Lyonel Doherty
Times-Chronicle
While filling empty storefronts is the ultimate goal in Oliver, making murals disappear isn’t.
That’s what happened to the beloved mural on the side of the former Fields store downtown.
“I was driving home from the grocery store and bam! I mean BAM! There it was . . . or wasn’t. I almost drove off the road!” said artist Leza Macdonald.
She explained that someone painted over the entire mural that was created on the south side of the building for Communities in Bloom years ago. The mural, painted by several artists, depicted the rolling hills, orchards and vineyards of Oliver.
“I am so tired of COVID and fires and heat waves and now this. Painting over art . . . what the hell?”
Fellow artist Sally Franks was equally upset.
“I just about hit the car in front of me (when I saw it). I could not believe it,” she told the Times-Chronicle.
Franks said she never stopped admiring the mural and all it stood for.
“We must get some answers. The Town was totally behind the project,” she noted.
Randy Houle, Director of Development Services, said the Town recently issued a business licence application for a convenience store at this location.
“I was unaware about the mural being painted over. It is a privately owned building and the Town cannot prevent someone from painting their building.”
But Coun. Larry Schwartzenberger said it is a very unfortunate situation.
“If he (building owner) had spoken to the Town office or the art community first, he might have had a better understanding of the importance of the mural and come up with a different approach for his new building.”
Schwartzenberger noted that council and the Downtown Revitalization Committee is trying to promote public outdoor art in the downtown core, and painting over this mural is “definitely a step in the wrong direction.”
The Times-Chronicle has reached out to the building owner for a response.
An employee who was painting the wall outside said the owner is preparing to open a new convenience store and is having the building painted to reflect that. The employee did acknowledge the concern about the mural, saying that several people mentioned it to him.
He did note that the owner was exercising his right to do what he wanted with the building since it is under his ownership. However, he said the owner may consider possibly working with the artists on a new mural.
Macdonald certainly hopes so.
“I personally would like to work with this guy to create another mural to incorporate his logo and turn this around because the community loved this mural.”
This is a photo of the mural that was painted over.
(Photo contributed)
