The Sunflower Café, an iconic business in Crescent Beach for over 20 years, became even more of a landmark this summer.
Thanks to a vibrant sunflower-themed mural by Semiahmoo Peninsula artist Carla Maskall, what was a plain wall facing the parking lot beside the popular breakfast and lunch cafe (12310 Beecher St.) has been transformed into a visitor-welcoming "gateway" statement, co-owner Sym Thiele told Peace Arch News.
Speaking on a suitably sunny morning on July 19 – declared Mural Appreciation Day at the café – Thiele said the site, the subject matter and choice of artist had all come together very serendipitously.
"It was a blank canvas at the entrance to Crescent Beach – it screamed that it needed a mural," Thiele said, recalling that – a year-and-a-half ago – she and café co-owner Kathie Buote had seen a Facebook post in which Maskall had painted a shipping container at a local school.
"We commented 'It looks great – we've got a big blank wall that needs painting.'"
Maskall was willing to take on the job, and she, Thiele and Buote applied for City of Surrey approval for the mural, and also for a city community improvements grant to help cover some of the costs of supplies.
Unfortunately, they discovered, they had missed the deadline for project applications for 2023 – but they were quick off the mark to reapply for this year.
By May, the mural received city approval, and the artist set to work on a design.
Some will know the award-winning Maskall – a Federation of Canadian Artists member – from her landscape and environmentally oriented paintings and also from her delightful illustrations for the children's book What The Seal Saw, by Sherry McMillan, and her own popular White Rock and South Surrey Colouring Book.
Her paintings have frequently been displayed at the café over the last five years and – to add another location-specific touch – her mural, entitled Dunsmuir Garden Sunflowers, is based on reference pictures and studies she made at the nearby Crescent Beach community garden.
"I've spent over 25 years plein-air painting there," Maskall said. "I had about 600 pictures I could use as a reference, including the surrounding environment and particularly three trees in the background."
Once she sketched out a line-drawing design, she divided it into grid sections to correspond with a matching grid she had draw on the wall, she said.
"It took me a day to draw (the whole design) on the wall – I was surprised how fast I could do it," she added.
The actual job of painting was more labour-intensive, she said, adding her gratitude for the volunteer assistance of Desiree Tomalyk, who helped her see the project through to completion.
"She kept me company, and helped with the painting, filling in some of the larger areas of colour, so that I could concentrate on painting the details," she said.
The mural is also complemented by the work of Deb Swartz – another artist that Maskall recommended to Thiele and Buote – who has created attractive stained glass pieces in sunflower designs for small side windows in the wall, bringing the theme into the interior of the café.
Both Thiele and Buote agree that the mural has been a win-win for both the business and the artist.
"Carla's created a landmark, I think," said Thiele. "And this has been a great opportunity for her to connect with her fans.
"Her work is just so joyful. So many neighbours have told us how much they love it – it has been very well-received by the community. If she had a nickel for every time somebody stopped her while she was doing the painting, to tell her that it was 'just great,' she'd be able to retire!"
Maskall – who was doing a brisk trade in small canvases of sunflower studies at a table outside during the Mural Appreciation Day – said she, too, has enjoyed the whole experience and the attention it has helped focus on both the café and her work.
"It's an amazing opportunity – I'm very grateful to Sym and Kathie, and to the City of Surrey for the grant," she said.
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