When a giant snow drift swept across her driveway, it became a canvas

Some artists prefer paper as their canvas of choice — others wood, fabric or even walls. But an artist living on the Bruce Peninsula is trying out something new this winter: the tricky task of painting snow. 

After snow storms swept through much of southern Ontario in February, snow drifts reaching about 8-feet tall swept across Bailey Moffatt's front yard of her family home. After a plow came to clear the driveway, an idea was born. 

"My dad saw that as a blank canvas," she said. "I've never ever done this before."

Coming from a family of artists, her dad encouraged her to give the snow bank some colour. Bailey has spent 25 years as a tattoo artist, but snow was a first for her.

Fifteen cans of spray paint later, two murals of popular Bruce Peninsula sights now decorate the snow drifts. 

"I chose local landmarks and a sunset that I thought that people who lived up here would appreciate," she said. 

She chose Flower Pot Island, an iconic landmark off the coast of Tobermory famous for its natural rock pillars, because it would be easily identifiable, she said. The sunset is inspired by the view over Lake Huron from her home in Pike Bay, which has been in her family since the 50s.

It turns out appreciation for the mural spreads far beyond the peninsula. Her dad's Facebook post of the images has garnered thousands of likes. She incorporated mounds of snow and greenery to give the murals more depth, playing with paint layers to build up the image. 

Bailey however, still has mixed feelings. 

"Everybody seems to like it. I'm not happy with it and I'm looking forward to a redo when we get a cold snap later in the week, and maybe the plow can scrape me a new canvas."

"My dad is super proud of what I did, but honestly, I'm embarrassed of it. I would like another shot," Bailey said, noting if she'd known it would get so much attention she would have worked harder on it. Swapping out a tattoo gun for a bottle of spray paint did come with a learning curve.

"I don't have special nozzles, I don't have special paint. I'm just like a layman painting a snowdrift," she said. "I learned some things, and I'm excited for the next try."

Her dad, Joe Moffatt, is very proud of her nonetheless. 

"I just went out and saw the finished product and I was blown away. I know it was going to be good. But wow," Joe said. 

 He first got the idea after seeing photos of painted snow online.

Bruce County has gained some attention for its snow art, as some eager painters took to high snow drifts in Paisley, just an hour south of Pike Bay in Bruce County, that has since attracted visitors throughout February. 

The warming temperatures mean Moffatt's murals are already deteriorating, but fresh snowfall could soon be on the way. Bailey said she'll try again when the plow scrapes a new canvas after the next big snow. 

With concerns for the environment, she said she'll be careful once the snow melts to dispose of any colour left so it doesn't seep into the earth.