Bastion Mural

Nanaimo Aquatic Centre

This mural of the Hudson's Bay Company's Bastion amongst rocks and trees is a scene depicting the early days of Nanaimo’s settler history. It is located in the waterslide corner of the pool in Nanaimo Aquatic Centre. Sawatzky painted additional elements in the pool area as well, including an image of a seaplane, rocky bluffs, and large text of the city’s name that contains a scenic landscape. These murals were commissioned for the opening of Nanaimo Aquatic Centre in 2001.

Gary Sawatzky is an artist and designer. He was a longtime Vancouver Island resident at the time of this mural’s creation. He airbrushed murals for many public places and businesses across British Columbia from the 1980’s through the early 2000’s, some of which include: the courtyard of Gorge Road Hospital in 1992, Saanich Commonwealth Place pool in 1993, Emerald Forest Bird Garden in Errington in 2002, and the Houston Leisure Facility in Houston, BC in 2006.

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