Project: Norwegian Flower Mural with Urban ArtWorks

In September, Urban ArtWorks reached out to me to ask if I was interested in designing a mural for a client’s private garden/residence. Since the client is often gone, they didn’t care to plant flowers or other vegetation; instead wanted to have a mural depicting Norwegian flowers that they could look at year round.

In total, the mural covers roughly 4.5’ x 25’ and consists of 4 separate panels which are attached to the client’s fence. The flowers in the mural are as follows:

Alpine sow-thistle (in the two-toned purple) | Giant bellflower (in the yellow) | Water aven (in fuchsia) | Fiddlehead fern (in green) | Round-leaved wintergreen (in two-toned red).

The colors are not true to the flowers natural color; however, this was done with intention, as Seattle winters can be quite grey, so bright, bold colors are necessary to brighten up the area.

Between the project manager, a volunteer, and me, we were able to finish the mural in 3 days. Although if you know an artist, you are well aware that we could have picked at it for an eternity longer.

All in all, I am pleased with the outcome, as is the client, so I couldn’t wish for a better ending to 2019.

In the following pictures we have my cat, Agatha, critiquing my initial designs - tracing the design onto the panels, using a projector - beginning stages of painting and outlining - the completed panels in the Urban ArtWork’s studio - the mural in situ!

Mural Project: Clean Water Ambassadors, King County Wastewater Treatment Division and the Greenway Trust

Above: Video of Internship experiences intertwined with the mural creation.

In August 2018, I had the opportunity through Urban ArtWorks to work with the King County Wastewater Treatment Division, Greenway Trust, and 10 high school interns on a final creative project: a mural which was a visual summation of what was learned over the 6-week-long internship.

After meeting with the students and listening to what they found the most-important aspects of their time as Clean Water Ambassadors, I created three different designs for the interns to select their most favorite, and most representative of their experiences.

Many interns expressed their concerns and anxieties to me regarding their belief that they were neither “creative” nor “artistic”; however, with some guidance and tips on how to best execute difficult areas on the mural, and reassuring a few that nature isn’t perfect, so neither does their representation of it have to be, they started getting paint up on the wall without much more hesitation.

The project itself took one week, from about 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. each day. And at the end, we had a mural that the interns were incredibly happy with. Me too :)

Below is a write up by Becca Kedenburg of Greenway Trust, which lays out the Internship with more detail. I highly encourage any high school aged students, who are interested in conservation, science, etc. to apply!

———

Every morning for six weeks, the Clean Water Ambassadors made their way on foot, buses, and trains to downtown Seattle for their paid summer internship. Most days they piled into a fifteen-passenger van to visit sites all around King County, including the Ballard Locks, the landfill, the Issaquah Hatchery, the Bullitt Center, and a culvert replacement project on Zackuse Creek. The field trips introduced them to current projects in King County such as ecological restoration at Lake Sammamish State Park and a new wet weather storage facility in the Rainier Valley.

“This internship is an interactive experience that educates us about careers, efforts and struggles that go into environmental conservation. I was also exposed to wastewater treatment and the cultural and historical implications of salmon and history of Washington. Through the internship we learned about ourselves, other people, and the world” – Risa Suho, Kent Meridian High School

Out of over 250 applications, ten students were selected for this program. Each had their own reason for applying to the program: some were interested in learning how government agencies and nonprofit organizations work, some wanted to explore a specific career path, some sought professional communication skill development. They represent different schools, different communities, different perspectives.

“Water is part of our daily lives and we should understand where it comes from and where it goes. This program made me understand the importance of that. Not only that, this internship taught me many different life skills and lessons like knowing how to connect with people, public speaking, etc. This was a valuable learning experience.” – Calvin La, Cleveland High School

With the goal of fostering the next generation of environmental leaders, King County Wastewater Treatment Division and the Greenway Trust offered this intensive summer internship for high school students. As the interns learn about human and natural water systems, they are answering questions such as “Where does our water come from, and where does it go when we’re done using it?” and “How can we help conserve healthy salmon streams?”

Throughout the six weeks, the interns used low- and high-tech equipment to measure the water quality of salmon streams. Their stream surveys also included notes on the streamside plants, streambed composition, number of pools and riffles, amount of large woody debris, and so on. They evaluated Issaquah Creek at three sites; they also evaluated the Tolt River, the Duwamish River, and Longfellow Creek. Overall, they found these salmon streams lacking in woody debris and native trees and shrubs growing in the riparian zone.

They gained valuable field experience, honed their leadership and communication skills, and made professional connections. The interns spent two days a week in a computer lab working on their portfolios. They wrote letters to their King County councilperson and to a Greenway Trust Board Members, fine-tuned their resume, and recorded stream survey data in an Excel spreadsheet. At the end of the internship, each intern synthesized their experience by giving a final professional presentation to staff and community members. On these computer lab days, they also interviewed professionals: they got to hear about someone’s work now but also the academic and professional path they took to get there. The interns noted that most people they interviewed did not take a ‘direct flight’ to their current work, but that they were happy.

This internship is about more than salmon and water systems, it starts conversations about who has access to green spaces. A person who cares about a place is more likely to seek skills and opportunities to help take care of that place. “Many people don’t necessarily have access to forests/outdoors/environment even if they live near it.” – Shi’anne Shelton, Henry M. Jackson High School

The summer portion of the internship has ended, but the Clean Water Ambassadors are just getting started. They will spend another 40 or more hours during the school year using what they learned this summer to make an impact their community. This cohort is the first to pilot this school-year extension. Community engagement is an integral part of the work that the Greenway Trust and King County do.

The video was created by Cherry Street Films. The mural you see in the video was created under the direction of Amanda Jorgenson with Urban Artworks. This internship program is supported in part by the Boeing Company.

If you are interested in receiving an email alert when the application for the 2019 internship is available, please email Becca Kedenburg at ‘becca.kedenburg (at) mtsgreenway.org’.