Familiar Faces showcases the wildflowers and colours of Calgary’s Nose Hill Park through our short but dynamic warm seasons, with an underlying message of appreciation, conservation and stewardship of our precious wild spaces.
Our brief encounters with wildflowers during nature walks remind me of the fleeting interactions we have with folks in transitory public spaces. Serendipitously meeting a familiar face at a transit stop is, to me, akin to spotting wildflowers on a hike. Remembering their faces can leave me smiling long after we’ve parted ways to our separate destinations.
The visual representation of this emotion revolves around bouquets of larger-than-life, anthropomorphized wildflowers with expressive faces. These flowers frame a condensed landscape, showcasing various perspectives of the nature park as the four seasons pass and transform the hills.
The artistic style borrows mainly from the accuracy of educational ecosystem illustrations, like the interpretive illustrations by Dennis Budgen seen throughout the park trails, with an elevated sense of surrealism and whimsy that my personal style offers. Hints of the handmade touch and psychedelic vibes of the Flower Power era’s “Hippie Buses” and the joyful display of simplified forms of children’s book illustrations are also present in this artistic style.
The flowing lines, distinct shapes, lush detail, and nostalgic colour palette invite transit patrons to a joyful contemplation of the green heart of our city and their place among its wild residents, considering them as their neighbours just like the person next to them at a bus shelter.