The UpLift! Jasper Mural Festival continues to beautify the town after unveiling its first mural of 2024 at a kick-off party last Friday.
Tyler Toews, a Canadian artist from Nelson, B.C., painted “Melt” at the top of the stairs to Sunhouse Café and Rockaboo Mountain Adventures at 610 Patricia Street.
“It's been great working with UpLift!,” Toews said.
“And the community here, it's all super positive and friendly and warm and welcoming. It's been a really great experience.”
The mural depicts a gallery scene with renderings of glaciers in the past back when they were in their prime.
Obscuring those paintings is a large ice cube at melting temperature.
The design is 3D anamorphic, and viewers can stand on the painted footprints near the stairs to get the full effect.
“It's not just Jasper; all the glaciers are melting, and it’s just a statement around that and documenting the times,” Toews said.
“This is a fact that it’s happening. I suppose this poses multiple questions for different people to interpret in different ways.”
The mural took four-and-a-half days to complete.
Two other artists have been confirmed for this year’s festival.
Kamamak (Mackenzie Brown), a First Nations Cree artist from the Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation, will be painting a mural on the Telus Wall (203 Miette Ave) facing Miette Street and the NewFire Hall from Sunday, May 12 to Wednesday, May 22.
The concept is inspired by the teachings of the Athabasca River, the Cree culture, butterflies, moths and her identity as an indigiqueer artist.
SATR, a street artist from China, will be painting a mural on the Jasper Downtown Hostel / Source for Sports building wall at 402 Patricia Street from May 13 to May 21.
The concept is inspired by the animals SATR saw on a trip to Jasper last summer.
Organizers are waiting to hear if a fourth artist is coming and ask the public to watch the festival's Instagram for any updates.
