ABOUT THE MURAL PROJECT AT THE BYRON SKATEPARK
In our continued mission to showcase local talent, beautify public spaces, engage Londoners through the arts, and promote health and well-being, local artist Devin Ryan, was commissioned to create a bright and bold mural at the Byron Skatepark within Springbank Park.
ABOUT THE PUBLIC ART AND MONUMENT PROGRAM
The City of London’s Public Art and Monument Program facilitates the creation of public art in London, which bolsters civic pride, provides focal points for community celebration, creates meaningful employment for artists, and attracts tourism and investment.
This mural was created by the artist through the City’s Public Art and Monument Program, managed by the City’s Culture Services team and administered by the London Arts Council.
ABOUT THE MURAL: IMAGINATION ENDLESS
Imagination Endless combines Ryan's love of graffiti art and cartoon doodling, which he's enjoyed doing since he was a kid. Devin combined these styles with black line work, incorporating a bright, colourful background to make it pop. Various quirky characters can be seen throughout the mural which extends the entire length of the skatepark. Ryan also wove a nature theme throughout by including leaves and owls (one of his favourite animals to paint).
ABOUT THE ARTIST: DEVIN RYAN Devin Ryan was born and raised In London, Ontario. He has a close connection to the ocean through spending every summer in Nova Scotia with his family. Ever since he can remember, Devin has been doodling up drawings and cartoons. Just as a flower grows through the cracks in pavement, art always seems to sneak its way back into Devin's life no matter what path he takes. He likes to paint with spray paint and acrylic the most. Doing large scale doodles of whatever comes to his mind is one of his favourite “styles,” as it takes him away into a different world where time doesn’t exist. Q&A WITH THE ARTIST: Tell me a bit about yourself as an artist, and your history with making art?
Well, I’ve pretty well been doing art since I was born and could hold a pencil in my hand. I started off doing cartoons – comic books really got me interested in art. In high school, I got into graffiti from my time skateboarding and seeing all of the graffiti at skateparks. From there I started to spray paint, which I learned takes a lot of muscle memory. It took me a while to learn all the can controls and the types of caps to use, and from there I integrated my cartoon style with the spray paint. As you can see, this mural is exactly that, my signature cartoon style done in spray paint.
Awesome. Have you created any other murals?
I designed the Mario Room at the the Ichabod Escape Room on Richmond St., and in Windsor I designed another escape room. At the Palasad here in London on Adelaide St., I painted the patio in the same cartoon/graffiti style. Also, I have some graffiti style work in the alleyway of Spaghetti Eddy’s. There’s a bunch of my work around London.
When did you create your first public artwork?
In 2016 I got involved with Art Fusion and they provided some opportunities to paint in public. I still remember the very first time was on Canada Day; I painted on saran wrap with lights shining behind it, which gave me the inspiration for all the bright colours I use. I’ve been building my skills up and doing new things since then.
What was the inspiration behind this mural?
My inspiration was my graffiti and cartoon background; I integrated my styles into one and incorporated the bright colours to make it pop. I also tried to incorporate a nature theme with the leaves throughout.
And with you being a skateboarder, this project was a great fit for you.
Yeah! It was like a full circle moment when I got to work where I have fun. It wasn’t even work; it was just fun.
So what was the process like to bring your art to life?
First, I spray painted all of the bright colours in the background and then created the black outlines. I tried to be as intricate as possible - there’s a lot of detail work, a lot of thin black lines. I love black line work art, that’s one of the things that got me into art as well.
Yeah, it really makes the figures pop and stand out. Are there any recurring characters that you paint?
The one with the two big eyes and the heart in the chest is my old math teacher from grade 9. She sticks with me through a lot of my art projects, she was a super cool teacher. I also love to paint owls so you can see a lot of those in my murals. Springbank Park was actually the first place I saw an owl in real life, so they’re at home here. I also like to blend in a lot of leaves, mixing nature into the urban environment.
Thanks for talking with me, Devin. This is a really fun and bright mural, and it fits into the environment well. I’m sure the other skateboarders who use the park are going to appreciate it and hopefully find some inspiration while working on their tricks.
Thank you!
Mural photos:
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