Walls come to life at Grand View Manor

BY NANCY KELLY

Kings County Register

For the past few weeks, artist/ painter Gerald Little has been bringing a touch of four-season colour and local scenery indoors to residents of Grand View Manor. “So far, Gerald has painted close to 10 murals, and each one is a scene that reminds our residents of aspects of life in the Valley,” says GVM administrator Graham Hardy. The new artwork is functional as well as decorative, serving as a type of “reminisce-therapy” for residents. “These new works of art have generated a lot of ‘remember when‚ type of conversations,’ and have also engaged residents in the artist’s creative process,” says Hardy, noting Little very often has an audience as he works.

The project got started with a suggestion from the dining room staff. “They thought it would really brighten the place up, and the three (murals) that Gerald painted in the dining room have certainly done that.”

Murals throughout the main building bring to life nearby orchards, the Bay of Fundy and other small town scenes, many of which are familiar to residents of the manor. Little has been averaging one or more per day since he began the project. “Once I have a preliminary drawing completed, the painting actually goes together pretty quickly,” says Little. Early in the day March 6, he was starting a very intricate four-foot high, 15-foot long mural depicting Berwick’s train station circa the late 1800s - and was expecting he would have it completed by 4 p.m. that same afternoon! It was the second of two large murals that now decorate the main staircase area.

Little, from Cambridge, has been painting in some form or another since he was a child. He has done other jobs in his life, but his true passion is painting - on just about any surface. “You name it, I can paint on it,” admits Little, who also did some creative painting on cupboards in the recreation room as part of the GVM job.

Hardy says residents and staff alike have been impressed with the quality of Little’s work and how the murals bring new dimension and life to walls in the building.