Mural: New Life
Created: Summer 2019
Size: 580 ft2
Location: Southside of Spotless Cleaners
Address: 3223 Emerson Street
This vibrant interpretation of juvenile steelhead salmon in their natural habitat was one of the early murals created under the banner of the Skeena Salmon Arts Festival Society. It features adult and juvenile steelhead salmon, a literal interpretation of the mural's title: New Life. The concept of new life is also evident in the nurse stump that sets the stage for new growth of a young tree. "I hoped that this would have cross cultural implications, because regardless of backgrounds most faith traditions have a link to new life from death," says Braam. "For me this was an extension of that concept." It was also one of the first murals done in this particular illustrative style that Braam had just began working in that year. "I see my first pieces in that style just a few months before that mural happened. Braam has several murals in Terrace - some in this style and others that are more reminiscent of the wildlife and nature realism that he is well known for.
Email: caseybraam@gmail.com
Facebook: Art by Casey Braam
Instagram: @cabraam
Casey Braam is an artist and illustrator living amongst the towering hemlocks and snowy peaks of Terrace, BC. His wildlife art is featured on Netflix’s Meateater and championed by conservation groups, including Rocky Mountain Goat Alliance and Wild Sheep Society of BC. He has exhibited work at Vancouver’s Pacific Arts Market, Skeena Salmon Arts Festival, and Kitimat Museum and Gallery. Casey’s work can be seen in local cafes and restaurants, and as far away as Vancouver Island, where an orca hunts salmon on the walls of Riverquest Fishing Charters.
Casey can’t remember a time when he didn’t have a pencil in his backpack or a mountain goat on his mind. He paints what he knows – roaring rivers, majestic eagles, alpine meadows and bugling elk. As an outdoorsman, Casey’s live-off-the-land lifestyle is fully integrated with his artistic pursuits. He loves to cook with wild game and fill his kitchen with friends and family always eager to enjoy the feast.
Creativity runs through Casey’s veins and across his family tree. His grandfather, who shares the same name, was renown locally for his historical pen and ink drawings. Casey’s family, including his father, a talented wood carver, are also sources of artistic inspiration and encouragement.
Whether a mural or a sketch, Casey’s art always invites his viewers to reflect on the immediacy of the natural world. There is no space between the viewer and the charcoal eyes of a suspicious owl or the inked fur of a hackled black bear. Even the smallest grouse demands attention thanks to the detailed work of Casey’s brush or digital pen.
Large scale projects are a passion for Casey and the walls of Terrace’s downtown testify to the power his big-picture thinking and collaborative style. These ambitious mural projects bring the wilderness and the city into the same world. When the gentle gaze of a grazing moose catches the eyes of a passerby, the stop lights and traffic fade away, and for a moment, they are immersed in the wild.
Check out Casey's other work: