Visual Artist Kaisa Frolander has completed a mural adorning the foyer of Arnprior’s Kenwood Centre, at 16 Edward Street South.
The final brush strokes of the Union Jack atop the flag pole were the crowning touch Thursday afternoon (May 29th).
Although the office hallway is lined with historic photographs of the woolen mill in its heyday, the facility’s current owners wanted an appropriate centrepiece.
Although the Kenwood Centre today is a hub of offices and agencies, with a number of boardrooms that can be booked for public presentations and seminars, the area that now offers indoor storage to the community once teamed with employees of the woolen mill that anchored a significant portion of the town’s workforce.
Kenwood blankets, crafted from the wool of New Zealand sheep, were known for their quality nationwide, and a plaque at the entrance doors remembers the names of those who served overseas while on leave from their jobs.
Security cameras will know exactly how long the mural took to complete, but for Kaisa the commission was also a labour of love.
With a keen eye and a very steady hand, much of the mural was completed standing on a step-stool.
Kaisa says there’s something about the process of painting that stands outside normal concepts of how time passes.
Although the final touches were added to the mural Thursday, one task remains ahead of a potential unveiling.
As far as Kaisa Frolander- she’s out to make a name for herself and hopes to go on to teach artistic techniques to preserve the knowledge.
By Rick Stow
