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Painted in 1991
by Dan Sawatzky,
Chemainus,
(now residing in Cultus Lake, BC)
4.75M x 4.42M (15’ x 14’6”),
ALDER STREET
The Artist
Dan Sawatzky first painted a mural in Chemainus as a visiting artist in 1983. Mural painting has become a way of life for not only Dan but his entire family. More than forty murals later, all family members are involved, and all help in the family business - called “Sawatzky’s Imagination Corporation.”
Sawatzky’s artistic roots working in pen and ink still show in some of the detail of his larger projects. Murals have become so much a part of Sawatzky’s life that he is now one of a handful of artists in North America presently making a living as a full-time mural painter. He works at a fever pace, and attacks any project with energy akin to a white tornado. In 1991, he painted fourteen murals in North America and Japan.
As his skill level and style evolve, Sawatzky’s paintings grow more evocative, using more colour and light, rather than intricate detail to suggest mood and locale. His reputation is now taking him into three-dimensional work, and he is involved in theme parks in B.C. and elsewhere in North America.
The Art
A huge, foreshortened iron horse steams and belches dark smoke as it leaps out of its frame and almost off the wall of artist Dan Sawatzky’s former home and studio. The subject, a working engine operating in the Chemainus area early this century, is of particular interest to the artist, who has always been fascinated by trains.
Engineer Sam Alexander operated the No. 3 Climax Engine as it hauled logs along the rails of the Chemainus Valley. The E&N Railway was completed in 1886, although working trains had been a familiar sight in the community for some years already. The larger engines plied the rails through the hills and the valleys of the E&N land belt, from which the Victoria Lumber and Manufacturing Company drew a great deal of its timber. Smaller, more compact engines worked nearer to and at the mill, shunting timber and finished products to where they were needed.
The Little Town That Did!
“Obviously, Chemainus, B.C., no matter how small it is, has things like imagination and foresight
and a willingness on the part of its residents and community leaders to get behind daring
and adventurous initiatives.”
Author and historian, Pierre Berton
From just five murals and lots of spirit in the summer of 1982, Chemainus has struggled, grown and succeeded in literally putting itself on the map. In 1983, it won the prestigious New York Downtown Revitalization Award for its redevelopment of the town core. It has since gained world-wide acclaim for the integrity and superb artistry of its huge depictions of the town’s history.
Forty larger-than-life historic paintings in this open air gallery now greet the gaze of thousands of visitors each year. Chemainus thrives as a result, but it remains a small town, with just over 4,500 residents. These welcoming people still dish out island hospitality, along with ice cream and afternoon tea and scones just as they always have. Chemainus really is “The Little Town That Did”©.
The coastal community of Chemainus has a rich and varied history. Beginning thousands of years ago with the Coast Salish Native people, that history has flourished through a century and a half of industry and labour. With a mild climate and a great abundance of natural resources, the surrounding area became home to many hardworking settlers. Side by side, these people hewed a town of substance from the majestic forests.
These same forests have provided the lifeblood of the entire valley for more than a century, but to Chemainus, this has sometimes been a painful reality.
In 1981 the town of Chemainus benefited from a province wide redevelopment fund, and initiated a downtown revitalization project to give a face lift to a tired-looking main street. Planters overflowing with fresh flowers, new benches, improved public spaces and better parking facilities, all resulted from this initial project. Suddenly though, the town faced much graver problems than a lack of fresh paint along its thoroughfares. After more than 120 years the mill shut down in 1983.
Without waiting to hear if the mill would reopen, residents rallied to hold on to the roots they had established here. They continued the beautification of the central core. But more was to come. With the remarkable energy and creative vision of resident and businessman Karl Schutz, and the committed support of the then mayor Graham Bruce and the municipal council, the Festival of Murals Society was born. The painting of murals on some of the outside walls of local buildings was the Municipality of North Cowichan’s colourful investment in a livelier looking village.
Those early years of redevelopment now seem a part of history, too. More than a quarter of a million dollars has been invested in the mural project by private, corporate, federal, provincial and municipal investors. As a direct result, Chemainus has attracted in excess of one hundred new businesses, 350-450,000 visitors a year and a $3.5 million dinner theatre. From a dependence on a single industry, it has broadened its economic base to offer a range of service and tourist related activities. To everyone’s relief, the mill was rebuilt and modernized, and reopened in 1985. By that time, residents and visitors alike felt that they had proven they could survive the worst of times through their spirit and determination.
The town now has a new look. It is one that is reminiscent of past glories, and the result is a pleasing mixture of Victorian and frontier design, with a real down home feel. Chemainus welcomes you to a feast for all the senses. Come and taste the magic! You’ll never experience history quite like this again.