A brush with Ukraine in rural Manitoba

RIVERS — A historic building is putting on a new look.

The Zion Pentecostal Church is being adorned with vibrant colours in the small community northwest of Brandon. Mother and daughter artist combo Mary and Erica Lowe are at work painting a Ukrainian-style mural inspired by the heritage of the building.

Sunflowers, poppies and Pysanky eggs are some of the icons now painted on the broad side of the structure. The artwork is meant to pay homage to Manitoba’s experience of Ukrainian culture, which previously was housed in the building through language and dance lessons.

To get artwork up, the two assume different roles.

“I do fast and furious, and she’s the tidy-upper and she kind of follows me around if I’m sloppy,” says Mary. “But we work together very well.”

The mother walks around with a broad brush, while Erica is seen with a fine tip.

The first step to painting the colourful rural countryside was research, Erica said. After they decide on the design, they park their car across the street and use a projector to cast the building with the envisioned end product.

The two have been painting the Rivers mural throughout August. They were commissioned in what amounts to roughly their 30th piece, many in the Westman area.

“We’ve always worked together … And it’s actually better to work with someone else ’cause you can say, ‘Hey, what’s wrong with this?’ And they’ll tell you,” says Erica. “And we’re honest with each other.”

“Yeah, you know,” says Mary. “We can tell each other, ‘Ah no, that’s wrong.’ It’s teamwork. All painters should have a buddy.”

The project was “80 per cent” done with a week left in August.

The new mural on the building will include a painting of a historic scene of the building as it was seen in times past.

Other work done by the artists include the bison mural near Rideau Park and the orange, outstretched cat downtown on 10th Street in Brandon. They are from the Harding area in Manitoba.

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