A colourful mural splashed across the side of Kamloops Art Party on the North Shore has been a labour of love for the business owner and staff, who hope to see the artwork brighten up the neighbourhood. Carly Schmidt, who owns the art studio located at 177 Tranquille Rd., said she wants to see the North Shore “bright and beautiful.
” “We want to take this passion — and we don't want an angry, grey town. We want a bright, colourful, happy town,” Schmidt said. “Watching the amount of joy that other people have got out of this, like every walk of life, whether you're unhoused or you're living in a mansion, you're getting joy out of this.
” On Wednesday, Sept. 4, cans of paint, ladders, chairs and tents were set up along the west wall of the building where Schmidt and Kamloops Art Party staff were hard at work painting the mural’s animals, trees and flowers. Schmidt said they planned to host loved ones and community members in the parking lot next to the building after the sun went down, with the team planning to work until 2 a.
m. to finish the piece. She said she had started planning for the project two years ago, working on the design and getting the mural approved.
The process of painting the mural took days of work. “The first day I did 12 hours, the second day I was here for 14 hours. Yesterday I was here for 16 hours, today is going to be another 16 hours,” Schmidt said.
She said the women on her team have been “unreal,” working hard in collaboration to complete the piece. First, they washed the walls, and painted the mural’s background layer. Next, the team started adding each of the mural’s colourful mushrooms and animals.
“What we do is one person draws it in, the next artist will come along, colour block it. The next artist comes along and details. So that's how it's becoming a cohesive piece,” Schmidt said.
“Everyone's work as a collective [is] meant to look like one cohesive painting.” Not only has the mural been a Kamloops Art Party team effort, but a community effort. Schmidt said the North Shore Business Improvement Association funded the mural, and community members and other business owners have been dropping off things for the team to keep them going and support their work.
She said she’d like to help other business owners if they’d like to add a mural to their walls. “I want the whole town to look like this,” Schmidt said. “If you have money and want this done in four days, we can start to finish things fast.
And if you don't have money, but you want pretty art, reach out to us. We'll put you in touch with the right people to get funded.”.
