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Sawatzky's Imagination Corporation: (left to right) Janis, Rebecca, Dan, and Peter Sawatzky of Chemainus, British Columbia, after completing our first historic mural. (1994 Photo by Vickie Waite) |
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When artist Dan Sawatzky first came to Twentynine Palms in early October 1994, he literally set our burgeoning Mural Project into a tail spin ... quickly studying historic photos of our town, selecting pioneers Bill & Frances Keys as his subject, touring the actual Desert Queen Ranch site in Joshua Tree National Park, then drawing a mural sketch and delivering a color maquette in record time, on Oct. 17. He even rallied a team to build a replica "Keysmobile" truck for our Pioneer Days Parade, which was five days away! His energy and enthusiasm were contagious, and soon a small army of locals began to "catch the spirit" of this new, exciting mural project. On Nov. 8, the entire Sawatzky family returned to paint our first mural, which was unveiled on Nov. 19, 1994, in a ceremony complete with speeches, music, historical skits, and a fireworks display finale for an emotional crowd of about 500 proud community residents. It was a moment in history that was not soon forgotten, the first official unveiling of our Twentynine Palms "Oasis of Murals." A native British Columbian born in Vancouver, artist Dan Sawatzky settled in Chemainus in 1983 after painting "The Company Store," the tenth mural in their world-famous Chemainus Festival of Murals. As a resident artist, he actively participated in their growing arts and tourism scene, opening the town's first gallery and lending his creative flare and promotional ingenuity to the community's revitalization. Sawatzky has painted more than a hundred murals all across the United States, Canada, and overseas; has designed entertainment and theme parks, including a giant endeavor in Edmonton, Canada; and has most recently opened his own park, "Giggle Ridge Adventure Golf" in Cultus Lake, B.C. His company, Sawatzky's Imagination Corporation, was founded to design, build, and promote creative projects for the world, specializing in murals and theme projects. It should be noted that, following in Dan's artistic footsteps, son Peter eventually formed his own company in the mid-1990s, Sawatzky & Father. |
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Any software, images, webpages, text, and other materials that are made available to use, view, or download from the http://www.oasisofmurals.com are the copyrighted work of Michael Collins or Vickie Waite or are public domain as noted and cannot be used without express permission of either Michael Collins or Vickie Waite.. |
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