Spray paint mural artist Dan Martens continues to make his mark on Parksville, with his latest work visible on an Island Highway business.

The latest work by Martens, also known as Danopolis, shows an eagle flying at sunset, with the view looking towards Hornby Island.

“I was inspired by a sunset at Qualicum Beach for this mural,” Martens told the PQB News. 

The mural was commissioned by Complete Windows, owned by Eric Johnson and Katy Johnson, who wanted lots of colour, a sunset and a local view, but the rest was up to Martens.

“When I was looking at my reference photo, I noticed a good spot to throw an eagle into the sky, and Eric was all for it. I figured nobody hates eagles, so it was an easy call,” Martens added, and said he was thankful to Simone Engels for the photo, and appreciated that Eric gave him full artistic control of the project.

The hardest part was dealing with a ditch below the wall, he added, and setting up the ladders was a bit of a struggle, but he “made it happen with a bit of skill and grit.”

Martens is on the hunt for his next project and hopes to paint a few more big murals in Parksville before the summer ends.

Martens has been spray painting professionally since 2018. As a teenager he found himself afoul of the law several times for graffiti.

He decided to find a way to continue spray-painting without getting into trouble, started advertising as a graffiti artist for hire and began getting jobs.

 

 

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