The Murals of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada: Murals

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3225 Henderson Highway Location Map

Location: E side; Front Face

Occupant: Dr. F. W. Hamilton School, East St. Paul

District: East St. Paul

Neighbourhood: East St. Paul

Artist(s): Beverlee Bedford (Dove Design)

Year: 2001

Beverlee Bedford: "This 115 foot wall was a cream colour and you couldn't even notice there was a school there. The school wanted to green up the space and the area. But they couldn't plant trees there, so they thought of having a Mural. They didn't want anything too nursery school like, plus they're not certain whether it will remain an elementary school-it might become a junior high school at some point so they didn't want to put anything there that was too juvenile. They had been impressed with the Mural at �cole Royal (see 450 Laxdal). I even went to that school to look at their Mural, but when I saw it, it was not like what I envisioned for Hamilton School."

"Instead, I envisioned a sort of community with a peaceful hill and all these houses and a couple of churches in it; the river close by and lots of green and sidewalks coming together: lots of community and warmth. I took the town of Birds Hill (which is nearby) as my inspiration."

"It was incredibly hot that summer. I was started at six in the morning and I would have to stop at one o'clock because the heat and light being reflected off that wall was just unbearable. There was a fair amount of prep work too because I had to mask all the windows and eaves before spraying."

"This was very thick stipple so the airbrushing was more difficult. The design ended up being a little simpler than I would've liked it to be, but just for that reason. I ended up getting these little tiny rollers and rolling on the flat paint and then to create the gradations and shadings I would use masking tape and sheets of taped plastic and spray glue to create the masks. A lot of times I've realized that I could simplify my paintings by using a brush, but airbrushing is what I do."

"The school loved the Mural. People notice the school now. It's graffiti coated as well. I had a friend do it, as I had no previous experience in graffiti coating. Unfortunately, he sprayed it on which worked fine for the wall but toasted his spray gun!"