Local artists debut new 1,000-square foot mural in Coquitlam

It took years for two local artists to find success in their creative careers, but only a few weeks to brighten up a Coquitlam street.

Last week, Lay Hoon Ho and Angie Quintanilla Coates completed two murals that will comprise roughly 1,152-square feet at 953 Brunette Ave. 

The project, which is part of the City of Coquitlam’s $500,000 streetscape enhancement plan, comes three months after the city published a callout in the summer asking local artists to help kickstart a local mural program. 

After being selected to paint the Brunette mural at the end of July, the two artists started painting earlier this month.

Although they were hired to work on two separate murals — 960 square feet and 192 square feet respectively — Ho and Quintanilla Coates designed their paintings together. 

“We were told it can be in our own style, but if we could make it cohesive, that would be great,” Quintanilla Coates said. “We immediately got together and talked about a theme, and looked at our colour palettes.” 

The murals are designed as a celebration of creativity, said Quintanilla Coates, who added this was the first time she had completed a mural in her art career.

“We wanted both designs to be very joyful,” she said. 

Both artists didn’t have linear paths into the creative field, so they wanted the mural to reflect their gratitude for never giving up on their ambition to become artists. 

“We always loved art, but we didn’t feel like we could pursue it until later in life,” Quintanilla Coates said. 

Never giving up on their dreams

Quintanilla Coates is a self taught artist. 

She always created art in her spare time, but having never been to art school, Quintanilla Coates never thought art was a practical career that would pay the bills.

She studied international relations in university but four years ago, Quintanilla Coates left a career in marketing and management to launch her own art business, Five15, that focuses on illustrations and upcycled art. 

Similarly, Lay Hoon Ho said she never thought she would become an artist.

Although she always wanted to have a career in the arts, there was nobody in her life who had tried to pursue a creative career. 

“I just thought it was not possible,” said Ho, adding that her parents advised her to get a degree in bioengineering at the National University of Singapore.

Ho worked in health policy after graduation, but she didn’t see how she could stay in that job for the next 10 years, let alone the rest of her life. She needed a creative outlet.

She signed up for evening art classes, learning proper drawing techniques and multimedia designs. Ho graduated with a second degree, this one in multimedia design. 

After working in branding and advertising for a decade, she moved to Vancouver in 2019 and started creating her own artwork. 

When the pandemic hit, Ho started to draw more frequently. She posted her artwork on Instagram and it quickly captured the attention of many global companies — including Coach, Herschel, and Heineken — who wanted to hire her to work on their brand designs. 

“I’m really, really grateful for everything that fell into place at the right time,” Ho said. 

Explaining the murals

When Coquitlam launched its callout for mural artists in the summer, both Quintanilla Coates and Ho were excited at the prospect of creating art in the Tri-Cities. 

Ho, specifically, said that art adds colour and vibrancy to a city’s streets. 

Often in her art practice, Ho likes to play with figures like abstract blobs or origami-looking people. 

In her Brunette Avenue mural, she painted two figures that appear to be dancing together. She said the design represents two people coming together to create something — regardless of their backgrounds. 

There are also a number of hands in both murals, Ho said, which represent how people use their hands to create any form of art — illustrations, painting, or even writing.

“You can express yourself with whatever medium,” Ho said. “There’s beauty in the diversity of art.”

Coquitlam residents are also noticing the influx of colour in the city.

As Quintanilla Coates and Ho painted their mural, people frequently approached them to applaud their painting or honked their car horn as they drove by Brunette Ave. 

“I wasn’t expecting anything,” Quintanilla Coates said. “The first time I heard people I was like, ‘Am I doing something wrong?’ But I got thumbs up and shouts from people saying, ‘looks great!’” 

Quintanilla Coates said she hopes Port Moody and Port Coquitlam start similar programs that bring more street art to the Tri-Cities — especially with so many talented artists in the Tri-Cities who could paint public murals.

“This is new to here,” Quintanilla Coates said. “The Tri-Cities needed some colour, hopefully Port Coquitlam and Port Moody, the City of the Arts, take notice.”