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Fernie Mural Project 2022

 
The Fernie & District Arts Council has been awarded a Grant by the Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance to add to the public art inventory of Fernie. This is an Arts & Cultural grant program by the Columbia Basin Trust. 
The artwork will be located on the back wall of 602 2nd Avenue. The back wall is located in an alleyway opposite The Arts Station and serves as backdrop to an area known as Station Square. Station Square is in the core of downtown Fernie and used for community events such as the Wednesday Socials and Griz Days.

"Grow with the Flow" by Tara Higgins & Becca Davies

Artist Statement

“Grow with the Flow” is a celebration of Fernie. A town nestled in the rockies filled with people always on the move and who love to come together over music. Bold Graphics and a strong use of heritage colours combine together to fill the space with energy and joy.
Tara Higgin’s work is renowned for it’s sense of colour, and as a printmaker and illustrator Becca Davies’ work is known for it’s strong graphic element.
Our goal was to create a piece that was strong enough to be understood from far away and intricate enough to draw the viewer in to discover more elements. Taking the key elements of nature, gathering, and music from the public survey as our jumping off point, we began with a colour palette and a large scale collage to decipher a flowing composition. In selecting the main colours for the mural we drew upon the heritage colour palette of town. For the secondary colours we turned to nature’s influence on the valley.
We wanted to intertwine the mountains that surround us, the river that runs through the heart of town, our mining heritage, outdoor adventures and the shared love of music in Fernie. To achieve this we used repetition of pattern and shapes as well as colour. “Grow with the Flow” is a collusion of two artists which salutes a community that lifts one another up in both it’s rendition and creation. 

Artist Biographies

Tara Higgins

Tara Higgins’ bold brush strokes and intuitive sense of colour allow her paintings to become striking impressions of the unrefined, richly textured landscapes that inspire her.
Drawn to painting from an early age she has studied it’s nuances in Oxford, England; Venice, Italy; Amsterdam, Holland and in the USA. After graduating from university with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Tara continued her study of painting under the mentorship of K.B. Hancock, a world-renowned landscape painter. She has also had the privilege of a mentorship with the reputed Canadian figurative artist Angela Morgan.
Tara Higgins’ work has appeared internationally in magazines, newspapers and television and is hung in private and corporate collections around the globe.
@tarahigginsartist
https://www.tarahiggins.com/

Becca Davies

Becca grew up in the south of England, always experimenting with a new course or medium. After finding an affinity with working with tools she decided to complete a course in Furniture & Product Design & Manufacture.
Deciding to move to smaller towns with bigger mountains she found her tools needed to become more compact and travel friendly. It is while settling in Fernie nearly three years ago that she discovered printmaking and procreate.
She now works part-time as a freelance illustrator, printmaker and graphic designer. Creating bold graphic work with a nod to mark making and narrative.
@inkybec

Artist's Process Video