Artist dedicates mosaics to Taliyah’s family, police
‘People care and are thinking about them,’ says talented Edmontonian
From honouring fallen first responders in Calgary to paying respects to those who died on 9/11, Edmonton artist Wayne Ashley commemorates tragedies by creating intricate mosaics to remember the fallen.
So when he learned about the tragic deaths of five-year-old Taliyah Marsman and her mother Sara Baillie, he knew exactly what he had to do. The mother and daughter were found dead two weeks ago. Edward Downey has been charged in their murders.
Ashley crafted two mosaics, one dedicated to the family and one to the police officers who worked on the particularly difficult case.
“I wanted to let them know that in dark times that people care and are thinking about them,” said Ashley.
“We wish we could do more, but unfortunately we can’t, so we’re paying our respects to the family, and especially to the grandmother who lost not only a child, but a grandchild all in one day.”
The mosaic that Ashley dedicated to Marsman and Baillie’s family pictures a mother bear and her cub, which Ashley says represents the unbreakable bond between mother and daughter.
The mosaic dedicated to the police officers depicted Sara Baillie’s face with her eyes in clear sight, and the rest of her face fading away as it gets closer to her mouth.
“It represents that (the police) were the voice for the mother when she died. She couldn’t speak, so they spoke for her and did what they had to do,” said Ashley.
Ashley even drove to Calgary from Edmonton on Sunday to personally deliver the mosaic to a police station in Calgary.
He said that the on-duty officers at the station were apprehensive at first, but warmed up quickly once they understood exactly why he was there.
“When we explained what we were doing and the way that it was done and the meaning behind it, it moved to a level of humanity of one human being talking to another about a horrible tragedy,” said Ashley, saying that his mosaic was very well received at the district five police station in Saddletowne.
And as for the mosaic that he crafted for Marsman’s family, Ashley hopes to give his artwork to Marsman’s grandmother when she’s ready to receive it.