mural 35
7.8M x 4.5M (26’ x 15’)
waterwheel park
first chemainus sawmill 1862
(20th Anniversary Mural) Waterwheel Crescent in
Painted in 2003 by Sylvia Verity Dewar,
With construction assistance from her husband Russ Dewar.
The Artist
Well known BC artist Sylvia Verity Dewar has been in the art world most of her life. She studied at the
Her artistic diversity spans from commercial art to illustrative works in honour rolls for such dignitaries as Princess Anne, Chief Dan George and the WW1 UBC Memorial Book, to fine art in copper plate etching, woodcuts and painting.
Life changes and so has the artist - it’s a growing and evolving experience. Sylvia’s work has changed from mostly black and white to vibrant expressionistic colourful works capturing the energy and vibration of the subject. For Sylvia, this new approach is much more exciting to work with and far more meaningful.
Sylvia has exhibited throughout North America and has works in collections in the United States, Germany, Japan, Costa Rica and of course, Canada.
The Art
First Chemainus Sawmill 1862 is Sylvia’s third mural, one she thought of as a delightful challenge.
While Sylvia is very aware that it’s very unlikely that the old sawmill was ever as brightly painted as she has depicted it, the positioning of the mural wall amongst the lovely dark trees and the shaded pathway within the park led Sylvia to be a bit whimsical in the treatment of her subject. Colour was the answer to what might have been a dark and receding work if painted in ‘normal’ colours. On a sunny day the rays of light on the mural change rapidly and add an interesting dimension to the work. The relatively simple painting style enables the flowers and shrubs planted below to stand out against the background and yet meld with the painting.
As the mill was, and as it is depicted in this mural, it remains a unique part of Chemainus History. Next Mural >