Victoria BC Mural Artist

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Book mural created by Humanity In Art: Lys Glassford and Lauren Semple

Mural Created by Humanity In Art: Lys Glassford and Lauren Semple

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Murals turn public space into personal space. Rooted in place, responsive to community, and made to spark conversation. Whether you’re a city planner, business owner, or just someone with a blank wall and big dreams, let’s talk.

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Visceral. Abstract. You’ll Feel It.
In the studio, I paint what words can’t capture. Moody color, strange characters, bold lines, this is where I process the world. Originals and prints available for collectors, curators, and the quietly curious.

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Lys Glassford standing on crosswalk they designed

Lys Glassford painting mural in Downtown Nanaimo_

Meet The Artist

Art should be personal, poetic, and accessible. Based in Victoria and working across Vancouver Island, Lys Glassford Art brings creative energy and thoughtful storytelling to every project. Whether you're commissioning a mural, shopping small works, or dreaming up something custom, Lys is the artist behind the art, and they're ready to collaborate.

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You Dream It, I Paint It.
Quirky characters for your cat-loving aunt? Watercolor illustration for a realtor’s new client? Let’s bring your vision to life. Graffiti flair optional (but encouraged).

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Wear Your Weird.
The shop is stocked products and prints for folks who live a little sideways. Limited drops, original designs, grab yours before they disappear.

So, this was a super fun project to work on. This mural is located in Wentworth Dental. This is the second mural they have commissioned!
These vibrant colours look great but were incredibly difficult to get to their most opaque versions. The wall was a bit bigger than expected (both width and height), and not able to use a projector. I Busted out the trusty chalk line and then hand sketched everything. It took a wee bit longer than anticipated, however,I really am loving how it turned out!

#dentistofficemural #mural #wallart #commercialart #businessart

Its going to be an abstract kind of year.
#notai #wallart
#abstractart

Throwback 2018: This mural got so much hate and Soooooo much love all at the same time. Some folks just hated the execution, some folks hated the message. However, the amount of people that tagged social media with their posts and posing with this mural was so awesome to see. This was one of the first engagement murals we tried. Giving the public an opportunity to pose with the balloons. Folks really utilized it and it was heart warming to see everyone posing with the balloons.

This was also a representation that everyone belongs. There , unfortunately, can be a lot of lateral violence within communities and exclusion either by design or because access needs are purely after an thought. In fact, medical models may say 'disability' but there are entire communities and cultures that have been built to celebrate the fact folks have differences from the mainstream,and a total rejection of the term disability. Regardless of how folks may identify and what labels they claim or reject. This art felt important to create! Im a human who is Queer, Trans, and has a disability. My full-time work sees me working with folks with disabilities and differences regularly and I also specialize in WCAG so blending my two passions felt exciting. Growing up in rural Sask I faced an immense amount of homophobia. Painting murals in Nanaimo has shown me homophobia is alive and well here too(This mural was vandalized to the point it had to be covered) but thankfully it doesnt affect everyday life and Nanaimo is a city where there is more love and support than hate.

(This mural was painted under the alias Humanity In Art, which was the artistic partnership between Lys Glassford and Lauren Semple ™️)

#2slgbtqia #loveislove #queerart #lgbtcommunity

Teenage Lys is so excited that people pay grown up Lys to spray paint and create big art.

One of my unaccomplishments was failing grade 8 art. 🤣 Not because I was 'bad' at art, but I really struggled to follow direction. Young me had undiagnosed adhd and an angst that could have ruled the world. What my life looks and feels like now is night and day from then.

But for real, painting murals was something I had always been highly interested in. This is a throwback photo to 2018, theres barely any sidewalk here and one step backwards equals stepping into busy highway traffic. Slightly insane to do this on a ladder. It was a lot of climbing up and down 🤣😅

One part of creating murals that folks dont often think about is the budget. I really love creating art! So, its always been important to me to be accessible. A lower budget means a simplified design. However, mural painting really isn't "fast" or "quick". Theres often a misconception that a simple design will be done really quickly. Sure, it will be done quicker than a more technical design but its still not a fast process. Theres still a design, contracts, prep work, the execution, the take down of the prep work, and then the work I do behind the scenes to clean brushes and put away my gear. The painting is usually the least time consuming part of the process.

This was designed simple, to fit a smaller budget but I still really love the west coast theme and bright colours!

