New Kamloops mural really pops at Alchemy Brewing Company
Local artist Stace DeWolf has completed a large outdoor mural for Alchemy Brewing Company’s outdoor patio. The colourful piece is made up of four by eight foot fence panels and features pop art-inspired figures with speech bubbles. The project took a week and a half to complete.
“I first reached out to Alchemy when I was approaching other craft breweries about designing some of the art for different brews for cans. Al from Alchemy responded and we met,” DeWolf said. “From that meeting I began to display work within the brewery and we began talking about the outside patio.”
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The goal was to create something that was bold and bright with the potential to be used as a way for Alchemy Brewing to promote their specials. Stace also wanted it to reflect the character of the city and resonate with viewers.
“I immediately thought of bright neon colours and large figures,” DeWolf said. “I used chalk board paint for the speech and thought bubbles. I wanted the mural to be fun and bright and portray the wonderful diversity we have in our city. It’s amazing what art can do to any surface. It transforms the plain and ordinary into limitless possibilities. It creates noise and makes one stop and look.”
You can see the mural, and stop for a pint, at Alchemy Brewing Company on Victoria Street.
DeWolf is what is called an ‘expressionist artist’. Expressionism is a style of painting in which artists seek to express emotional experience rather than impressions of the external world. Stace has been creating art for at least 30 years now. Bringing his experience and passion to the project with Alchemy, he faced a few challenges.
“I feel that the biggest challenges I faced with this project was probably within myself,” he said. “Other artists may agree with this, but getting in your head and battling the negative thoughts towards our ability is a lousy place to hang around in. I have learned over the years to just work through these moments. Finishing a project makes those feelings and thoughts fade away. It's rewarding to see your work appreciated and seen.”
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DeWolf is hopeful the mural will lead to larger projects and has already been receiving inquiries. He would love an opportunity to create a large scale mural in his own artistic style.
“My work is described by most people as abstract with a strong similarity to Picasso,” he said. “It's a comparison that I have had for a long time but my work is different and my style is unique. Originality in today’s world of art is not easy to achieve. It’s a struggle trying to maintain your own personal style in our fast paced world. I like to branch out into many styles but maintain my own individual signature. I would love to do a very large scale mural to show that art can transform spaces and transform people’s thoughts.”
You can find more of DeWolf's style on his website.
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