5 days ago
‘A little bit more intensity': Ukrainian Co-op art mural receives second refurbishment
WATCH: The artist who spray painted the mural at the Ukrainian Co-op in Regina six years ago is back to add to his creation. Damian Smith has more.
WATCH: The artist who spray painted the mural at the Ukrainian Co-op in Regina six years ago is back to add to his creation. Damian Smith has more.
It's round two for Jez Brenwold at Regina's Ukrainian Co-op.
After spray painting a mural six years ago, Brenwold is now refurbishing all sides of the historic building.
'I wanted to come at it with a little bit more intensity, and a little bit more control over how I want to space things, how I want things to move properly,' he told CTV News on Friday.
The artist looks to use this wall to incorporate European and Saskatchewan history.
'I'm also trying to add in a mix of First Nations and within that design, I've found a lot of the Ukrainian ribbons do actually remind me of sun dance dresses, old dresses and stuff that have the same patterns that they use,' he explained.
What is typically a hot spot for local meat purchases, workers at the co-op hope this mural can continue to make their shop stand out.
Mural artist
Jez Brenwold gives new life to the mural he first created six years ago. (Damian Smith / CTV News)
'In my first time shopping, I saw this feature and I think it's awesome,' said Alina Sazhenvna, a cashier who started working at the co-op five years ago. 'Visually, the surrounding buildings look very different. This mural shows that people will know that it's made by a Ukrainian designer.'
Before the mural was created in April 2019, the wall already had unauthorized graffiti markings sprayed on it. The co-op decided that a mural could cover up the graffiti.
For Brenwold, he looks to continue his art in the community but believes that the art form can grow in the Regina area.
'For the general public, a lot of older people still don't like graffiti, but it's all a matter of time,' he said. 'Everybody loves art, everybody loves seeing stuff on their walls. It's only going to be a matter of time before things blow up.'
Some notable flowers on the mural include poppies, lilacs, Venus slippers or anything you could see in a garden - or on a hike in Saskatchewan.
The mural is expected to be fully complete in a few weeks.