(Mural was created by Humanity In Art, which was the artistic partnership of Lys Glassford and Lauren Semple ™️)

#muralart #Wallart #markmaking #smallbusinesa

Throw back circa 2013

#streetart #arts #mural

Quick and dirty art therapy.

#abstractart #abstractpaintings #notai #fuckaiart

Ive been making valentines day cards...

#fanart #Beetlejuice #originalart #notai #humanartist

This mural is from 2018, part of the Urban Art Gallery project Hub City Walls and Humanity In Art organized. It was an effort to give a face-lift to an unloved block and building right in the heart of Downtown Nanaimo. The full project was always intended to be temporary and it ended up lasting far more years than anticipated. This mural is no longer in existence as the building is being redeveloped (hooray!).

I called this mural time and the intention was to great a mural that was subtly about feminism. The clock faces hold historic voting dates, and it had hidden messaging sprinkled throughout the faces.
As while as tipping the scale, its time for a new era stoic vibe.

(This mural was painted under the alias Humanity In Art which was the artistic collaboration between Lys Glassford and Lauren Semple ™️).

#wallmural #customart #publicart #commercialart #nanaimosmallbusiness

This installation is from 2020. In late 2019 we were commissioned by the City of Nanaimo for a different project. It was intended to be small street art interventions that would pop up around the city and we had created an entire marketing plan and social media campaign around this. Fast forward to staffing changes and a pandemic, we were asked to instead pivot and create an artwork that was appropriate for the covid-19 restrictions.

We identified a place in Nanaimo that we believed was under utilized and we wanted to give folks a reason to take a new route and go "what's that?".

So, One Song stairs case was born. It was intended to be a temporary art piece, however, its currently still in existence. We collaborated with the past Poet Laureate of Nanaimo Tina Biello and asked if she could create a poem about social distancing and she created 'One Song'.

We then took that poem and transformed the square with poetry and created a large radial Soundwave (of the poem being read) across then ground. The intention was to create space and build connection through the same artwork.

Its been very cool to observe how people use the space. Actually, thats the best part of being a public artist.. visiting the artwork once its completed and observing how the public choses to interact with it.

(Art work created under the alias Humanity In Art - the artistic partnership between Lys Glassford and Lauren Semple)

#wallmural #customart #publicart #commercialart #nanaimosmallbusiness

I love the overall vibe of this mural. It is located in the Nanaimo Aquatic centre. Humanity In Art co-created this artwork in collaboration with Youth from the Risebridge IBPOC summer program. The project was sponsored by the Office of the BC Human Rights Commissioner as part of their "Hate to Hope" campaign. The youth led the charge discussing themes of interconnectivity, and the type of community they want to live in and during our drawing sessions the older group kept drawing insects while the younger group was focused on that inner connectivity of lines and community.

From there this artwork was created. Being a Trans person we also snuck in some subtle Trans symbolism as the site was the focus of some serious community led transphobia earlier in the year.

The initial sketch was also turned into coloring pages and then the BCOHRC toured an exhibit around different communities that showcased all the murals created from this project as well as the complex storytelling from marginalized communities throughout BC. They did a fabulous job with the overall exhibit and it felt really cool to be a part of this. We had many hiccups along the way, but it turned out great and I personally love seeing the artwork when I visit the aquatic centre.

(Artwork created by Humanity In Art which was the artistic partnership between Lys Glassford and Lauren Semple ™️)

#wallmural #customart #publicart #commercialart #nanaimosmallbusiness

The bee's... this is one bee from a larger pollinator mural. It doesnt exist anymore, but this was definately a crowd favorite. I also made the prism/fractured bees up on the spot. It started as a mistake and then I rolled with it and they turned out pretty neat. I have been asked many many times to recreate the bees on a smaller scale and declined. Spray paint is very fun to work with but the smaller the image gets the harder it is to work with... that being said if anyone has a big wall and they want some cool colorful bees, let's chat!

This is Humanity In Art 2018.. . Its cool to look back and see the impact the art had on the community. While youre in it and doing it, it's easy to get lost in the shuffle. (This mural was created under the alias Humanity In Art, which was the artistic partnership between Lys Glassford and Lauren Semple ™️)

#wallmural #customart #publicart #commercialart #nanaimosmallbusiness

In 2020 HIA was commissioned to do a 100ft long window installation. This was the first round of 2SLGBTQIA+ windows we created for @saveonfoods at their Nanaimo location during pride month.

It ended up taking waaaaay longer than planned. We also experience an awful moment of ignorant homophobia and experienced how well the store manager skillfully dealt with it (earning the allyship points to display the pride symbolism).

