17 UBC by Cindy Buckshon, another painting in her forthcoming series of Vancouver transit in art. Bonus points to the person who can identify where in the route the bus is located!
Update: Amanda’s reply in the comments is very close! The 17 bus doesn’t normally travel along Robson to Howe, does it? Unless perhaps it was being re-routed. The bus DOES go up Granville Street, and the Sears building is a perfect match to that big white building with a subtle grid pattern! I believe the painting is based on this Google Streetview, which reveals that the trees have been removed along that stretch of Granville Street. At present, the Google imagery still shows Granville is closed and awaiting repaving after the construction of the Vancouver City Centre Canada Line station. Good work, Amanda!
Vic’s Restaurant by Colleen Carroll, (now the location of Waves Coffee) one of the 15 paintings on display at the Grey to Green Art Fence in the alley just around the corner from E Cordova and Main Street. The Intersections Fence Project was installed in 2010, and has it’s own website here: intersectionsfenceproject.blogspot.com
Burrard Bridge, by Robert Jones, who according to this artist bio, “started painting in 1985 after he developed an interest in architectural illustration. He was an illustrator for six years, in which time he had the opportunity to develop skills in watercolour, gouache and airbrush techniques.” Seen on display in the window at the Time Frame Gallery on Robson Street.
Details from Cristina Peori’s mural at 1175 Union Street, across the street from this mural seen previously on Illustrated Vancouver. Sponsored by Strathcona Business Improvement Association, City of Vancouver Great Beginnings Program, and Out to Lunch Catering, this mural was created in 2009 with assistance from Heather Jones, Cameron Grant, Kayla Deorksen, and Mo Faux.
Through the Eye of the Raven, 2010, preliminary renderings by Richard Tetrault, with contributing artists, seen on the @Vancouver125 bicycle tour held October 1 and 2, 2011. The mural is located on the west-facing wall of the renovated Orwell Hotel on Hastings Street, covers close to 8000 square feet, and is perhaps the largest mural in Western Canada. The team of artists who worked on the project include: Jerry Whitehead, Richard Shorty, Haisla Collins, Sharifa Marsden and Richard Tetrault, with image of ‘Looking Forward Looking back’ (circle image) by Eric Parnell, poetry by Nicola Campbell. The third photo in the series above was taken by RC Helicopter and stitched together.
Further info on the murals from the new website initiative featuring in depth information on the city’s street murals program, vancouvermurals.ca.
The Raven Dancer, dressed in a traditional button robe, holds the ‘Looking Forward, Looking Back’ symbol, signifying the importance of the past when viewing the present, and looking to the future. In ‘Through the Eye of the Raven,’ the light of day is cast upon what, for many on Vancouver’s Eastside, is a dark and forbidding place. Yet the Raven sees past the troubles of this time, alighting upon the sacred canoe of the Coast Salish and reminding us of the rich and powerful heritage that is the birthright of Aboriginal people. Salish serpents and patterned braids frame the mural, while animals walk along the hem of Raven’s blanket. This button blanket enfolds both the terror of the residential school system, as well as the strength and courage of those who stand up and speak for justice. Finally, the hummingbird, a Tutchone symbol of hope, flies above the Vancouver cityscape towards the light.
Back Alley Serenade, Point Grey, by Jack Shadbolt, 1942. From the collection of the Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver Art Gallery Acquisition Fund. This painting is currently on display in the Vancouver Art Gallery exhibition An Autobiography of Our Collection until February 12, 2012. One of the 80 Artworks at 80, selected and published on September 22, 2011 by student Meghan Petersen, who writes:
“I’m into mythology and mythical creatures. This painting reminds me of the fairy and folk tales I loved as a child. I enjoy the joyful expressions of the people in the painting.”
The Marine Building on Hastings, 1945, painted by Brian Croft. Note there is a public speaking engagement with artist Brian Croft at the Vancouver Public Library on Wednesday, September 28th, 2011. This event is open to the public at no charge.
