When Echo Zoyiopoulos isn\u2019t teaching art classes at Middle Park High School, she loves Nordic skiing in Grand County\u2019s backcountry with her black lab Quigley.<\/p>\n
So when it came time for her to customize her eight-foot square canvas for Fraser\u2019s first Mountain Mural Festival, Zoyiopoulos drew her inspiration from the hours she and Quigley have spent skiing, hiking and exploring.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s inspired by the partnership between people and dogs enjoying the mountains,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
The Fraser Mountain Mural Festival hosted 19 artists, each customizing an eight-foot square canvas over the course of July 26 and 27. All proceeds from the event go to the fundraising efforts for Fraser\u2019s proposed Center for Creative Arts.<\/p>\n
Artists were given four themes that celebrate the Fraser Valley to inspire them, including local preservation, local history, outdoor life and transportation.<\/p>\n
Zoyiopoulos, who lives in Tabernash, has been teaching art classes at the high school for the past eight years, but her days as an artist go all the way back to her childhood when she would paint and draw with her father.<\/p>\n
Typically, her preferred mediums are watercolor or ceramics, so working in acrylics for the mural festival presented a creative challenge for Zoyiopoulos.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is way different from my typical medium, so it\u2019s kind of experimental and \u2026 trying new things,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
However, the content of Zoyiopoulos\u2019 mural falls totally in her wheelhouse as she enjoys painting landscapes, both real and imaginary, as well as incorporating geometric patterns. Her canvas features local callouts to Perry\u2019s Peak and the national forests that cover Grand County.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope they get an appreciation for where we live and the opportunities we have to enjoy the outdoors with our best friends whether human or canine,\u201d Zoyiopoulos said.<\/p>\n
As Zoyiopoulos painted in the warm sun on Saturday afternoon, she received a visit from one of the models for her piece, Juniper, the Bernese mountain dog, and Juniper\u2019s owner MJ. MJ, who is used to her dogs getting a lot of attention, said she enjoys Zoyiopoulos\u2019 mural because it embraces the part dogs play in creating the local lifestyle.<\/p>\n
Zoyiopoulos also painted her lab Quigley and her mural festival partner Michelle Mitchell\u2019s dog Chico. As one of five local artists participating, Zoyiopoulos said she was grateful to the town for being a place that remains supportive of the arts.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s great to be in a place where it feels like my work appreciated,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
All throughout the day Saturday, passersby stopped at Zoyiopoulos\u2019 station commenting on the vibrant colors, the cute dogs and snapping pictures.<\/p>\n
Eric Vandernail, one of the festival organizers, said they wanted to make sure the festival reflected Fraser and felt including local artists was key to that. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey provide the culture of Fraser and the valley,\u201d Vandernail said. \u201cPlus, people like to see locals succeed and we support local art, so I love the mix.\u201d<\/p>\n
The festival culminates in an awards ceremony, where judges Mayor Philip Vandernail and artists Karen Vance and Emanuel Martinez will pick the top three pieces, and a people\u2019s choice award will also be given out. <\/p>\n
Then, later this year, the town plans to host an auction for the murals with the proceeds being equally split between the artists and the fundraising efforts for the arts center. <\/p>\n
\u201cArt (adds) representation and diversity, it records history, beautifies things, lets us express ourselves and brings people together,\u201d Zoyiopoulos said.<\/p>\n