Davina Stewart can't wait for visual artist Jill Stanton to finish her latest work, a vibrant mural on the east wall of the Varscona Theatre in Old Strathcona depicting bustling backstage life.

"It makes us feel more alive on the outside as well as on the inside, I think," says Stewart, Varscona spokesperson.

Jill Stanton putting the finishing touches on her new mural on the side of the Varscona Theatre which depicts activity and objects backstage. (Adrienne Lamb/CBC) "It gives our building a strong presence. People will see it more rather than just this salmon-coloured box," she said.

"We've now got something that is a place that people want to stand in front of and get their picture taken."

A mural by Breanna Barrington at the rear of the Varscona Theatre at 10329 83rd Avenue creates some buzz. (Adrienne Lamb/CBC) Stanton's mural is one of a half dozen in a square block, making the alley a photographer's destination for fashion shoots, graduation photos, even family portraits.

The murals, sponsored by NextFest, Capital City Clean-Up and the Old Strathcona Business Association, are part of the city's efforts to showcase local artists and make Edmonton more attractive, while deterring graffiti and taggers.

Across the river, Izabella Orzelski-Konikowski is directing volunteers including students from Old Scona Academic High School and the University of Alberta's Faculty of Extension in painting two wall murals on the outside of Edmonton's Food Bank.

"We come together closer as artists just to give to the community and to just create a better spirit that we can all do something for each other," she said.

Artistic volunteers put the finishing touches on two new murals on the side of Edmonton's Food Bank. 1:55

Working with a host of people on a five-by-six-metre wall requires teamwork, she said.

"It's very difficult to know if the proportions are set up right, if the colouristic nuances are created in the proper way."

So she splits the volunteers into two teams, one to step back and take in the big picture "consulting from a distance," the other to attack the wall with paint and brushes.

Whether seeing the art up close in a selfie or standing further back, the murals' goal is the same: "to bring happiness," Orzelski-Konikowski said.