This artwork was created under Hunanity In Art - the artistic partnership between Lys Glassford and Lauren Semple ™️

#wallmural #customart #publicart #commercialart #nanaimosmallbusiness

Because HIA is no more, I'll be reposting older content on here.
Do you recognize this mural? HBOs the #thelastofus featured this mural in one of the episodes they shot in downtown Nanaimo. The original mural was covered and they left the city of Nanaimo some funds to have it re-created once the episode was aired. Humanity In Art (the artistic partnership of Lys Glassford & Lauren Semple ™️) was asked to recreate it last summer.

I always have fun with these types of projects and for me it highlights homophobia is live and well and visibility is as important as ever. We had a few very crude and nasty remarks while painting, but overall the majority of people we're highly supportive and that reflects the over all vibes of Nanaimo.

#wallmural #customart #publicart #commercialart nanaimosmallbusiness

I want to post art, and I hate that I feel yucky posting art because AI scrapes everything. Im also really tired of looking at unhinged AI art. So here's some art that I painted with gouache and spray paint..

#notai #realart #gouachepainting

I spent the long weekend creating this mural for Wentworth Dental, located in downtown Naniamo. They had a clear vision and asked for a west coast theme mural contained in a molar. It was a bit challenging trying to get that painterly feel using latex and using paint that dried almost instantly 😅. Overall, I am very pleased with how it turned out, and the client is very happy with the finished look. Thank you @laurabethisanartist for your help on this and for making sure I took breaks and ate food.

#dentist #molar #dentistart #mural #landscape #westcoastart #pnw #westcoastmural #artofinstagram #wallmural #customart #publicart #commercialart #nanaimosmallbusiness

Throwback post: this project was so much fun to work on and bring to life.

#wallmural #customart #publicart #commercialart #nanaimosmallbusiness

A chapter closes, and a new one begins.

After more than a decade, the Humanity in Art chapter of my life is officially coming to a close. I began this journey in 2013, shortly after moving to Nanaimo, using the alias to lead community art projects that connected people through creativity. In 2016, I was honored to be named the City of Nanaimo’s Emerging Cultural Leader, an unforgettable milestone that affirmed the impact of this work.

In 2017, Humanity in Art evolved into a formal partnership with Lauren, and together we left a big mark on the city. From murals to community art projects, we had the privilege of creating meaningful art for incredible clients and communities. This project holds a very special place in my heart, and saying goodbye is bittersweet.

But with endings come new beginnings. I’ve just launched my new website: lysglassford.com (link in bio), where I’ll be sharing future mural work and accepting solo commissions. I’m also open to new collaborations!

If you have a moment, I’d love your help spreading the word. A little organic traffic goes a long way 💛

Here’s to what’s next

Just a Teenie cat, hanging out and playing with her bee...

Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear.

I am absolutely devastated. My sweet love suffered a neurological event and crossed over the rainbow bridge today. She has been my best friend for 14 years. She came into my life when I was living in Halifax, a feral dock cat from Dartmouth who was rescued with a litter of kittens. I'd never had a cat before and didn't know much about them, but I had a mouse problem. She was an excellent hunter, so good that one of the first nights she crawled up on my chest as I was laying in bed and proudly dropped a live mouse on my chest. However, I fell completely in love with this gentle little bean. From the time she came to live with me, we've spent the majority of our time together. She moved across the country with me, we've lived in 3 provinces together, and she's been my emotional support companion for all this time. For 14 years, she's slept in my arms at night like a teddy bear. She sits on my lap every day since I started working from home. She's helped me heal from every major health event and every major life event I've had as an adult, I really couldn't have asked for a better friend. My heart is broken right now. She turned 15 on January 13th, and although I'm so thankful for the time we had, it just doesn't feel like it was enough time. 😭

Nanaimo has been looking rather moody these last few days.

It's been about 3 years since I last saw my parents. Living in a different province means logistical challenges, and Saskatchewan is a place where I feel I'm unable to be my authentic self (the government perpetrates harmful behavior to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and is among the worst perpetrators in Canada for their laws against SOGI education and transphobia), so I'm grateful for their visit. Each time I see them, they look a bit older. We visited the Malahat Skywalk, and these are a few of the photos I snapped before they road the 65-foot slide to the bottom.

I'm feeling under the weather today. It's a good thing I've got this snuggle bug to keep me company.

#tortiesofinstagram #catlife #cuddles #catlove

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@lys.glass