A local woman’s Etch-A-Sketch artwork of the Saskatchewan Legislature is now featured in a downtown Regina alley mural.
“It was totally unexpected. Last year, a girlfriend of mine sent me a link to the Regina Business Improvement District alley doors art project,” said Christine Gauthier, the Etch-A-Sketch artist. “I said to my mom, ‘I wonder if I should do an etch of the legislative building,’ and she said, ‘Do it.’”
Gauthier’s sketch was then chosen as one of 26 art pieces to be put on a downtown alley mural.
“It’s such a cool thing to know that, this is my favourite medium and this is my little hobby, and it’s making Regina kind of cooler in a way,” Gauthier said.
“It’s always nice to see pieces – especially these pieces that are designed to be somewhat temporary, it is just vinyl on a metal door – have a little bit of whimsy (and) a bit of fun,” said Judith Veresuk, the executive director of the Regina Downtown Business Improvement District.
Gauthier had an etch-a-sketch as a child. She found it about a year ago, and decided to try it out again.
“I etched (a) cathedral and it turned out. And I was like, ‘Wow, I can actually do this.’ And from there it just branched off,” Gauthier said.
She sketches everything from buildings to pop culture characters. Her artwork of the Saskatchewan Legislature, which is located in the alleyway between Hamilton Street and Scarth Street, has a special meaning.
“I’m a bit of a royalist. I always have been,” Gauthier said. “I met Prince Charles and Camilla on the steps of the legislative building when they were here.”
Like the temporary alley display, Etch-A-Sketches can be easily erased, which Gauthier said has taught her to appreciate that art is often fleeting.
“It’s kind of two art forms in one. It’s the obvious art side of creating a masterpiece on an Etch-A-Sketch,” Gauthier said. “But it’s also the art of letting go. That has really taught me to not get too attached to a piece.”
