Theatrical backdrop design for “Cinderella: An East Van Panto”. The design was enlarged to 17 feet high by 24 feet wide.  The script describes Cinderella’s house as “a nice old Fraser Street heritage house” so I modeled Cinderella’s home on the 1920s Vancouver craftsman-style home at 2710 Fraser Street. I picked that particular house because (1) set construction required a bungalow and (2) the 2710 house looks friendly and characteristically charming. My version made Cinderella’s house appear more ambivalent than friendly because once upon a time Cinderella’s home was happy but then it wasn’t.

We wanted to create a sense of the environment around Cinderella, so there is a pumpkin garden on one side and a compost heap and a laundry pole on the other. I also needed to add a closet door because that’s the one Cinderella gets locked in. The interior decor is inspired by an East Van real estate listing. I liked the warm tones and “shabby chic” comfort. It’s the sort of style that can easily go from Happy Home to Hipster Heaven.

PS: If you look close, the bookcase has some books by Marx and Piketty because, hey, if Cinderella isn’t a story of class inequality, I don’t know what is.

Acrylic on canvas, 18″ x 24″
Fall, 2014
Located at: Private Collection