New Mosaic Artwork in Bellingham, WA

During the Memorial Day weekend, I put in 41 hours installing mosaic along Maplewood Ave. in Bellingham, WA between Shuksan Middle School and the intersection of Maplewood and Birchwood. There are two horizontal sidewalk inlays, one near the intersection and the other near the school. On the other side of the street are three vertical projects on concrete light post bases.

These are the light post bases, designed by kids during a community event in Squalicum Creek Park last summer. I rolled out butcher paper and asked kids to draw themselves and critters that one might find in a garden. Then I spent about 6 months re-creating their designs in mosaic.

Here is an example of an original drawing (one of my favorites.)

And this is the same face in mosaic. (The eyelashes are there, but I used groutlines.)

 The sidewalk inlays began as several designs that were presented to the community and voted on. They went with mandalas featuring Pacific NW species. My favorite is the one with Blue Herons, salmon, Skunk Cabbage, the Cascades and Birch trees (located close to Birchwood Ave.)

This one is brighter, with a spring theme. There are some glass butterflies and dragonflies mixed in as well.

The second mandala features otters in the center, Sword Ferns, eagles, the Cascades and Maple trees (for Maplewood Ave.) This one is more Fall themed and feels a bit more subdued.

Usually, my projects are at least partially grouted when I install them, but this project had different circumstances and I underestimated the time it would take to complete 125 s.f. of mosaic by myself. Luckily, I had some great helpers come to my rescue.

My friend and sometimes-assistant, Tara, loaned me her Kia Soul, which had enough room to pack all of these mosaic panels, installation supplies, a fold-out canopy, and my personal belongings.

Mount Bakery owner Vince Lalonde provided my breakfast on three mornings, which was so hearty (and delicious) that it got me all the way through each day, which was amazing because I didn't have time to stop until about 9pm each night, and I was too tired to eat then. He also loaded up his van with 5 gallon buckets of water and dropped a few of them at each project site, and this was a life saver. Vince owns and manages the two locations of Mount Bakery (downtown and Fairhaven) and is a very busy guy, so I can't thank him enough for taking time out to help me. And the food! So good.

Theresa, a woman who lives on the block, and her son Langston, helped me grout for two days. (Langston played nearby most of the time, but he helped here and there, and was a good conversationalist.) I really enjoyed spending time with them, and the help was awesome.

I want to also mention that I love the Birchwood Neighborhood! This has to be the most diverse neighborhood I've ever spent time in, which seems very strange to find in Bellingham of all places. The people who stopped to talk with me were from all persuasions, wearing different ethnic and religious clothing, speaking different languages, and appearing to be from all different levels of wealth and privilege. Everyone, without exception, was enthusiastic about the artwork. Doing public art closer to home, I have found that a large percentage of the community resents seeing the new artwork, and they ask me if I'm being paid and if their taxes are being used for something so frivolous. Last weekend, people were just delighted that the City would invest in their neighborhood, improving the street (there are new sidewalks, bike lanes and street lights - much safer for everyone.) Several people shocked me by saying, "I hope you are getting paid well for this!"

It was a very hard weekend, and my body is still recovering, but it was also extremely rewarding. If you happen to be in Bellingham, now or in the future, swing by Maplewood Avenue and take a closer look.