The view is a collage of many landmarks that East Vancouver residents know and love, such as Ken Lum’s brightly lit East Van cross at Clark and 2nd, the muscular stevedore cranes visible from almost everywhere, ubiquitous crows on doubled-up power lines, graffiti-bedazzled industrial buildings, colorful foliage, and arguably the best view of the North Shore mountains in the lower mainland. East Van’s mountain view spans the EKG peaks of the Lions through the points of Crown and West Crown’s snow-veined mountains to the pinwheeling wind turbine on top of Grouse Mountain. Every Vancouverite knows these peaks as well as the street they live on.

This painting is a panoramic view of East Van based on a set backdrop I designed for “Jack and the Beanstalk: An East Van Panto”, which ran at the newly renovated York Theatre on Commercial Drive from December 7-29, 2013.

I brightened up some elements and highlighted the detail from the original set painting. The East Van cross also has a slightly reflective paint so it glows when the slightest bit of light hits it.

Acrylic on canvas, 14″ x 28″
Spring, 2014
Located at: Private Collection (JM)