The City of Williams Lake has styled itself the
Mural Capital of the Cariboo and not without good reason. It was the local chapter of
Communities in Bloom which provided the initial impetus for a downtown mural project. The project was embraced by city council and got underway in (as best we can tell) 2002 with the first mural,
When Duty Calls, being placed on the fire hall in 2002. The artist was Dwayne Davis of
Davis Arts. Davis has been the artist for the majority of the downtown murals, which now total around 30, some inside but the majority outside.
One may check out all the downtown murals at the
Mural Tour.
Yet another mural by Dwayne Davis, this one is fairly recent, having been done in 2017. Depicting just what the title suggests, it is very realistic, so realistic it has fooled more than a few passersby into thinking, if only for a moment, that a new door had been placed in the Lake City Glass building and the owner, Chester Mortensen, was leaning against the door jamb.
The Garage
113 Yorston St., Williams Lake, BC V2G 1G6 Canada
Artist: Dwayne Davis, 2017
Funded by: Owners of Lake City Glass
About:
This mural was a birthday gift from Sheila Mortensen to her husband Chester on his 73rd birthday. “What do you get the man who has everything?” asks Sheila. Well, a mural of course! The couple started their glass business in a garage on 1st avenue back in 1972 when they first moved to Williams Lake. In 1985 they moved their business to their current location. A 1972 garage featuring co-owner of Lake City Glass Chester Mortensen.
Artistic Notes:
When Dwayne first added Chester’s image to the wall, many locals waved at their long-time friend, and did double-takes at what looks like a new garage entrance. The mural feels very life-like and has fooled many people, causing more than a few chuckles. The stucco surface of the wall had Dwayne painting each area 3 times to fill in the tiny stucco holes. This gives the mural’s lines a slightly blurred edge. Dwayne painted this one on his own.
From Downtown Williams Lake