Artist Siya Ghaffari gave himself 48 hours to paint the mural that now covers what once was a huge blank wall in the parking lot of Slackwater Brewing.

With scaffolding, lots of cans of paint, some smooth jazz playing and the encouragement of friend and fellow artist Renee Matheson (of Matheson and Grove Gallery across from Slackwater), Ghaffari almost pulled it off 鈥� give or take a day.

鈥淚 paint until my body tells me to go to bed,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he music playing feeds my soul.鈥�

Now a beautiful seascape mural brightens up what was once a boring white wall in the parking lot of the popular brewery.

Painting and grooving to some loud jazz music pumping through a stereo, Ghaffari said this isn鈥檛 his first big mural he鈥檚 done, but it is perhaps the most enjoyable.

鈥淚鈥檝e done lots of murals under the cover of darkness when I lived in Tehran. Art was very dangerous to do there. They killed artists, film makers, painters and poets. There were two ways you could live in Iran at that time. Close your mouth or fight for freedom. I chose to fight for freedom. I鈥檓 so lucky I鈥檓 here because a bunch of my friends are not alive today because they fought for freedom.鈥�

Now living in Penticton for the past six years and more than 20 in Canada, he鈥檚 loving life under beautiful skies with lakes and art all around him. He also loves the freedom he has to express himself.

Ghaffari鈥檚 art can soon be seen at Matheson鈥檚 gallery once it is open. Matheson鈥檚 original gallery on Martin Street sold, forcing her to find a new space.

鈥淟uckily, I only had to move one business down,鈥� said Matheson, who was also painting alongside Ghaffari.

She was painting a pig poking out of a window of a weathered door, a commissioned piece for Ruby Blues Winery in Naramata.

Ghaffari and Matheson wanted to thank Spot On Painting for donating the scaffolding and Slackwater for wanting to bring Ghaffari鈥檚 vision to life.

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