Putting Fingers to Keyboard....#WQ (Wednesday Quotes) Murals Tell A story

It's another week of  Wednesday Quotes, hosted by Marsha from Always Write. If you're interested in joining, you can find more about #WQ here. 

I mentioned awhile ago that Marsha is doing things a bit different with #WQ due to some new responsibilities she has. She has done away with weekly "themes" and is leaving it up to us, the fellow bloggers to choose what we want to write about. 

There may be weeks I take time to write a separate post, which I do like doing, or I may include it in my Weekend Coffee share post, or Sunday Stills post. It just depends on how my week is going. I try to make it around to comment and I have some fun link parties that I like to do posts for. 

I decided this week since there's not WCS I'd do a separate post for #WQ...we'll see if I get it done. I was thinking about murals. I have always loved them, but Natalie from Natalie the Explorer and host of #weekendcoffeeshare has reignited my love for them. I look for them everywhere and always snap a photo. Yesterday as I was pondering what I wanted to share, I was thinking about how murals always tell a story, at least I think so. There is a story behind why the artist chose that particular scene or item to paint. Perhaps it was just because someone said "I'd like you to paint a flower"...okay, but why a flower? 

When I typed in "murals" into Google, happydecay.com.au said:

"Murals can create a sense of community, beautify urban spaces, express historical and cultural identity, raise awareness about social issues and inspire creativity and wonder. As such, they are a powerful tool for making cities more vibrant, engaging, and meaningful places to live."

I agree wholeheartedly and believe they nailed it on the head! 

Whenever I take a photo of a mural, I come home and look up information on who painted it and what the inspiration was. In one of our local communities, they are working hard to beautify the city and change the perception of it, which isn't always positive with crime, drug use, and homelessness abounding. They have had several new murals painted and I plan to go find them soon. It is in the neighboring town where my oldest daughter lives and in the fall my granddaughter will start preschool and I'll have a few hours to myself. 

I thought this week, I would share some murals I have found while out and about. I also have a few posts when I did a city mural walk, and for a Sunday Stills Post. I know I have so many photos of murals but I'll just share a few. 

The story this mural tells is of our small town of Woodland, Washington. This new mural is in the newly remodeled Walmart. Pictured are Mt. St. Helens, The Cedar Creek Grist mill, Lilacs that depict the Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens. 

I spotted this mural in downtown Victoria, BC..I couldn't really find a story behind it,  however it was created for Hyack Air which is based in Victoria..the artist was Milroy Wonderworks studio and was done in 2007. While a story wasn't found, I can just imagine the thoughts behind it...perhaps these planes are used for tours of the island, or maybe they take passengers to remote locations. 

I spotted this mural in Sidney, BC. I couldn't find artist information, but it celebrates the importance of the canning industry to the communities of Saanich, Sidney, Victoria and the surrounding area. The Saainich Canning Company was founded in 1904. It met the need for seasonal canning of clams, fruit and berries. I love how the boy looks a bit 3 dimensional.

This mural graces the side of a building in Port Angeles..again notice the three dimensional people and dog. The ferry is the MV Kalakala was a ferry boat designed by Boeing in the 1930's and was docked in Seattle. It ran between Port Angeles and Victoria for many years and was the main local attraction before the space needle was built. The mural was painted in 1995-1996 by Cory Ench.

I couldn't find anything out about the mural above. However, the area of Port Angeles and even Vancouver Island have a rich native American history and this mermaid looks to be native American..notice the whales, fish, other sea life which are vital to this area. 

If you pay close enough attention to the murals that say a towns name, you will always see a story....what marks this city or town, what might it be known for, what are popular locations. 

Many cities have mural walks. I went on one with my daughter a few years ago, the link to that post is shared at the beginning. You can usually find a map and many are walkable. They are so much fun! I always love looking up where murals are in various places I visit. 

With Joy Unquenchable,

Kirstin