HARRO Paints the Town Local artist, Harro Scharbau, recently shared with Fjord what inspired him to begin his journey to cover the walls of local businesses with colorful murals. In his own words, Harro shares how his artwork is nuturing community in Hoodsport.
Harro Scharbau IV, artist While driving through Hoodsport, the sun broke through the clouds and created a rainbow halo around the sun. I pulled off of Hwy 101 into the parking lot at Laurie's Gifts to get a better view of the rainbow. While readying my phone for a picture, I couldn't stop staring at the side of a building. I suddenly forgot about the rainbow and started taking pictures of the side of Hoodsport Coffee Co. instead. The building was in need of a pressure wash and paint job but I could see the potential for art. This sunny south facing wall of the historic building was perfect for a mural. Being right on Hwy 101 with great visibility and a fire lane means no parked vehicles can block the view of the artwork.
Deciding on the mural subject matter was hard because there is so many activities to do in Hoodsport. Unparalleled scuba brings divers from around the world to Hood Canal to dive on octopus dens called "holes." The giant Pacific octopus is always a crowd favorite for young and old alike.
Inside of Hoodsport Coffee Co. I found the owner operator, Ruth Beaven, behind the counter. After ordering a cup of coffee, I asked her if she was the building owner as well. Finding a business owner that also owns the building is rare, but in Hoodsport it seems to be the norm.
When sourcing the paint for the mural it was important to keep the money as local as possible. Ruth told me of her working relationship with McLendon's Hardware in Belfair. We reached out to Katelyn Graham and told her of our large paint order and she offered to help.
Always looking to attract more customers and keep up necessary maintenance on a building built in1932, Ruth was on board. Preserving the building's exterior while making a customer-attracting mural to brighten up the town served multi purposes.
Even with Hwy 101 running through Hoodsport, it is such a walkable town. While painting the mural, I met business owners walking through town on their way to the bank or post office.
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Harro Scharbau is currently working on the Hays Building in Hoodsport. The finished mural includes a sea turtle and jellyfish over a patinated copper ocean.
All of them introduced themselves and thanked me for brightening up their day or their town with art. Some of the business owners even asked if I would paint their building next. One of the business owners that I was approached by was Brian & Coleen McLees, owners of Sunshine Creations NW. They told me about their art gallery opening up just on the other side of the building and asked if I was interested painting a mural for them as well.
