containR Youth Mural Project: Blog Post # 1 by Jenin Ahmad
Image Courtesy of Jenin Ahmad
(Image Description: Taken outdoors on a cloudy day with blues skies. Daniel, the artist - a young Filipino man - wears glasses, a mask, a red gingham shirt, and green pants. He stands in front of a blank, grey shipping container. This is the “before” image of the container. On top of the grey container is another chipping container that says in black and white overlapping text “THIS ISN’T OVER.”)
It’s a bit nerve-wracking to cover an artist’s process. Something that has made this task easier is the fact that I have sat next to Daniel Volante - one of this year’s artists - in art class for the past two years. Watching Daniel make art is like partaking in a long, bumpy road trip that always leads to an amusement park. He sketches, he paces, he throws away drawings and tries again. I’ve watched him paint over the same images over and over, trying to find the perfect shade. Despite his skill and creativity, the beginning of each project always begins with nervousness, as is the case with most artists. It’s no different when it comes to starting the mural. He takes to spray painting quickly, drawing a pair of eyes on his practice board and taking full advantage of each individual colour. When he’s confident enough with his skills and make his way to the container, I watch as he teeters back and forth, shaking the aerosol repeatedly. “Maybe I should practice some more,” he says to me. But after some coaxing, he starts to apply his sketch to the canvas. His uneasiness melts away fast and I watch in amazement as he quickly draws large strokes of fire and an outline of a pair of shoes.
Image courtesy of Jenin Ahmad
(Image Description: Daniel, the artist - A young Filipino man - wears glasses, a mask, and a red gingham shirt. He uses a spray can against a grey shipping container. In a dull orange colour, he paints a boy’s head amongst clouds. The face has three eyes.)
It’s a hot day. There’s no shade and the metal containers gladly absorb the heat, which they then radiate towards anyone who comes close. Daniel begins to sweat but keeps working away. On the first day, he wears a brownish-red gingham shirt and green corduroy pants. On day two, it’s a turquoise shirt and blue pants, a vibrant Mickey Mouse graphic design on his top. He’s wearing a pair of yellow-and-white Nikes. If you compliment him on the sneakers, he’ll be sure to let you know that they’re thrifted. When he opens up his backpack he shows off a neon orange, green, and black windbreaker that is incredibly vibrant. A fellow artist points out that the temperature is 26 degrees above and a jacket is completely useless. Daniel smiles, looks down, and says that it’s a “statement piece.” Daniel’s fashion sense and art style are both deeply defined by bright colours. He sticks out in a crowd for his bold and stylish fashion choices which garner compliments everywhere he goes. One look at his art portfolio shows that colour reigns king. Last year, he painted a piece entitled “Loophole,” a rendition of Michaelangelo’s “David” through a geothermal lens. His senior exhibition, which featured “David,” showcased many other pieces that display just how much Daniel loves to use colour in his work.
“Loophole.” Acrylic on canvas. Art by Daniel Volante. Image courtesy by Daniel Volante.
(Image description: A close-up painting of Michaelangelo’s sculpture “David.” The portrait is of David from the shoulder’s up, while he looks into the distance. Against a green background, the rendition is done through a geothermal colour palette, including greens, yellows, oranges, and reds.)
When he experiments with spray cans on the first day, Daniel cycles through the colours quickly, a collection of cans growing around his workspace. When I ask him what colours he is particularly drawn to, he says. “I like cool colours.” The next day I double down on my question. He follows up that he does like “cool” colours like greens, blues, and purples, but he mostly looks for anything vibrant. I refer back to the final sketch he sent me - one of many - and see that the mural will be a burst of colour among darker-toned murals. And much like how each outfit of his is adorned with carefully-crafted hats, chains, and sneakers that bring the look together, there is detail galore in his sketch. Each inch of space has a new, exciting element to it. There’s a dinosaur in a sweater, a hand-picked flower in a closed fist, and a moon near the top with a resting face. Daniel exudes youthfulness.
Yet youthfulness does not come at the cost of self-assurance for Daniel. He points out what I had been subtly thinking - that much of his art in one way or another turns into a self-portrait. He doesn’t bow away from the fact, as many sheepishly would. He explains that the artistic process for him is a way to process what he feels internally. Tumultuous waves of emotion on the inside subside when he has reached the end of his piece. It is only natural that he finds a reflection of himself in the work. When he gets into the groove, it’s hard to take him away from the container.
I sit by idly, watching as he makes his progress. The sun beats hard and I find it rather unbearable. My eyes wander and I see community members come and go. Nearly everyone stops to look at what is unfolding on the Springboard Performance space. Some take pictures. Others cross the train tracks, groceries in tow, and stop to talk with the organizers. It seems as though everyone knows each other. People speak of upcoming events, promises of next week’s open mic and hip hop night. The murals are seen when the red line moves to and from Sunnyside station, giving the showcased art high visibility. The commercial street of Kensington leads right to the site, where multiple community events take place. I find myself thinking about the value of public space. There’s an ease in not being advertised to, a place to think, play, and congregate without the constant bombardment of advertising. What would Calgary look like if each community had a space like this, a place to meet and enjoy local art? Two young skaters roll by on their boards. One comes nearby and asks about the murals while there’s still a lollipop in his mouth. The other begins to scale a container that has wet paint on it and is promptly told to get down. They both say goodbye and skate away.
Image courtesy of Jenin Ahmad
(Image description: Daniel, the artist - A young Filipino man - wears a mask, a turquoise t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. While standing on a ladder, he looks at his phone. The mural next to him has a grey background, with an orange bust of a boy. There is a half-completed blue overline of the bust, which has features such as a mouth, a nose, and one eye already completed. )
Daniel and I consider which colours and technique would best suit the clouds. He practices on a wooden board first and then attempts a cloud before painting over it, deciding to start with the base colours before adding in the detail. He paces back and forth, contemplating which element to tackle next. Harry Styles, the 1975, and Wallows play on the speaker he brought from home. As the music blasts and he slips into the zone, he soon becomes light on his feet. “This feels like we’re back in art class.”
Later, I watch as he mulls over his stash of spray paint. I ask him, “Do you believe art can change the world?”
“Yes.”
“Why? And how?” I follow up.
“It’s an important way for people who aren’t artists to view important issues in different ways. Just like the containR site, people watch movies, see plays, listen to music. I feel that if you put a message out there, people will be moved by it.” I ask if he thinks it is more accessible than other types of mediums, such as the written word. “I think so. People love to experience art. People enjoy it. They don’t necessarily love reading statistics or studies upfront. But if they see [that information] in art, I think you’re seeing it from a different perspective.”
After that, he picks up a can of green paint and gets to work on the shoes.
Image courtesy of Jenin Ahmad
(Image description: The photo is taken outdoors. Daniel, the artist - A young Filipino man - wears a mask, a turquoise t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. He paints on a grey shipping container. He works on two gigantic sneakers, painting the base colours of yellow and green. He is currently working on the green sneaker.)
Image courtesy of Jenin Ahmad
(Image description: Taken outdoors on a cloudy day with blues skies. Daniel, the artist - a young Filipino man - stands amongst various wooden boards that are propped up and have random spray-painted designs on them. He wears a red gingham shirt and green pants. Daniel is spray painting orange onto a wooden board. )
Image courtesy of Jenin Ahmad.
(Image description: Taken outdoors on a cloudy day with blues skies. Daniel, the artist - a young Filipino man - wears a mask, red gingham shirt and green pants. He walks away from a grey shipping container. On the container, there is an orange sketch of shoes with fire behind them. Daniel is walking away from the container and facing the container.)