Summer Pulse
This mural was commissioned by TD bank for Toronto's TD Union Summer Festival. TD Union Summer is a two-month summer event with free daily live programming featuring films, music and great performances, right in the heart of the city.
Every year Union Summer partners with different Toronto mural artists to create a mural that will highlight their summer event.
In May 2023 I was asked to create a mural for this event that will aesthetically vibe with the festival's offerings (food, drinks, plants, music, art) and incorporate the colour palette of the event.
This vibrant mural represents many things that make us love Toronto - fun and energetic community, great food, and live music.
I used organic lines to represent summer energy and movement. My piece includes playful elements and a Union Station landmark (clock) with colors that pop and make you think of summer, friendship, and fun festival vibes.
“Summer Pulse” represents the way that I envision the energy and the gathering of Toronto's community under one roof, at Union Station.
My Mural Process
As a mural artist, my creative process is a blend of planning and painting. Before embarking on the execution of a mural, I go through a process of careful preparation to ensure a successful mural installation. The process of executing a mural is not without its challenges, but these challenges excite me, and fuel my passion for being a mural artist in Toronto.
Here are the 4 steps I followed to create my mural Summer Pulse for TD Union Summer Festival:
Union Mural Installation: My 4 Steps
1. First, I carefully packed and organized the art supplies I already have, like brushes, rollers, handy paint pails, some cleaning supplies and any specialized tools required for the project, like a chalk snap line for sketching, or a roller extension pole that helped me prime the top parts of the wall.
2. Next, I made a detailed shopping list of the materials I am missing, for example all the paints. I took into account the size of this mural, the type of surface, and the desired paint coating and color palette. This step also includes calculating the quantity needed of each paint color to execute the mural (usually it's 2-3 coats per color), as well as taking into account potential touch-ups in case of graffiti or unplanned damage during the event.
3. Then, I created a timeline for the mural execution. I calculated roughly the time I need for each stage of the mural - from priming, to sketching, to painting. That allowed me to plan my schedule efficiently, as well as to coordanate my installation schedule with the event manager. I always take into consideration weather conditions, potential delays, and any community events that might affect my mural work schedule, but it's hard to predict it all. For example, during the execution of this mural project, I had a few delays due to traffic caused by Raptor's game and unexpected thunderstorms.
4. I execute the mural with confidence, overcoming every challenge that comes my way, because anything can happen :)
