With my Y-NSG grant, I painted a healthcare workers appreciation mural at the North Vancouver paramedics station. I brought to life a design integrating recognizable, local aspects of North Vancouver and bubbles of appreciation. Although this piece may not be available for all of the public to see, I’m excited and overjoyed that I can remind the paramedics of our city that they are recognized and appreciated every day!
During the pandemic, everyone on my block would stand outside their houses at 7 pm and cheer, bang pots & pans, etc. to show their thanks and appreciation for the frontline workers. I decided to use this idea to represent/show the gratitude of the people by painting bubbles of colour coming from them, thanking the workers. This would be a friendly reminder to the healthcare workers that they are recognized and commended for everything they do, and that it is all worth it!
To better suit and benefit the paramedics who will be passing by the mural most frequently, I decided to cheer the design up with iconic elements of North Vancouver, like the Lonsdale Quay “Q”, a gondola, the Polygon art gallery, the Seabus, Lionsgate bridge, mountains, the windmill, etc. With this positive reminder of the city and the people that they are working for, I hope to encourage and show support to our paramedics. Additionally, to keep my original idea of the 7 pm appreciation, I used the Q as a makeshift clock and added clock handles to it. This subtle representation of the time plus keeping the bubbles of appreciation from the people standing outside their homes is less of an indication of the stressful times of the pandemic, and rather solely the appreciation we all have. Additionally, choosing a bright and colourful palette added a more vivid and cheerful touch to the piece. I also integrated more flow and abstraction into the design through aspects such as the cartoon-like waves of the ocean at the bottom, or the river/arm below the bridge.
The often underappreciated work of paramedics in our community is what motivated me to paint this mural dedicated to them, as their constant dedication and work ethic through the pandemic especially are certainly commendable.
https://www.nsnews.com/in-the-community/teen-honours-north-shore-paramedics-with-vibrant-mural-5467863
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