The legacy of Sea to Sky Corridor's beloved artist Chili Thom lives on.
The renowned creator is a household name to long-time locals and those familiar with the art scene.
He died in November of 2016 at 40.
Now, almost eight years since his passing from cancer, his friend and fellow artist Stan Matwychuk has created a mural on the walls of the outdoor washroom at Oceanfront Squamish that was inspired by Thom's work.
Kristen Gauley, of Matthews West, told The Squamish Chief that as a tribute to Squamish's industrial heritage, the developer has incorporated The Sound We Want, a 2014 mural by Thom and Matwychuk originally from the demolished PacWest building, into the oceanfront washroom design.
"While many original pieces were unsuitable for reuse, Matwychuk developed a concept to integrate the salvaged sections. With the Thom family’s approval, Stan was commissioned to repaint the mural directly onto the building's masonry exterior," Gauley said.
"Chili was a respected figure in the Sea to Sky community, and Matthews West is honoured to help showcase his artwork in Sp’akw’us Feather Park. The Sound We Want serves as a community reminder of what we must protect, with Stan’s contribution adding deeper significance to the project."
Matwychuk, who has painted more than a dozen murals around town over the years, said he was "flattered" to be asked to take on the project.
Matwychuk called Thom a "creative mentor."
The pair met in Whistler, when Matwychuk was "really young," he said.
"This gentleman and a bunch of other artists in town were kind of making a go of art and creativity and living through that. And it really resonated with me," he said, noting that it was an interesting time in the resort's history.
"Everybody was really approachable. There was shoulder seasons where you knew everybody; so it was a little more localized."
The pair struck up a friendship.
Matwychuk helped Thom out with his decor company, there were art shows and different creative projects.
"I kind of helped out wherever I could," Matwychuk said, remembering his friend and the group of folks around Thom fondly.
"He was a force ... [I would] just sort of try to absorb any inspiration I could from these guys because they were making it happen."
Eventually, Thom moved to Squamish.
"He just kept moving. He was late in his career, so he became more of an ambassador. He was and we were getting involved in boards," he said, noting that Thom was involved in the Arts Council at the time, as was Matwychuk.
"You involve yourself on a different level, as opposed to just painting and hanging work … He was a real, community-minded man."
Matwychuk said the honour of getting to paint the mural also meant the pressure of doing Thom's memory justice.
"To honour the man and the work within the community," he said.
"It's easy to say, 'I did this,' but it's more about him and the idea behind it, and sharing that with everybody."
The three pieces, or walls of the building, were done in about two weeks.
The paintings, done in acrylic, will last as long as Oceanfront wants them there, Matwychuk said.
Find more of his work on his website, Instagram, or on Facebook, at Stan Matwychuk.
