Wolseley feels the Arctic chill

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/09/2017 (2955 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Walruses, polar bears and massive whales are all at home in a Wolseley back lane, thanks to the artwork of Kal Barteski.

The wildlife artist recently returned from a mural festival in northern Manitoba called Sea Walls Churchill, which Barteski organized and took part in.

“It was probably one of the hardest experiences and one of the most awesome experiences,” Barteski said.

Because the railway to Churchill was largely washed out, she and her fellow artists found themselves in Churchill without most of the equipment and supplies they needed. Thanks to support from the community, they were able to complete all of the pieces.

“The community of Churchill itself just came out and helped us with whatever we needed, so we got all of our murals done and got to know the community,” Barteski said.

When she got home, she realized she wasn’t ready to stop painting outside, so she took to her garage door.

“One of the things about painting outside is, every painting has an ugly phase and normally it’s so much more comfortable to be in your own private studio and be in that ugly phase, easier than being outside where people are like, what is that?”

The other side of that coin is getting to meet her neighbours and all of the people who pass through the back lane. Once people saw the polar bear on her garage door, they asked if she could do something similar on their properties. Now, Barteski says she’s spent about 400 hours outside in her back lane, painting Arctic animals.

“Many of the neighbours in this lane didn’t know each other but we are connected, so now it’s really cool for people to be making new friendships and learning new names.”

It’s also meant more people in the back lane, slowing down to look at the pieces.

“I think it’s great. When you have more traffic you can see the space in a different light — it’s not just this space where you put your garbage, it’s also a great space for walking,” she said.

The project seemed like a good opportunity to highlight Arctic animals, as Barteski has always been a wildlife advocate and wanted to bring attention to the vivid and dynamic ecosystem up north. She’s dubbed the project Back Alley Arctic.

“I’ve always been a wildlife artist and by chance I got to visit Churchill about seven or eight years ago which changed my life,” she said. “Until I had set foot in it, I had no idea the geography that Manitoba encompassed. There’s an ocean. We have whales! We have the largest land predator in the world. It’s so cool and it made me so proud to live here.”

Visit kalbarteski.bigcartel.com for more info.