The Artist
"As an artist you live a solitary life. Painting here allowed us to share with other artists. There was nothing to sell, no competition, so we could just paint. This was something I really wanted to do"

Mike Svob moved to British Columbia from Welland, Ontario after graduating from the University of Western Ontario and gaining experience in the business world. Art was what everyone told him not to do.

His rendering of "Mill Street in 1948" is an impressionistic wave of transparent colour which washes gently over the eye of the viewer, much like his watercolours.

He is a self-taught painter, who has gained recognition and now exhibits with other well- known members of the Federation of Canadian Artists. Svob has won numerous awards including first prize at the F.C.A. ‘86 Workshop, and the Purchase Award at the 46thNorthwest Watercolour Society Show.

The Art
The first building on the left of old Mill Street was used as a Post Office until 1927. That year, street lights made their first appearance in Chemainus, with power provided by the V. L. & M. Company.

Beyond the Post Office, towards the water, stood the sawmill superintendent's office, the company store and the company office. The company store closed its doors in September 1949, after 65 years of service. When the building was demolished a year later, wreckers discovered that the frame was made of clear lumber, with some pieces over 40 feet long without a knot or defect of any kind! Several boxes containing cast steel ox shoes, bearing the date 1885, were found under the floor.

Also depicted in the mural is a time clock shelter to the right of the employee parking area. Gordon Wharf and the government wharf recede into the background of Chemainus Harbour.