Artists who contributed to two murals on White Rock beach last year are upset because the walls will be painted over.

“I was hoping they wouldn’t,” said Nicci Battilana, who helped create the Mermaids at Play mural on the East Beach washroom wall, as part of the August long-weekend Spirit of the Sea Festival activities.

Alicia M.B. Ballard, who also painted the mermaids, said the group that set up and paid for the murals, the Community of Lights Events Society, “never told” her the works would be painted over.

“I find it very disrespectful,” she told the Peace Arch News Monday.

However, the agreement was always to keep the murals for only a year, said Coun. Matt Todd, president of Community of Lights.

Having a new mural repainted each year “made the city feel more comfortable.”

Todd said some people were worried “about the quality of the artwork” when the society proposed the mural idea to city council last year.

“There was never any intention to leave them up permanently. We thought that that was part of the fun,” Todd said.

Battilana said the artists who contributed knew before the project started that the murals “could possibly get painted over,” but hoped that wouldn’t be the case.

Ballard questioned why the mural had to be covered up, calling it an “enchantment” for all to see.

“I can live with a painted-over mural in my portfolio. What I find hard to come to terms with is how these secretive arrangements are being made,” Ballard said.

Todd said he selected the artists who will paint the new murals at this year’s sea festival.

He chose Elizabeth Hollick to oversee the mural painting at the East Beach washrooms – where she will invite passersby to paint a fish – and Judy Jordison to treat the West Beach facilities to a mural commemorating B.C.’s 150th birthday.

Both Battilana and Ballard wondered why a new mural couldn’t just be painted on the washroom’s other blank walls, instead of over their mermaids.

“That’s not the point of the program. The point is to have new murals,” Todd said.

He said the walls are slated to be whitewashed early next week, and new murals will be painted on Aug. 2 during the festival.