‘Nature and its elements’ inspiration for new mural adding a burst of colour to Oshawa’s downtown

The talk of the town since its unveiling a week ago has been the burst of colour on the side of the McMillan Street Parkade on downtown Oshawa’s west side, a striking seven-floor mural that commemorates an historic mill that once stood on the site.

The mural, ‘Turning the Wheel’ by Dani Crosby, celebrates the rich history of the John Bolase Warren Flour Mill, which was built 30 years before Canada’s birth as a nation – an especially fitting piece as Oshawa celebrate 100 years as a city this year.

Using a combination of ink-based line work and digital techniques, Crosby was able to capture the transformation of our relationship with nature and its elements. This mural represents many things, she explained, including “community and nature’s role in sustaining life.”

“The creek provided the water that powered the mill, and this same water sustains the surrounding plant life, wildlife, and people.”

The mural is printed on adhesive vinyl, mounted on panels via crane – Crosby was not on the crane during the installation, “but that would have been fun,” she laughed – and was unveiled in time for Saturday’s Convergence Music & Art Festival.

Crosby will be selling prints of this artwork at her booth in Nerd Alley at the festival, as whole pieces and as a triptych to raise awareness and funds for Simcoe Hall Settlement House in Oshawa. Beyond the printing costs, all profits from these sales will be donated to the food bank, which provides emergency assistance and a variety of programming that has seen a 40 per cent jump in demand over the past three years.

The project was commissioned last fall, with a total budget of $25,000, which includes research costs, engineering fees, fabrication and installation costs and an artist fee.

Crosby, the Culture Counts 2020 Professional Artist award winner in 2020, is an artist, commercial illustrator, art instructor and community collaborator who teaches at Durham College in the Fine Arts Department and has participated in group exhibitions at the Visual Arts Centre of Clarington, Station Gallery and Robert McLaughlin Gallery.

Her designs have popped up in a variety of places around Oshawa and Durham Region and she is especially noted for her pop art-style logo designs, with the Durham Craft Beer Festival, Brew Wizards Board Game Café, the LivingRoom Community Art Studio and the Convergence Festival itself among her clients.

Her work is also found in commercial illustrations, on shipping containers in downtown Oshawa and on other public art projects such as a series of murals depicting the Greenwood Blacksmith Shop at Pickering Museum Village.

Crosby thanked the City for its support during the research and creation process and their “encouragement” when she told staff of her desire to use the mural for local fundraising purposes.

She also thanked residents who shared their stories connected to this site and to the Oshawa Museum for their support during the research stage of this project.

“I can say for sure I feel honoured and a great deal of gratitude to be trusted with such an undertaking.”

John Warren built the mill in 1837 and lived where Parkwood Estate – home of GM of Canada founder Col. Sam McLaughlin – now stands. Warren, who managed the Ontario Bank in Oshawa as well as his mill, died in 1879 and is buried at St. George’s Anglican Cemetery in the city.

The original building remained as a landmark of early days until 1981 when it was demolished along with other buildings to make way for the parking structure.

Some of the color palette is sampled from photographs she took of the sky at sunrise, midday, and sunset, facing west on King Street.

“I used these colors in the background, framing, and integrated throughout the mural. The weaving effect is intentional, using repetition of colours and shapes throughout,” Crosby explained. “For example, the star elements begin lower down in the composition where they are visible in the water, pooled inside the mill wheel buckets as they are carried up toward the sky. The constellations which can be seen facing the direction of the work can be found in the upper portion of the mural as well as in the east-facing mill windows.”

Artist Dani Crosby installing her work at the McLaughlin Gallery for the Body Languages Exhibition in 2019

Crosby grew up in Oshawa and lives near the downtown core and has spent many hours walking along the creek path with her son, “immersing ourselves in our local landscape.”

“This mural provided an opportunity for me to delve deeper into the history of this part of my community,” she said, adding that some sculptural animal figures from the nearby Botanical Gardens’ play structure have also been incorporated into the design.

“My hope is that my community will enjoy this artwork in various ways. To encourage the exploration of history associated with the John Borlase Mill. As a playful teaching tool used to seek and find various visual elements in the mural along the creek path. To be enjoyed from different angles and vantage points around the installation area.”

As part of Culture Day on October 5, Crosby will be giving a free artist talk, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. at the Arts Resource Centre, adjacent to Oshawa City Hall, about the inspiration and process behind the mural.

“I am grateful for this opportunity to share my artwork with my community.”