Pickerings West Shore Skate Spot has an exciting new look after artist FATSPATROL was recently commissioned to paint a new community mural on the skate surface.

The popular new West Shore Skate Spot first opened in Fall 2022, and soon after in 2023, Council endorsed the funding to carry out the design and installation of a new Public Art mural on the skate surface. Through the Public Art Policy process, artist FATSPATROL, in collaboration with Mural Routes, was selected to create this community-inspired public art piece. Community consultations and paint workshops were held with residents over the summer to assist with the creation and execution of the design.

Join Pickering Mayor & Members of Council with FATSPATROL as they officially unveil the public art piece entitled You Can Never Close Nature on Friday, October 20 at 4:00 pm at West Shore Community Centre, Skate Spot (1011-1015 Bayly Street, Pickering).

The subject matter for this artwork, (the pike, the walleye, the water, sunsets and sunrises, the heron, the swan, trail patterns, foliage, ripples on the water) all came from two community consultations where local members stressed the significance of West Shore as an area of natural abundance and diversity. The intent was for this artwork to be bold as a graphic style favoured by some local youth, and to visually enhance the features of the Skate Spot to allow users of the park to differentiate its surfaces.

“I interpreted these in the style of using bold colours, patterns and black lines that have featured in my work since the start of my creative practice. The use of bold black lines comes from a study of mark-making and my early influences of comic books, tribal Indian art (e.g. Kalamkari) Middle Eastern Textiles and later graffiti”, explains FATSPATROL (Fathima Mohiddin).

FATSPATROL is an award-winning artist of Indian origin, with a Dubai upbringing and a Canadian passport. A true 3rd culture kid.Her bold graphic style of drawing is a hybrid language from a medley of influences. Summers in India with humanitarian grandparents exposed to Indian folk art, artifacts, and mythology. Growing up in multicultural Dubai in a Muslim home exposed to Islamic art, calligraphy, henna, and folklore. The sister of a cartoonist reading comic books as kids. Her mothers love for language, poetry, and narrative. All this combined,FATSPATROLs work tells poetic personal stories with universal notes. Having painted murals in 10 countries, commissioned on commercial projects for brands including Red Bull and Tiger Beer and worked on outreach projects with challenged communities in Jordan and India, her career as a curator and artist captures the place of art in society from all angles.Fathima believes fundamentally in arts ability to help heal and move the world forward as well as being a means of making sense of our existence, creatinghuman connection and awareness and finding universal truths. FATSPATROL, has a BA in studio and culture and an MA in sociology. In 2010 she founded The Domino, one of the UAEs first artist-led creative consultancy dedicated to urban art.

About the Author

Bryen writes about local Durham community news, including regional events, municipality updates, entertainment, lifestyle, and the great outdoors. Email him directly if you want your business profiled or know a community member that deserves recognition - bryen@thelocalbizmagazine.com