In 2024, while on vacation in Nelson, British Columbia, my partner and I were walking through downtown in the morning light when I noticed an old, weathered house. I took a photo and carried on with the day, not knowing what I might do with it.

Nelson is one of those towns with a lot of character. Its old buildings and long history give it a strong sense of place. I’d spent the previous few years living, travelling, and visiting different parts of BC, but somehow had never made it down to Nelson. Its remoteness adds to the magic. It feels a little removed from the usual routes, as if it has kept a character all its own.

The image stayed with me. Every now and then, I would come back to it and wonder how I could use it. I liked the character of the house and the feeling of the place, but I didn’t want to simply recreate the photograph. For a while, I couldn’t see the painting in it yet. I just knew I wanted to make something from that moment.

Changing the mood

Eventually, I began to imagine the scene differently. The original photo was taken in the soft, overcast light of a morning. For the mural, I shifted it to a rainy evening, just as the sun disappears behind the mountain range. The sky becomes more vibrant, and light glows from the house’s windows, giving the scene a warmer, more intimate feeling.

That change in light became the starting point for the painting. I used one of my favorite color combinations—pink, purple, orange, and beige—and let myself focus on the part I most enjoy: painting the sky and clouds. Building up those colors across a large surface was one of the most joyful parts of the project.

Nelson also has a strong connection to mural art. The town has hosted the annual Nelson International Mural Festival for years, bringing muralists and public art into its streets. It felt fitting that a place with such a lively mural culture became the subject of a mural I made back in my studio.

Painted in the studio

I painted the mural on the 4 × 2.5-metre wall in my studio. I built this wall a while ago to give myself a large, flat, well-lit surface to work on. It lets me work at mural scale indoors, with the space and conditions to take my time with a piece.

Seeing the image grow across the wall gave the small moment I photographed in Nelson a new presence. It began as a scene I had quietly kept coming back to, and became a painting about atmosphere, memory, and the way a place can feel different depending on the light.

I documented the whole process in a video for my YouTube channel, where you can watch the mural take shape from start to finish.

From mural to print

The finished mural is now available as an A2 fine art print in my shop. I produce each print myself in the studio, where the original painting was made.