Fire Season

The Work

Kevin Ledo’s artwork is titled "Fire Season," which depicts a boy’s face, in an abstracted landscape that suggests the lake, mountains and fire in the distance. The boy, Atticus, who he photographed when he first got to Kelowna, has a surprised and concerned expression on his face. Ledo was lucky to not have had any issues with smoke or fire during his visit, though it was a concern when he first set out to paint in the Okanagan, and is what eventually inspired this artwork. "It was a fun project to be part of, and I really enjoyed being in and hanging out in such a beautiful part of the world".

The Project

The Uptown Mural Project is a community-inclusive and educative urban-art initiative within the community of Rutland, Kelowna BC, organized by Uptown Rutland Business Association. This week-long event will center around the painting of large scale urban murals. Each of the mural's locations has been strategically selected creating a short walking tour within the Rutland Business Improvement Area.

The goals of this project are driven towards the beautification of Rutland, encouraging community involvement, increasing walkability within the business improvement area, and educating and inspiring youth through contemporary public art. Sponsored in part by the City of Kelowna.

The Artist

Kevin Ledo’s artistic practice has crossed back and forth through the boundaries of mural, street art, fine art, and art installation, focusing on the human form interlaced with geometric abstraction.

He traces his influences and inspiration to a multitude of forces including iconography, psychology, Buddhist philosophy, music, graphic design and photography. Firmly grounded in classical painting techniques and materials while plugged into contemporary perspectives, Ledo also brings his elegant, often stylized approach of realism to his compositions.

The subject and approach to Kevin Ledo’s artwork changes according to whether it’s public art or his personal explorations in fine art. While there is a common visual thread between these different activities, his public art has several different considerations that are taken into account before creating. Such as the neighborhood the mural is set to be in; the history of the area and the audience. Ledo’s public murals are often celebrations of people and diversity and aim to relate to the communities they are found in.