World-class majestic outdoor mural dedicated in Westmoreland

By Eric Norberg

The Bee, Nov 4, 2009

Mike Houck, having contemplated the creation of a huge wildlife mural on the west walls of Portland Memorial in Westmoreland for thirty years, took pleasure in welcoming visitors to the roof of the structure to see the result on Friday, October 2nd.

Eric Norberg / THE BEE

For the last couple of years THE BEE has kept you informed of the progress of painting a mural on all the west-facing surfaces of Wilhelm’s Portland Memorial and Mausoleum at S.E. Bybee and 14th in Westmoreland; and on Friday, October 2nd, a ceremony was held in the chapel there to commemorate the completion of the project.

It appears likely that this wildlife panorama, reflecting the inhabitants of Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge, which it faces, is the largest hand-painted outdoor mural in the country. The only possible challenger is on a building in Los Angeles; but the local mural is thought likely to surpass it, at more than 50,000 square feet in size.

However, this was far more than a two-year project for the man whose vision it has been. Mike Houck dates the inspiration for the mural to 1979, when he was a graduate student at Portland State. Its first manifestation came with the painting of the Great Blue Heron image on the Portland Memorial mausoleum in 1991 — in which a painting by artist Lynn Kitagawa was rendered as a mural by Portland-based ArtFX Murals; but now, close to two decades later, the paint had faded and the image had become a ghostly reminder of what it had been. (That image was restored during the creation of the new mural project.)

Houck had been contemplating a larger mural for many years, and began securing permissions and financial commitments to proceed with it. When the plans were about set, Houck was shocked to learn that the previous owners of Portland Memorial, who had approved the use of their buildings for the paintings, had sold the venerable business to Wilhelm’s — but that family-owned business, in merging at the Portland Memorial site, proved just as supportive, and with the encouragement of its President, Michael Ashe, plans continued to advance.

The ceremony on October 2nd concentrated on acknowledgements to those who had made the new mural possible, and a public viewing from the roof of Portland Memorial for the 125 or so people in attendance — a larger crowd than expected. Highlighted in the ceremony were Houck himself, the driving force for the project, and the artists, Shane Bennett and Dan Cohen, of ArtFX Murals, who were again involved, and donated most of the labor.

Honored posthumously was Al Miller, photographer for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife who died last year, and who had been instrumental in securing Oaks Bottom’s designation as Portland’s first Urban Wildlife Refuge, thus saving it from development. Cohen painted a portrait of Miller for unveiling at the ceremony, with his widow doing the honors. The painting will be installed on the mural.

The acknowledgements included those organizations whose funding and support made the huge mural possible: The Urban Greenspaces Institute, of which Houck is the Director; Trackers Northwest; Sprit Mountain Community Fund (its largest funder); the Regional Arts and Culture Council, the Portland Bureau of Environmental Services; the Community Watershed Stewardship Grant Program; the Willamette Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation; and Wilhelm’s Portland Memorial Mausoleum itself. City Commissioner Nick Fish, who oversees Portland Parks and Recreation, made brief remarks at the ceremony.

All the paint for the mural was donated by Miller Paint, which recently opened a store in Sellwood. Northwest Scaffold donated some services. Other businesses made important donations to the project as well.

As the event ended inside, Dave Schroeder of Portland Memorial escorted visitors across the patio and into the Mausoleum, and from there out onto the roof, to contemplate portions of the mural in the natural setting of Oaks Bottom. A rain shower had just passed through, and the air was fresh, and the view spectacular. The mausoleum itself is over a century old, is eight stories high, has three elevators and over four miles of indoor corridors, and houses the remains of many of Portland’s most prominent citizens of the past. Walking through it is a lesson in local history, as well as an aesthetic experience.

Although the mural has now been declared completed, there are still expenses associated with its creation which are not yet fully covered by the funding received. Readers who would like to contribute may do so online at: www.urbangreenspaces.org. It’s tax deductible.

Facebook	Digg	Del.icio.us
Newsvine	Stumbleupon	Reddit