Boxcar Murals // Meet the Artists

Grayden Laing

​BIO
Grayden Laing specializes in film production, photography, commercial art, animation, and fine art. He works in many mediums and jumps from idea to idea. Everything he does is a work in progress. ​Grayden puts his talents to work when capturing the city of St. Thomas, local businesses and local artists. 

​He says, “I enjoy creating work that sparks a dialogue, but what I’ve found over the years is that my more commercially successful works are ones that use my painting or filming techniques to showcase the beauty of my subjects. That means I have learned to have a foot in both art worlds; the commercial art world and the fine art world. Choosing to do that has given me and the artwork I produce more perspective than I would have if I just stuck to one type of art. So how would I describe my artwork? All encompassing and all consuming - and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

​What I really want people to experience through my artwork is a dialogue about the subject matter of the work and an appreciation of the craft required to execute it. I think that also speaks to the ego of myself as an artist because even though I know the amount of time people have to spend on dialogue and artwork is finite – I believe that what I’m talking about and doing is worth their time.”

BOXCAR MURAL
Grayden's boxcar mural is based on the continuous line drawing style he incubated and then developed after moving back to St. Thomas from Toronto. The reference material he used for the artwork was from a photoshoot he did with dancers from Step Above Dance here in St. Thomas, as well as from a video filmed to be used for the next RotoJam. Two of the drawings proposed for the mural are from animation frames that will be featured in the next Rotojam film, which is being submitted to national and international film festivals.

​Website | Instagram

Boxcar Mural Proposal

Mediah

BIO
Evond Blake is a Canadian multidisciplinary visual artist who has worked under the pseudonym MEDIAH for 25 years. An Internationally renowned visual artist, MEDIAH is a trendsetter sparking new ideas and originality by blurring the lines between post-graffiti and dynamic abstraction. Blake’s work consists of weaving traditional street art forms with traditional painterly techniques and mixed media printmaking using many forms and approaches found in digital art and design. Heavily inspired by avionics, mechanical engineering and schematics, the artwork glorifies and captures the essence of speed, motion, dynamism and force to create movement on the image surface. Blake’s work provides the viewer with not only this glorification of speed relating to the thirst for a faster and more streamline world but also its unavoidable repercussions of collision, disaster and chaos.

In the past 25 years, MEDIAH has created a name for himself. With over 60,000 followers on Instagram, he has been described as ‘one of the most respected and revered graffiti artists in Canada’ by both vandals and street artists due to his extensive and prolific career painting large-scale murals, participating in solo and group art exhibitions, and creating immersive, cinematic video and animation productions. MEDIAH spent quite a bit of time painting and growing as an artist in St. Thomas and still has strong family ties to the city.

​BOXCAR MURAL
MEDIAH’s bold and intricate linework represent two of St.Thomas’ landmarks. First, the lines represent the intersection of two historical roads which created St.Thomas’ location. Second, they represent the railway junctions and railway tracks that were built in the late 19th and early 20th century that ‘The Railway City’ is renowned for. The modern urban aesthetic of the artwork represents a progressive future as St. Thomas rebrands itself with a new identity that represents the City’s commitment to a progressive future for citizens and businesses alike.

MEDIAH will use bold colours, lines, and shapes to represent the strength and resilience of a determined community focused on growth. The unique geometrical shapes represent the unique individuals working together as a community to build a prosperous, united future. Overall, MEDIAH’s artwork illustrates an abstract art depiction of St. Thomas’ bold and vibrant future, while paying tribute to the City’s rich historical railway routes. 

​Website | Instagram

Boxcar Mural Proposal

Jaclyn White

BIO
Jaclyn White is a modern artist who relies on her instinct. Inspired by emotions, experience and social nature, Jaclyn experiments with different mediums to explore her creativity. After graduating from Western University with a Major in Visual Arts, she has worked in the fashion industry as a stylist and videographer and now owns  Jac's House, a venue in St. Thomas that acts as a blank canvas to host an array of events.

BOXCAR MURAL
Murals tend to show a town’s flare for the arts and culture in the area. It is a great opportunity to put forth street side imagery that the community can enjoy but also reflect upon as to what it says about not only the artists living within the community but also their experience. Jac wanted to bring the idea of “Many Faces” to showcase an intricate expression of the area. She believes St. Thomas to be a multifaceted town that caters to small business, community, arts and culture. This is a town that has many faces, both literally and metaphorically. St. Thomas is diverse in many aspects as well as inclusive to all members of the community. When she thinks of this town she thinks of the “Many Faces” that intricately come together to make it a supportive and charming place to live.

​Website | Instagram

Boxcar Mural Proposal

Laura Woermke

BIO
As an artist, Laura aims to keep the mystery alive in her work as much as possible. This is reflected not only in the questions she asks, but also by keeping an open mind about how art can engage the world. This honesty leads to new discoveries, new accidents, and further engagement with the questions. Laura’s work, like the world and people that inhabit it, is multifaceted. Raw, uncomfortable narratives not talked about or socially acceptable.

​She says, “Social, political, and psychological dramas play out on the canvas or paper, and in the process I learn more about myself and search for insight into what motivates those around me. There is the facet that is voyeuristic. I intrude and invite the viewer to intrude as well. I peek behind closed doors, into hidden secrets, and private moments of my subjects, delving into the psyche and physical appearance of the subject being represented. I observe them up close, then expose them for everyone to see. The figure is accessible and facilitates communication. It’s an understandable language, a narrative without words.”

BOXCAR MURAL
"If elephants can float on bubbles, anything is possible."
Laura intends to use the naturalization of the existing box car as the background contrasted with the whimsical figures we see throughout her current style. Laura has been placing figures throughout St. Thomas in some unknown, and known locations blurring the lines between fine-art and street-art. The boxcar mural is a natural extension of her work.

​Website | Instagram

Boxcar Mural Proposal