Whistler artist Kris Kupskay had a genie in the bottle when he painted Parkside Brewery’s mural two years ago.
His giant image — at the back of the new Port Moody microbrewery, designed to lure rapid-transit riders along the new Evergreen Extension — showed an unfurled map of the city with highlights that included the Shoreline Trail bridge, its rail history, kayakers and purple martins in the inlet.
But, in April, vandals defaced the artwork to such an extent that it had to be redone. Again, Parkside managers dialled up Kupskay to brainstorm.
And what he produced was beyond their expectations, said Travis McLean, Parkside’s marketing, media and events co-ordinator.
From June 22 to 24, Kupskay and fellow artist Natasha Louie spent a warm, dry weekend to paint the “macro punch,” covering up the scars and shedding new light on the beer business once more.
“Kris and Natasha dropped an absolute colour bomb on us and we couldn’t be happier,” McLean wrote in an email to The Tri-City News last week. “The mural is epic and adds a splash of colour to the neighbourhood and for everyone travelling by on the train.”
Kupskay said he wanted to create something different from the inaugural mural, using Parkside’s colours of sea foam green and navy blue in a bold, abstract style — with orange to counter. His design pulls the lines to the centre, where the eye has the words “Parkside Brewery” and its logo.
“I wanted something that expressed the energy that goes on inside,” he said, adding, “It wanted it to flow. It’s meant to be visibly enjoyable and uplifting.”
McLean said Parkside has received rave reviews about its new mural by Kupskay, who also painted the purple robot scene at the nearby Rocky Point Park SK8 Park.
And to turn lemons into lemonade, Parkside also donated a percentage of all pint sales of its Graffiti IPA to the Tri-Cities PLEA Youth Services while Kupskay finished his mural; the brewery collected $717 for the charity, McLean said.
Murals aren’t the only work Kupskay has done with the Brewers’ Row company: He also created the artwork for its Graffiti IPA, Attack of the Cherry Stout and Radical Red Ale beer releases “so he really feels like a part of the Parkside family,” McLean said.
As for the graffiti, Kupskay — who’s travelling around North America to paint murals until the end of the year — has these words of advice for businesses that are targeted by scribbles: wipe it off immediately.
“I tell my clients that as soon as it happens it’s important to block it up,” he said. “You can’t prevent it from happening again but you can send a message that they [the vandals] can take their paint somewhere else.”
