A PAINTER’S RETURN
Mural a homecoming for artist
Emmanuel Jarus has artwork gracing buildings from alleys in Toronto to a 13-storey building in Gothenburg, Sweden. Tuesday night marks the unveiling of his newest work, commissioned by Saskatoon’s Filipino-Canadian Association, on the side of the MacLean Building in the city’s downtown.
Q How did you first get into painting murals?
A “I left Regina to go to the Academy of Realist Art in Toronto and I went there for three months until I quit to paint murals full time. Before that I was doing graffiti on freight trains as well as doing my own artwork and drawings. But when I was able to learn to use tools like latex paint and spray paint to paint really large, eventually I started painting murals.”
Q How did you get involved with this project?
A “The Filipino community had a grant to do a new mural and they had an open call. I have a team that looks at open calls all around the world. Obviously, if I see one in Saskatchewan I am totally intrigued to do it. I know a lot of people here and it’s fun to come back every once in a while. I found out about the project, and one of the reasons that I picked it was the fact that they were open to the idea of me coming and meeting kids from the Filipino community and then making the mural up on the spot.”
Q Have you ever run into any trouble in your mural painting career?
A “Not so much in my mural painting career. When I was younger I was arrested for graffiti multiple times, but I don’t paint illegally anymore, especially not in Canada. You have to worry about each and every time you do graffiti in the act because depending on what country you’re in there are different consequences. I’d like to do more graffiti, I like doing it illegally, but I don’t get time to do it because I’m always painting, which I enjoy just as much.” Q Do you enjoy having people watch you while you work? A “When I was painting in Kyiv, Ukraine, it was kind of cool. There was a big surrounding area of apartment buildings and tons of people were watching me all the time from their houses, but if there are a bunch of people on the street it can be nerve-racking.”
Q Do you find it frustrating that law enforcement doesn’t see a difference between street art and tagging ?
A “No, I kinda like the way it is right now because there are a lot of publicly funded murals and art. Illegal graffiti looks good to some degree, but if it was legal or there were more outlets there would be a lot of amateur artists doing ugly stuff in public.”
Q Would you consider moving back to Saskatchewan in the future?
A “Right now I don’t really have a home since I’m always travelling, but when I’m older, though, I would consider moving back to Saskatchewan to have a little studio here and a little acreage or something.”