(Submitted Photo/Ingrid Van Opstal)

By Rachel May

Haywire Farm Festival

Northeast barn gets makeover promoting beauty of region

Jul 28, 2023 | 5:11 PM

A barn in the northeast got a facelift at the Haywire Farm Festival in Codette thanks to a rural artist.

The event brought together people from across Saskatchewan for a weekend filled with music, local businesses, and art.

Festival Organizer Patti Propp ended up asking Artist Ingrid Van Opstal to visit for the weekend and bring her artistic vision to the side of a barn.

Over 20 hours were spent taping, spray painting, completing the brushwork, and putting on the finishing touches while festivalgoers watched in real time.

“What’s even more special is that children could see it happening and engage with me and maybe they don’t see a lot of live art happening. Especially for younger girls,” said Van Opstal.

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She continued to explain that seeing females use mediums such as spray paint which is primarily used by males will hopefully inspire young women to pursue their passion.

When doing research for the piece, Van Opstal included elements that touch on what it means to live in the northeast.

“I wanted to highlight aspects of farm life and elements that are common to being in a setting like that.”

The piece showcases rain to represent the rich fertile land that farmers in the region hope for.

The other focus of the piece was a barn swallow which Van Opstal had a close experience with while working on the mural.

“I saw probably about a dozen barn swallows fly around, chasing each other and I have to say that was just such a beautiful moment for me.”

She explains that this project is unique as it brings urban street art to a rural community and hopes to come back next year to experience the event again.

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Rachel.May@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RachelMayFM