The mural at the laundromat. (submitted photo/Sean Vis)

By Nicole Reis

Local art

Artist transforms local laundromat into Instagram backdrop

Jun 19, 2020 | 4:48 PM

Della Durocher and her husband have owed DJ’s Laundromat in Meadow Lake for 20 years and up until recently, she hated the bland concrete storefront.

Durocher contracted tattoo artist Sean Vis of Saskatoon to paint a mural dedicated to a raven bird who frequently visits the site. The mural is of two black birds on each side of the building with a clothing line in between them.

“There’s a bird that comes and knocks at the door when there’s no one here but me,” she said. “Over the last two years, he’s been here about six times.”

Durocher said she came up with the idea when she saw an artist painting a city wall in Saskatoon and approached him with her concept.

Vis, who is an artist for Art Sharks Tattoo Co. in Saskatoon said the meeting happened by chance as he was photographing previous mural work after completion. He met Durocher there and agreed in good faith to come to Meadow Lake without seeing the size of the project first.

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Vis along with fellow artists have worked on a site known as the ‘The Wall’ on Warman Road in Saskatoon for nearly 10 years. He has been working as an artist for 19 years.

“The weather was definitely not on my side but I managed to pull it off,” he said. “I packed up my vehicle with all the supplies, drove out there and managed to get it done for her.”

A full shot of the artwork. (submitted photo/Sean Vis)

He painted the mural on June 8 with cold temperatures and rain working against him. The planning and design of the entire project lasted upwards of 35 hours and used techniques involving aerosol spray paint. The mural was completed over 25 hours. He said during his time painting the exterior, the raven visited him to catch a glimpse of the work.

“I took a video of it bouncing around in the puddle right in front of the bigger raven,” he said with a laugh. “It was cool.”

Vis has created artwork for brands such as Coors Light, Red Bull, Belvedere Vodka, Toyota and various small businesses around Saskatoon. He also does community work in elementary schools demonstrating aerosol art.

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nicole.reis@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @nicolereis7722