Kelowna's Centennial Aquatic History
The Work
This installation is a series of images applied to sound-suppressing panels. Thirty-eight images depict aquatic-related activities throughout Kelowna’s history. Scenes from Kelowna’s early history were painted in black and white (or sepia and white) to reflect the early heritage photos that were the sources of inspiration. Scenes from later years where painted with a limited palette as if they were tinted photos, and scenes of more recent vintage were painted in full colour.
The Project
The public art opportunity was identified in conjunction with upgrades to the pool area. The project was funded from the budget for the upgrades.
The Artist
Don Makela is from Montana and emigrated to Canada in 1974 after 4 years of university and 3 years serving in the U.S. Army doing illustrations for the military. He has worked in several European countries and in the U.S. and Canada, and has paintings in public and private collections in many countries. He has also painted several large public art murals. Don lives and works in Kelowna.
