Artspace and the City of Peterborough have announced that Jill Stanton, an artist from Edmonton in Alberta, will complete the second mural for the Hunter Street Bridge Mural Project in Peterborough.
Stanton’s proposal for “Bloodroot”, selected following a juried review process, was inspired by a lesser-known native wildflower.
“I wanted to use a motif that would inject a feeling of nature into the concrete structure of the underpass as well as something that has a connection to the Peterborough area,” Stanton says. “This sparked the idea of using the humble Bloodroot [Sanguinaria canadensis], a wildflower native to the Peterborough area, as the main focal point of the mural.”
“The Bloodroot is a small but beautiful plant with small white flowers, distinctive green foliage, and beautiful roots which ‘bleed’ red juice when cut open,” she adds. “The plant has an interesting history of being used as traditional dyestuff and medicine in Indigenous cultures.”
“Likely, many Peterborough residents have seen Bloodroot several times on nature walks or hikes, perhaps not giving the plant too much consideration.”
“I am interested in how murals can change scales within environments that people are used to seeing on a daily basis,” Stanton explains. “Seeing the flower on such a grand scale may lead to viewers noticing Bloodroot in real life on their next walk and perhaps, in turn, giving a little more attention to the small natural wonders around them.”
Stanton’s mural will be installed adjacent to the inaugural Hunter Street Bridge Mural, Kirsten McCrea’s popular “Electric City”.
For examples of Stanton’s other work, visit her website at www.jstanton.ca.
