Cochrane artist puts his heart and soul into murals

COCHRANE - David Crawford has had a tough life – and that was before his doctor told him he had about two years to live because his heart refuses to beat properly.

He had a serious heart attack a few years ago and now has a defibrillator implanted in his chest to help regulate his sometimes-racing heartbeat.

His doctor has told him he “has to quit everything” and the only exercise he’s allowed is walking.

“No more beer, no more nothing. I can walk from here to (downtown) but I’ve got to stop two or three times,” Crawford said.

But those strict limitations haven’t kept him from putting all his heart and soul into his passion – creating artwork on a scale large enough to cover buildings, barn doors, and most recently, the shed in his backyard on Ross Avenue in Cochrane’s east side.

Crawford’s latest effort, an indigenous-inspired eagle on the shed, is called Spirit Rising. It depicts an eagle rising from out of a fire, in bold reds, yellows, and blues.

“It represents the Great Spirit rising from the earth,” he said. “All the colours mean something. Each colour is individually determined by the earth.”

It took him about 40 hours to paint.

Originally from Montreal, the life-long, self-taught artist said dragons and eagles are his specialty. He has been creating large scale wall murals for more than 30 years.

He goes by Crawford now, having abandoned his previous name at the age of eight, in an effort to rid himself of the emotional baggage it involved.

“I was raised in orphanages and foster homes as a boy, and my name was changed when I was eight and I have no respect for the name,” he said.

Crawford speaks softly, but the gentleness in his voice betrays a certain scarring from his abusive upbringing that he doesn’t shy away from.

It seems to bring strength to his work.

“My dad was real bad to me . . .,” his voice trails off briefly, but he doesn’t dwell in the painful past very long.

“But as you can see (pointing to Spirit Rising), he must’ve hit me in the head just right,” he said with a laugh.

“This is a mini. Picture this 30 feet high – I can do it.”

The largest mural in his portfolio graces the side of Prime Time Sports Bar in Brooks, Alberta. The painting is 50 feet wide, 22 feet high. It took five weeks to complete and earned Crawford $20,000.

His wall mural portfolio also includes a piece adorning a carpet store in Peace River and a bowling alley in High Level.

Crawford is always looking for commissions to do his murals, but wasn’t aware of the ongoing Cochrane Crossing Civic Plaza Art Task Force formed by the Town of Cochrane to select some artwork for the sides and/or surrounding landscape at The Station.

The group has been meeting in-camera for some months now. Task force member Coun. Marni Fedeyko said they hope to have something concrete to announce soon, but it would be too late now for any new submissions.

Crawford said he was too late to get involved in Cochrane Together – A Remembrance, a wall mural unveiled next to The Station earlier this summer, commemorating the Grandfather Tree, which was placed on the side of the building adjacent to the Crossing.

But he said he recognized the potential of the site long before it was filled.

“That wall was screaming at me,” he said.