WHITE ROCK - Take a walk through White Rock's community core and it's not difficult to see the area is characterized by its quaint coffee shops, stunning beach views and colourful, building-side murals.
On the stretch of Johnson Street alone, there are four full-wall murals done by White Rock resident and veteran painter Elizabeth Hollick, and there's another on the way.Her latest project - a 47-foot by 27-foot mural on the side of Coast Capital Playhouse - is her biggest yet, and it's been a long time coming.Hollick's drawing of the mural, which is based on the theatre's yearly pantomime and gives a nod to several local players in the scene, was chosen over several others submitted to White Rock Players' Club in March of 2012."It's taken from the pantomime's song, 'The Wonderful Year We Fell In Love,' which Tom Saunders wrote which changes every year according to the history. Whatever's happened in White Rock or world news, they change the song - that's the basis of it. There are also a few people in it, like Romeoand Juliet from Shakespeare, and this fellow down here is Scott Wheeler, and he doesn't like love at all - he's got his fingers in hisears," Hollick said with a laugh.In 2012, the WRPC tried to raise funds to see the mural realized, with a minimumgoal of $15,000. The money wasn't attained, leaving the project shelved for the past two years, until the city stepped in to kick in some cash."This is the first one that the city (has commissioned)," Hollick said, noting that all of her previous murals had been commissioned by private businesses."The City of White Rock had a big public meeting last November, and from there that started the enthusiasm to get this one done."The city didn't quite match the original asking price, but the artist says it's no skin off her back."I'm giving them quite a deal," she said confidently. "It's actually less than $15,000 but I wanted to do it so much that I was happy with what I got."While there is no exact unveiling date, Hollick hopes to see the mural done by the end of the summer. The artist began working on the mural June 2. "I've never done one this big before so I don't know how long it's going to take - I've got the scaffolding for as long as I wish. I'm expecting two months altogether, possibly an extra two weeks," she said."It's the most exciting mural I've done in my life," Hollick said.