A Sandy Clark painting, come to life after many years in storage in Chemainus, Canada’s Mural Capital™, has a name at last thanks to Tammy Montgomery. Her entry, Meadow Memories, fits the mural to a T, and was chosen from among 50 or so submissions to the Chemainus Festival of Murals Society’s Name the Mural contest.

And thanks to the Best Western Plus Chemainus Inn, her creativity earned her two nights’ stay at Tofino’s Best Western Tin Wis Resort as well as $200 in Chemainus bucks, and a couple of Emily Carr books.

Sandy Clark’s Meadow Memories with Tom Andrews, Society president

Clark’s mural was recently installed in the Best Western Plus Chemainus Inn’s meeting room.

This mural/painting was commissioned prior to Clark’s death in 2010, by Marg and Al Johnson, prominent Chemainiacs and business owners. They owned the grocery store, which was the predecessor to the now defunct Chemainus Foods. They also opened Small Tall Treats, which served as a lunch place as well as an ice cream bar.

The shop was so named because Al was 6’5″ and Marg was barely 5′.They befriended Clark who had painted other murals for the Chemainus Festival of Murals Society, and asked her to paint a ‘small’ mural for Small Tall Treats.

‘Small’ it wasn’t. The size of the mural was dictated by the length of the wall on which it was to be hung, and it graced Small Tall Treats for many years, even after the Yeagers bought the building from the Johnsons.

Al, who lived with Parkinson’s for 20 years, died first, then Marg followed shortly after. Their daughters donated the mural to the Society. The new owners of the business agreed that it could stay in the business. Then a new tenant took over and renovations began, and the mural was put in storage until a decision regarding a new location could be made.