About the Artist: Kristyn Watterworth

Summer 2021 is starting off bright and bold! ​

Building on the tremendous success of the ‘Track to the Future’ mural project that launched in 2020, Railway City Tourism began a new phase of the project - creating a scavenger hunt of original elephant murals throughout St. Thomas! This homage honouring Jumbo the Elephant started the season with artist Kristyn Watterworth and her colourfully fun parade of elephants found across from the entry to the St. Thomas Elevated Park.

Profile: Kristyn Watterworth

Mural Creation: Time Lapse Video 

What inspired you to pursue becoming an artist?

Growing up I knew I wanted to be an artist and that never really wavered. I always have had an interest in being creative and adding colour everywhere I go. Even my car has spray paint on it. I love dance and movement, and I try to bring paint to life, making strokes like dance moves, throwing energy across every surface I paint. I think it adds a little joy to life.


How do you make your art/murals? What technique do you enjoy the most?

Every mural has a slightly different approach because every situation is a little different. I like to focus first though and be ready with a ton of energy at the start, since I always try to get the majority done on the first day. That way I can get a general feel thrown over the whole piece, and spend the rest of the time fine tuning it and making it slightly better with each mark. This particular piece was done completely with spray paint.

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What are your thoughts on the Jumbo story?

Growing up I was always fascinated by the Jumbo monument, desperately trying to look for it out the window when my family would drive into St. Thomas. I’ve always imagined it covered in colourful paint to really make it pop. Knowing Jumbo’s backstory has always been sad, but it is really nice that he is memorialized and lives on in a different way.

Follow Kristyn on social and check her website here!

Kristyn's Bio

Kristyn is a painter who works to bring a little more brightness into each passing day. She has been painting diligently from the age of 12 and obtained a BFA from York University. She loves traveling as it allows her to gather inspiration for paintings. She taught hundreds of students in a former studio in Bayfield which gave her thousands of ideas about how to do things differently.  With all of the different challenges students brought to paint, there was constant new learning and discoveries that were made.  That is why she loves mixing up styles, genres and subject matter.  There are so many ways to make things come alive! Currently Kristyn is focussing her art on animals, abstract series, and a bit of Virtual Reality thrown in.

​The ‘Track to the Future’ mural project is coordinated by Railway City Tourism in collaboration with Andrew Gunn Consulting and young & free press with generous financial support from the Estate of Donna Vera Evans Bushell.​