to see the colour and see their eyes absorb the colour- and it's good for the spirit."

Source: West End Dumplings- Christian Cassidy interviews Cash Akoza.