Murals Project Update: Dometop Mural is Complete!

The mural on the retaining wall of the 3200 block of East L Street in Tacoma is complete!  The wall, once totally neglected and covered in moss and dirt, has been transformed into a playful and vibrant mural reflective of the adjacent community garden.  The imagery is youthful and curious in the depiction of rain water spilling down a flight of stairs and flooding on the plants and insects that lay below.  The base of the wall has been painted blue and has green grass streaming upward in which snails, potato bugs, caterpillars, butterflies, and other insects frolic and buzz with excitement.

With the help of the Dometop Neighbors; lead artists Rachael Dotson and Jeremy Gregory; and artist team members Yvette Simone, Chelsea O’Sullivan, and Natalie Oswald, the Dometop mural is sure to become a landmark in Tacoma that mirrors the curious and adventurous nature of our community.

Here’s some photos of the completed mural. But, for the best experience, go visit the site yourself.

Tacoma Murals Project Update: Cloverdale Park

Besides the five main mural sites that are undergoing transformation this summer as part of the Tacoma Murals Project, there is one additional smaller-scale mural project you will want to keep an eye on. Cloverdale Park Neighbors submitted an application to have a series of cement Eco-Blocks painted on Tacoma’s east side. Four artists, Janice Lee Warren, Natalie Oswald, Yvette Simone, and Kate Cendejas, volunteered to take on these challenging sites.

In May, the artists met with members of the community to talk about the mural. At that meeting themes began to surface including the diverse multi-cultural make up of the neighborhood, the desire to engage and inspire youth, and the hope of conveying ideas such as peace, growth, achievement, and leadership.

Natalie, Yvette, and Kate  are teaming up to affect 11 Eco-Blocks at East 56th and Pipeline and 4 Eco-Blocks at East 58th and East “Q” Street. Their proposal includes a puzzle-piece pattern merged with imagery depicting the social activities of area residents. Encouraging and inspirational words will be interspersed throughout the design, which will be painted in colors that pull from the track at the adjacent  First Creek Middle School. 

Before: East 56th and Pipeline site

Mock up of mural proposal by Natalie Oswald, Yvette SImone, and Kate Cendejas

Janice will be painting 5 Eco-Blocks at East 57th and East “S” Street. Her proposal revolves around  “gift wrapped” blocks, painted with patterns inspired by cloth designs from around the world.

Before: East 57th and East “S” Street site

Mural proposal by Janice Lee Warren

On June 27, the artists presented their mural proposals to the Cloverdale Park Neighbors group. Both proposals were embraced with enthusiasm. The neighbors have prepared the sites, trimmed away overgrowth, pressure washed the blocks, and primed. Next step – painting!

We’ll  bring you more images as the projects progress.