Monique Legault has been a working artist for 30 years and the lead on more than 1,000 diverse projects around northern Ontario, but her most recent work an hour east of the Sault is perhaps the most inspiring.
The Sudbury native recently painted the finishing touches of a giant mural on the side of the Municipal Hall in Thessalon — a depiction that highlights the town’s storied history, from its former swing bridge to log jams along the river.
Diagnosed with a cerebral aneurysm in October 2023, Legault’s ability to continue impressing locals with her stunning work was put into serious question, and an assignment like Thessalon’s seemed like an impossibility months ago.
Undergoing surgery in Toronto last February, the 45-year-old artist told SooToday her odds of survival came down to the flip of the coin.
“I was given a 50/50 chance of surviving the surgery,” she said. “I didn’t think I would make it; I was sure I was going to die. If I did make it, I didn’t think I was going to paint again.”
As SooToday’s sister site Sudbury.com reported last month, Legault was painting again by May.
“I feel so much better,” she said. “I’ve been told I’m fine and that everything’s okay now. The fact I can paint again now is amazing. I want to make sure I do as much as I can before I can’t again.”
Ready for her first big project since the surgery, Legault was directed by a friend to a social media posting the Town of Thessalon had made this summer, which mentioned they were looking for an artist to help design and paint a mural on the side of their municipal building.
She sent the town her initial design, and together, the two sides agreed on a project that would show off Thessalon’s history, as well as its recreational activities.
“I was really excited about the collaboration,” she said. “The fact they were able to get their say in what they were hoping to see, I loved that. I’m lucky to get to work with the clients and figure things out that way. It was very much a combined effort with the town.”
During the design phase, the town went through their archives and found several old images of the area to be used as inspiration for the project.
On the left side of the mural, Legault painted a pair of women breaking up a log jam on the town’s river. The depiction is based off a real-life event that was photographed on July 2, 1941.
“I absolutely love that part,” she said. “It was during the war, so it wasn’t men doing the work — it was women. To me, that meant something.”
Painted above the log jam is the town’s once all-important swing bridge, which was originally built to allow men from the west side of the river to get to work at the Saginaw Lumber Co. The bridge was taken out by ice flow in the spring of 1938.
An old farmhouse is also pictured in the back.
On the right side of the mural, Thessalon’s iconic red bridge stands proudly over the river, which features a fisherman making a big catch while another man is painted kayaking.
Measured at 12 feet high by 70 feet wide, this mural is the fourth-largest piece Legault has ever worked on.
While the project doesn’t have a specific name, Legault has crafted the slogan: “From industry to leisure.”
“That’s pretty much what Thessalon is now,” she said. “They started off as an industry town, and now they’re pretty much full leisure.”
“I’m really happy with it,” she added. “It’s such a great piece because it’s very much historical. They’re getting a lot more people coming into the town who didn’t start out there, so they can actually share that history.”
Taking nine days to complete, the mural has received glowing reviews from the citizens, including the town’s mayor Bill Rosenberg.
“We were lucky to have such a talented artist to capture some of the Town of Thessalon’s history, through log jams, a swing bridge and the iconic Red bridge and turn an old block wall into an eye-catching work of art,” he wrote to SooToday. “Thanks to the committees, staff and council for moving forward with this project and others to create a great place to live and to welcome visitors to our Town.”
Legault noted she was blown away by the hospitality and assistance she received while working in the downtown — from residents of all ages.
“On the second day I was there, I had people from up the street come and visit,” she said. “By the end, I had four other people working with me. There was a young boy named Josh there every night helping me load all the stuff back in the trailer. Then a girl named Annie was there base coating with me as well.”
“It was wonderful to have the help,” she added. “Had I been without help, I definitely would have been there for two weeks. The people are just so wonderful there.”