This massive 110 ft mural stretches in the interior courtyard of a new construction in Portland Oregon.
The challenge was to create a public mural which respected the diverse history of the neighborhood. Founded in 1872 as Albina then a heavily forested area with easy access to the Willamette River eventually incorporated into Portland. It’s changed demographics and cultural identities through the time: from pioneers and immigrants to becoming the main concentration of African Americans in the 1970’s.
Built up from drawings of historical buildings though the local neighborhood I crated vibrant patterns and abstract architectural constructs. The vibrant, colorful approach gives a new perspective on old historical landmarks. The community board approved the mural in it’s first rendition and requested a “key” be present to identify the location and dates of the specific buildings.
The mural was then hand painted by local artist, Jason Prouty– which was a challenge in itself retaining the amount of detail over such a large scale. Heidi McBride is a long time, bad-ass-person-who-makes-art happen in Portland. Her foresight, guidance, ability to find clients and to pay me is amazing!
