Caitlin McDonagh is a Canadian visual artist, illustrator and muralist who creates complex works deeply inspired by folklore, symbolism and nature. Inspired by the line where human life and the natural world blur, her work often results in a harmonious narrative where beings show both the humanistic and animal sides of themselves, in landscapes inspired by the places she has visited, lived and imagined. Her aim with her work is to construct her own personal folklore; work that leaves doors open within, allowing the viewer to extend the story while finding parts of themselves within it. Caitlin’s murals can be found in Victoria BC, Vancouver BC, Montreal and various regions of Quebec, Brooklyn NYC and Charlotte NC. Her paintings are part of the City of Burnaby’s permanent art collection at the Burnaby Art Gallery, as well as numerous private collections around the world.
Artwork description
The “Grandir” mural, created by artist Caitlin McDonagh, enhances the living environment of women and children living in the homes of the Mères avec pouvoir foundation. This foundation offers low-cost housing, an early childhood care service – the CPE du Carrefour – as well as social and professional support to many single mothers. It was these mothers, in search of a life, personal or professional development project, who shared with the artist and MU the ideas they would like to see in the mural.
One of the symbols chosen by the women was that of the passage from childhood to adulthood. To represent this, Caitlin McDonagh illustrated growing plants, from their roots to their stems. Personal development, growth and learning are represented by birds, butterflies – a reference to the Mothers with Power Foundation – and flowers moving together towards the sky.
Assistant muralist: Zoë Gelfant