Morinville is awash in new murals, thanks to artists like Karen Blanchet and Rob Murray.
Blanchet, an active painter based out of Legal, just installed five new pieces in the park next to St. Jean Baptiste Church. That's an appropriate venue, especially considering that they were unveiled on the occasion of the town's celebrations in conjunction with St. Jean Baptiste Day almost two weeks ago.
The project was presented by the Morinville Historical and Cultural Society in partnership with the Centralta Tourism Society. It depicts various aspects of the town's heritage and history.
"They're trying to develop a francophone corridor between Edmonton and Legal for tourists," Blanchet said.
She has four small murals and one large mural, about one metre by 2 metres. The murals focus on subjects ranging from Morinville's hotels and its military to its parades and festivals as well as a glimpse at Dr. Fergusson and Sarah Rondeau, two of the town's earliest and most famous medical practitioners.
With the three hotels, two of which are still standing despite one suffering so much fire damage its owners had to convert it from three storeys to two storeys, she painted the modern ones at the bottom and "the pictures of what they originally looked like in the air."
She praised the town's vibrant culture, a fact that actually heightened the difficulty of her work on the parades and festivals mural. She cited the St. Jean Baptiste Festival, Frontier Daze, and Corpus Christi, not to mention the numerous parades along the years.
"That was all incorporated into one. That was really a challenge," she laughed.
Also contributing to the project were Doris Charest and John Ellenberger.
The Stormin' Mormon strikes again with soothing and soulful murals
Rob Murray has a great nickname for himself but his art doesn't need such slick marketing techniques. The devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints – also known as the Stormin' Mormon – has been painting up a storm of murals in Morinville.
The St. Albert-based artist might have come up with his new moniker based on his painting style. He admits that he doesn't like to stop a project once he starts, meaning his large-scale efforts become marathon sessions. Each one takes about a day.
His three newest murals, completed just recently, all now grace the side of the Entheos Wellness Centre building located on 100 Avenue and 104 Street in Morinville. They range from garden scenes to animal studies, and from whimsical to fantasy.
"It's really quite striking!"
While the Ottawa-born painter first honed his creative craft with cartooning, he has spent the last several years focusing on his murals.
"The mural opportunities are becoming more and more prevalent. I'm not complaining," he joked. "It's been really well received. I'm really excited!"
As an example, he said that he is about to start on a new contract: "It's three-storeys high by about 300-feet wide."
"That'll be quite a nice project to work on."
Murray added that his works average about three metres by six metres.
His other notable murals are at Rednex, Coach's Corner and Noah's Ark Pets and Supplies. In St. Albert, he has works in the Sturgeon hospital and he decorated the sea can at the chamber of commerce centre. He also has a medieval castle-themed work set for the new location of Mission Fun and Games.
