There’s some new artwork going up in the alley beside O’Hanlon’s Irish Pub in downtown Regina.
Graffiti artist Danny Fernandez has designed a piece to pay tribute to the late owner of the Copper Kettle, Robert Gardikiotis, who passed away in March.
Fernandez, who started painting at the age of three, said the mural will take him about 10 days to complete.
"The far left side of the image is basically a shot from the 60's,” Fernandez explained. “(There’s) a younger version of Anne and Robert in the middle, and then to the right of them is O'Hanlon's and the Scarth Street area now."
Gardikiotis owned and operated the Copper Kettle for more than 50 years. The wall is the perfect canvas to celebrate his legacy.
"We were originally going to do something a bit smaller scale inside the pub,” said Kurtis Tokarchuk, general manager of O’Hanlon’s. “After the passing of Robert, the patriarch of the family here, we really wanted to do something for him.”
Gardikiotis’ work helped shape Regina’s downtown core.
“He worked really hard his entire life to make sure Regina’s downtown was the best it could be,” Tokarchuk said.
Fernandez also works as a DJ, performing as Def3, and has played many shows at O’Hanlon’s.
“I definitely feel like I'm part of the family,” he said. “Just from doing so many different types of events there over the years, I feel like it was fitting to come and have me do (this mural) as well."
The mural is a fitting tribute for a man who helped shape the Queen City.
“I think he would just be so happy knowing that everything that he strived for over the years is going to be remembered,” Tokarchuk said.
