Walking the winding asphalt path through Grand Boulevard Park in North Vancouver, you may encounter the uplifting chalk art by artist Bren. This person has made my day so many times!
The picture below is from October 27th, when a pothole repair on the Second Narrows snarled the traffic... we decided to walk instead and were rewarded!
Bren focuses on chalk designs with inspirational messages – including some intricate two-metre-wide designs she has made in local parks to encourage proper physical distancing. From their instagram:
Grateful 4 Inspirational ART🌈My heart sings🎶 BEAUTY is thriving🌀Art to lift spirits & inspire joyful gratitude.
♥️collage ♥️chalk art ♥️repurposing
During the uncertain first few months of Covid, when we kept our bubble small, and no longer spending many hours in traffic commuting to work, we started to discover our own neighbourhood. I try to give everyone a welcoming smile, to make sure they know that the wide berth I'm giving them is nothing personal.
similarly:
"The pandemic pushed them down this creative path, says Brenda, one of the artists, who uses the name Bren.Vancouver when making her creations.
“I want to shout from the rooftop that despite everything, beauty is still thriving,” she says. “My intention is to bring joy, inspiration and hope to everyone. With or without COVID-19, all sorts of people deal with stress and emotional turmoil. If I can take someone from a not so pleasant place and lift their spirits for a few moments, I am making a difference in this world.” says the artist.
A chalk drawing is a very temporal statement.
“This impermanence reminds me of how delicate life is and the importance of embracing the now,” says Bren. “Rather than get lost in the details and strive for perfection (admittedly a guilty pleasure), the impermanent nature of the chalk frees me to take risks and try something new. If the art doesn’t work, it will be erased in a few days. When the art is good, and the rain washes it away, I honestly do get sad and go through a grieving process. I question if it was worth investing so much time on something that would not last. I reflect on the people I saw light up walking by my art and the exponential joy that was sure to follow for others … and so I begin again, to do my art, to do my part.” [Source: North Shore News]
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