Artist: Al-Lisa Tresierra McKay, 2018 – with support from Davis Arts
Funded by: Downtown Williams Lake/City of Williams Lake

About:

This mural depicts how all life comes from great mystery and then goes back into great mystery. Spirit must be honoured to keep the balance of life and tangible form. So many are disconnected from our true connection to spirit and the natural world. This mural is a prayer for the town to be in balance. This mural combines First Nations culture with the feminine spirit and the importance of salmon, the sun, and animals of the region.

Artistic Notes:

Kucwelcken means Backbone in Secwepemc language. When Al-Lisa was invited to paint this mural, she prayed for a vision to help guide her art. She knew she wanted to honour the First Nations, the feminine, and the salmon. The prayer that came through did so in slow drops and stages. It began with the river mother, the salmon, the sun, and then the animals. Al-Lisa painted gold symbols around the spiral in the sun. It is interesting because the metalic paint is olive green without direct sunlight, some angles make it seem as though it is invisible and when the sun is directly across, the whole painted sun glows shimmering gold. Al-Lisa Tresierra McKay of Miss White Spider Arts designed this mural. She had the help of Dwayne Davis and Dwayne’s son Steven to help her put her “little painting on a very big wall”.