A new mural is being wrapped up below Victoria's Johnson Street Bridge on the east side of the pedestrian walkway.
Illustrator and muralist Lydia Beauregard has been painting for two weeks and is now putting the finishing touches on the project spanning the length of the roadway below the bridge.
The City of Victoria announced on Wednesday it had hired musician Kathryn Calder of the band the New Pornographers as the city's new artist in residence. But before Calder could oversee a planned art project for the bridge, there was an urgent need to prevent graffiti tags from appearing under the bridge.
Beauregard, who had worked with the city previously on 2018’s Rock Bay Concrete Canvas mural project, was prepared to create the mural immediately.
Calder has since signed off on the mural, meaning it will remain in place for the time being.
“She’s been kind enough to leave this up because it’s been a lot of work and we love it,” Beauregard told CTV News.
“They hired me to do it really quickly,” Beauregard said. “I had about three days to think, ‘OK, what would I see down here? What would I want to do?'”
Beauregard said she was inspired by her friend who was racing a homemade sailboat in the Race to Alaska; a sailboat race running from Port Townsend, Washington to Ketchikan, Alaska, which stopped in Victoria’s Inner Harbour.
“That was a huge inspiration for me,” said Beauregard. “It’s very much ‘Victoria’ and I figured it would fit.”
The mural's sailboats and nautical theme seems to be a hit with pedestrians using the walkway.
“Seeing people walk through and comment on their experience being enhanced while walking in the city, or saying, ‘Thank you for doing this, now we won’t have property damage,’ I love that," Beauregard said.
"I love making people happy with art, it’s amazing,” Beauregard added with a beaming smile. “A mural is the biggest accomplishment, and it’s the best feeling.”
Beauregard hinted there may be more Victoria projects in the works between herself and Calder. “These things take time to develop… this is one of many coming up.”
