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Kelowna News

Vandal or street artist?

Image Credit: Dean Krawchuk

KELOWNA - Can you still call it vandalism when graffiti turns artistic?

One Kelowna artist begs the question by turning street shadows permanent with ink. Or at least semi-permanent.

You might have noticed the work on a busy downtown Kelowna street, jutting out - as a shadow would - from fire hydrants and bus benches.

Someone certainly took notice, recently erasing the paint from the bus stop on Richter Street by the old Kelowna Secondary School site. Graffiti prevention coordinator Scott Isfan says any unauthorized marking on city property is quickly wiped out. At least two officers conduct daily patrols and respond to complaints.

Before the design disappeared, one local snapped a photo of the blue spray paint tracing the shadow profile of the metal frame bus bench.

April Wallach was waiting at the stop today for the number 11 bus to Rutland and also noticed the design.

"I saw it here the other day when I took the bus and now obviously it's gone," she said pointing to the faintly discoloured pavement.

"I guess they decided it wasn't good enough so they painted it."

Wallach suspects it's just delinquent mischief, but admits the design was impressive.

"It had these lines here and the curve of the chair and everything - whoever did it did a really good job of it," she says.

Though it doesn't match the callibre of world famous graffiti artists like UK painter Banksy, it's still a playful gesture that keeps eyes searching for replicas. 

Whether the handiwork in question is just a one-off, or the mark of a budding artist, remains to be seen.

Are you the artist behind shadows?

To contact the reporter for this story, email Julie Whittet at jwhittet@infotelnews.ca or call (250)718-0428.

News from © iNFOnews, 2013
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