Wednesday September 28
7:00 pm-8:15 pm
Alma VanDusen & Peter Kaye Rooms, Lower Level
Central Library
350 West Georgia Street
Cover of the book At Home With History - The Untold Secrets of Greater Vancouver’s Heritage Homes by Eve Lazarus. The painting on the cover is by Richard Tetrault titled Hawks Avenue, and it was painted in 1975. Book description from the Anvil Press website:
At Home with History is a collection of real life stories that bring to life the glamorous and not-so-glamorous social histories of selected heritage homes in Greater Vancouver—stories of brothels and bootleggers, secret rooms, and Shakespearean-style murders. An Italian family survives the depression by selling booze and sandwiches from their eastside home. A Shaughnessy mansion headquarters the Ku Klux Klan and then a children’s hospice. A secret radio room is uncovered during renovations. Every home has a social history and a genealogy that tells a tremendous amount about the history of the times and offers up a sense of place…
Untitled, Orville Fisher’s mural from 1957 featuring the figure of Mercury, god of messages and glad tidings, inside the post office building at 349 West Georgia Street, by the Homer Street entrance. Technically, this might not actually be depicting Vancouver, but due to the fact that the artist was a Vancouverite and this mural is one of the city’s great under-appreciated murals, I am including it without any hesitation.
The mural is captioned: “Transporting the Royal Mails by land, sea, and air in British Columbia” and is viewable from the street through a double set of glass doors. Also mentioned in John Steil’s book Public Art in Vancouver: Angels Among Lions: “The mural shows the evolution of mail delivery, from stagecoaches to ships, from biplanes to helicopters (there is a landing pad on the roof!).” Orville Fisher studied at the Vancouver School of Art, painted murals with E J Hughes and Paul Goranson for the Golden Gate International Exposition, as well as a lost series of murals at First United Church in Chinatown. He went on to become a respected WWII documentary artist, and later he taught at the Vancouver School of Art.
The 2400 Motel, a 24 x 36 inch oil on canvas by Ken West.
More beer labels for sale on ebay. These aren’t even all depicting Vancouver, but I don’t care - they’re super! From the same collector, in Warsaw Poland. No doubt there is a great story behind this collection. I’ll be very curious to learn where all these labels are going to end up! An emerging book, perhaps, or decoration in a brewmaster’s den?
Update: Yep, it turns out, these labels are part of the largest collection of Canadian beer labels in Europe, according to the seller! Spectacular! Labels from Saskatchewan, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia will be up for sale next week. You heard it first hear, folks. Breaking news brought to you by Illustrated Vancouver!
Seawall Coastal Curves I by Tim Fraser, 2011. Tim is having a show at the Ian Tan Gallery September 10 - 29, 2011, with an opening reception Saturday, September 10; 2-4pm. From the Ian Tan website:
Tim Fraser is a member of the Federation of Canadian Artists and a Fine Arts graduate of Surrey’s Kwantlen College with a background in commercial art. He has exhibited with Ian Tan since 2005 and has become well-known for his dreamy and curvaceous paintings of the Vancouver Seawall, with lollipop trees in luminous colours. Fraser regularly visits Stanley Park to capture new vistas of the seawall.
Mia Johnson
Vintage Vancouver beer labels, from Capilano Brewing Company and Vancouver Breweries Limited, seen this week at auction on ebay, from a seller in Warsaw, Poland of all places. The Capilano Brewing Company dates back to 1934 (note the label is stamped 621+35, my guess indicating 1935) and the second label is a special Jubilee beer for the city’s 50th birthday in 1936 (note the label is stamped 4+8+36, most likely indicating 1936). Vancouver Breweries Limited dates back even further to 1901, and became part of the holding company British Columbia Breweries in 1911, and continued to operate under the name Vancouver Breweries for a good while. Cursory brewery details obtained from the book Brewed in Canada: the untold story of Canada’s 350-year-old brewing industry by Allen Winn Sneath.
Johnny on the Spot, a postcard promoting the new location at Burrard and Davie for the city’s most distinctive dry cleaners and launderers (does anyone know; was this the corner that’s now replaced by a community garden?). Unknown artist, unknown vintage, but based on the cars in the photo, I’d say 1960!
