The new Ardrossan Skate Park took on cues from some local influences when creating the concrete surfaces and features. The skate park is located at 45 Queen Street (Google Maps link) (the east side of the road, across the street from the Ardrossan Recreation Complex), Ardrossan
Agriculture is an important part of areas surrounding Sherwood Park and Ardrossan, and a few farming themes were used as inspiration when developing the skateable features. Rolls of hay bales commonly seen in the fields helped form the idea behind creating the circular pad that was reimagined as a skate feature. From an aerial view of the landscape, the areas surrounding Ardrossan show a patchwork of farming plots, and this helped create the unique coloured floor pattern that combines with the public artwork to form a visually interesting and colourful skatepark.
Over 20 youth from Strathcona County worked with lead artists Shelby Willis and Peter Gegolick to conceive of, design, and paint the dynamic imagery and bands of colour at the skate park. Themes drawn from the Ardrossan area were key to the youth which one can see in the artwork.
Shelby Willis is a local Strathcona County artist, who attributes a large portion of her passion for art to her creative family, and inspiration from her art teachers at Ardrossan Junior Senior High. Shelby's artwork focuses on colourful and soulful wildlife renditions, and one can find her very large public murals on Bond Street in Winnipeg, and at The Makers’ Keep in Kingsway Mall, Edmonton.
Peter Gegolick is a St. Albert-based artist and creates artwork that balances a fine line between sculptures and paintings. With influences from the snowboard and skateboard culture of his youth, Peter has developed a style that integrates a raw graffiti aesthetic with expansive colour-scapes and irregular material manipulation that takes inspiration from urban decay.
