Modern murals dress up Edmonds

EDMONDS — Forget everything you imagine about how an artist’s work becomes a mural on the side of a downtown building.

Forget about the artist, slaving away for weeks.

Forget about buckets of paint, ladders, scaffolding and tarps to keep everything dry.

Last week, workers used propane torches to meld a mural onto the side of a building at Fifth Avenue and S. Main Street. They spent about two hours putting it up.

“It’s kind of amazing,” said artist Pat Brier, as she watched workers place her photo montage, “A Day in Edmonds,” onto a white brick wall between clothing retailer Sound Styles and The Loft Cafe.

“I’m used to having my fine art pieces blown up but this is a different process altogether.”

The 16-foot-wide by 9-foot-high mural is the first of what organizers of the newly formed Edmonds Mural Society say will be many more murals throughout the city.

“Our mission is to celebrate the history and beauty of Edmonds with artscapes around the city,” society member Tricia Thompson said.

The nonprofit organization, founded largely by artists, quickly raised money from more than 100 contributors to cover the $1,800 cost for the mural.

Chimena Campbell, one of the owners of the building, said she likes the mural.

“We’re excited that they approached us,” she said. “Hopefully, other (owners) will follow.”

And it all started with a dream.

Manya Vee, owner of fine art gallery Manya Vee Selects, had dreamed for years of bringing murals to Edmonds.

After all, she reasoned, the Yakima Valley town she grew up in, Toppenish, has become regionally famous for 71 murals on buildings around town depicting its western heritage.

Maybe murals could spark a renewed sense of pride in Edmonds, too, Vee thought.

“It’s been such a positive thing for the people of Toppenish and an interesting way to share the history of that region with people from all over the world,” she said.

Edmonds company Forma Design scanned Brier’s images and transferred them onto a special vinyl film. The film, separated into 4-foot-wide strips, adheres to whatever it’s attached to when heat is applied.

By using the new process, the society saved weeks of labor and the expense of hiring a painter, Thompson said.

“The surface of the film is much like something having been painted,” Thompson said. “You’ll be able to run your hand along and feel the brick underneath.”

The material, known as a wall wrap, is also water proof and can be repaired quickly if damaged by graffiti.

“We have the (stored) memory of that and can actually apply it in the field, said Forma’s owner, environmental designer Clayton Moss. “It will melt …and repair the damaged area.”

In the future, if needed, the mural could be peeled away and replaced with a different mural or a new version of the same mural.

Vee, organizer of the monthly Edmonds Third Thursday Art Walk, spoke to Moss, whose business is next to her gallery, about using the heat transfer technology to create a mural.

The group got an enthusiastic OK from the property owner and, within weeks, the mural was up.

“I thought it would be a fabulous thing for Edmonds,” she said.

Oscar Halpert: 425-339-3429, ohalpert@heraldnet.com.