This mural although appearing to have been done by one person is a group effort by myself as Artistic Director and 12 of my art students listed on the lower left panel.

All participants in this work were over the age of 65 and with varying degrees of artistic skill. The work was completed over a 10 month period and consumed a total of 500 volunteer hours.

The artistic director established the overall artwork mood of quiet timeless elegance, the modern style, the graphics, training and skill level required to produce an overall unity allowing all participants to feel part of a successful venture. Senior Centre Management gave us the mural location and complete artistic freedom.

It is our ability to work as a team - subordinating traditional opinions on art - to collectively produce a modern work of public art that has menaingful significance to our Seniors Centre Community.

Supplementary Note:

Our Seniors Lifestyle Mural is approximately forty eight (48) inches high by one hundred (100) inches in length and is located on the wall between the washrooms. It is painted in acrylic on fifteen (15) special wooden painting panels; each panel is sixteen (16) inches high by twenty (20) inches long.

The Mural was painted by twelve (12) seniors under the direction of the Seniors Centre Art Program Convener Keith O'Connor. The names of all (12) participating seniors can be seen on the lower left dedication panel. A total of approximately five hundred (500) hours of work went into this project; all costs were borne by the 2007 art program group. Upon completion, the mural was donated to the Seniors Centre.

The mural's two-toned light blue background is composed of three hundred (300) 4-inch squares arranged in a checkerboard pattern. One hundred and fifty (150) squares are a slightly darker blue and 150 squares are a lighter blue Each 4-inch square contains one of twenty (20) geometric shapes. The 20 geometric shapes were distributed over the 300 squares using a computer to insure random distribution. Forty-five (45) white icons representing a variety of seniors' activities were designed and entered into a computer to facilitate resizing; they were then printed out for transfer to the appropriate location on the panels.

The back of each painting panel was notched for attachment to two metal wall- mounting rods for each column of three (3) panels for a total of five (5) columns. Each panel was then given four (4) coats of ultraviolet protective varnish. After drying, the mural columns were mounted to the wall.

The mural acts as an interactive reminder for each senior who sees it of the life-enhancing activities available in the community through our seniors centre. Keith O'Connor Kanata Seniors Centre Art Program Convenor

Keith O'Connor
Artistic Director
Kanata Seniors Centre
Life Style Mural Project