Sunday Afternoon on Sechelt's Grand Shore

Location: Friendship Park, 5665 Teredo St.

Title, Date: Sunday Afternoon on Sechelt's Grand Shore, 2016

Artist: Dean Schutz

Medium: latex house paint

Commissioned in 2016 to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the District of Sechelt, the mural, titled Sunday Afternoon on Sechelt’s Grand Shore was a months-long project for local artist Dean Schutz. A call for artists had been issued earlier in the year, and Schutz’s proposal for a remake of the French Post-Impressionist painting A Sunday on la Grande Jatte, 1884-86 by Georges Seurat, was chosen. In place of Seurat’s 19th century Parisians relaxing on the bank on the river Seine, Schutz has populated his mural with numerous iconic people and places from Sechelt.

It was Schutz’s hope that this new mural could represent the past, present and future of Sechelt. “The location of the mural is unique because it’s where the District’s boundary meets that of their neighbours, the shíshálh Nation, and where the land meets the sea. I wanted to create a vibrant and inclusive design that would honour and reflect the diverse elements of Sechelt Village, the shíshálh Nation, industrial activity at the port, children in the playground, and people enjoying nature along the waterfront. I think the mural brings that all together and celebrates this wonderful diversity at Friendship Park,” said Schutz.

Sechelt-based artist Dean Schutz is well known in the local arts community. Since completing his diploma in Painting and Film at the Emily Carr University of Art & Design in 1993, he has created more than a dozen murals on the Sunshine Coast, from Gibsons to Ruby Lake.