Ryan Parton
Special to The Record
The Downtown Courtenay Business Improvement Association (DCBIA) is eager to get started on an eye-catching new mural celebrating a proud piece of Courtenay鈥檚 heritage 鈥� but first they need the support of other proud residents.
The mural, to be painted by local artists J. Alex Witcombe and Nick Hutton-Jay on the side of the Golden Carriage building near the corner of Fifth and Fitzgerald, will celebrate the contributions of the Comox Valley鈥檚 Leung family.
The collage-style representation will celebrate the entrepreneurial spirit of the family that ran a much-loved grocery and diner for decades in downtown Courtenay, as well as a Comox Valley farm.
Before the paint hits the wall, however, the muralists need to raise more funds to cover the cost of the project. The DCBIA has already contributed a large portion of the cost, having received the proceeds from the Comox Valley Chamber of Commerce鈥檚 鈥淕reat Valley Rally,鈥� and the artists themselves have cut their fee in half for the project. Still, approximately $18,000 remains to be raised.
鈥淲e鈥檙e well on our way to getting this project started, and we鈥檙e hoping the local community will pitch in to support this initiative to celebrate a proud piece of our heritage,鈥� says DCBIA president Jenny Deters. 鈥淭his mural will honour one of Courtenay鈥檚 most entrepreneurial families and add more colour, culture and pride to our downtown core.鈥�
To encourage donations, Witcombe and Hutton-Jay, owners of Flywheel Studios, have teamed up with another local creator 鈥� Ian Adams of Done Creative 鈥� to come up with some appropriate compensation for those who choose to support the mural.
鈥淲e鈥檝e designed some vintage-style merchandise that draws upon the Leung history, such as hats, shirts and posters emblazoned with retro images like the old Leung鈥檚 truck and diner sign,鈥� explains Witcombe. 鈥淒epending on the amount you contribute, you can also get your name incorporated artistically into the mural, and you can even be painted into the mural as a patron. So you get some cool swag, you show community pride and you help to support public art 鈥� what could be better?鈥�
Witcombe and Hutton-Jay were chosen for the project after the DCBIA issued a call for artists earlier this year.
鈥淚t was a really tough decision, as we had so many wonderful artists apply,鈥� says Deters.
鈥淏ut the enthusiasm and excitement that Nick and Alex showed for the project 鈥� as well as their talent and experience 鈥� made it impossible to pass up the opportunity to work with them. We鈥檙e thrilled to have them on board and can鈥檛 wait for the Leung mural project to begin.鈥�
To contribute to the project and watch a short animated film about the story of the Leung family, visit the INDIEGOGO campaign page at www.indiegogo.com/projects/leung-s-heritage-mural.
