15 minute read
Arts & Entertainment
PAINTING THE SKY VALLEY
one wall at a time
320 Main Street, Sultan, WA
ot many artists can say they’ve painted the sky.
Muralist David Hose has not only painted it, he has captured its very essence, and infused it into some of the most cantankerous old walls that the Sky Valley has to offer.
One of our region’s most prolific muralists, David not only specializes in indoor and outdoor murals, he excels at portraiture, animal portraits, and landscapes – on canvas or walls – and calligraphy. Through his business, American Light Studio, David has built a spectacular portfolio of work, much of it located in Monroe and surrounding communities. He is well known for his unmistakable brand of sweeping colors and stunning realism, along with his unique ability to tell a story using nary a
Nword. His paintings have illuminated Sky Valley history with depth and accuracy, each mural artfully woven together with countless details, anecdotes, and little bits of local treasure. His tools are uncomplicated. He prefers Ticonderoga No. 2 pencils, acrylic paint, and sometimes a Genie lift, if a mural exceeds the capacity of his 5-foot 10-inch frame.
BY CHRIS HENDRICKSON
For a complete list of David Hose murals available for public viewing, see our complete list on page 11. For more information about David Hose, please email him at: davidhose.777@gmail.com.
He has tamed some of the most stubborn, unyielding old walls in Monroe, transforming their craggy, pitted surfaces into one-of-a-kind works of art. It all starts with a conversation. When someone hires him for a mural, he meets with them face to face to better understand their vision for the work and how to best bring it to life.
It’s about building a connection, right from the beginning.
“I start with a client and end with a good friend,” David said.
Once he understands the vision, he spends some time at the wall. As the overall design begins to emerge in his mind, he sketches it out, working with his client to ensure a “win-win.” If his client wants family members or historical references, they provide him with photos to work from. Other aspects come from his imagination, or from his own life.
The visual story that forms is a combination of true, make-believe, and a little bit of fantasy.
Hose’s ingenuity with a paintbrush is informed by his own ability to overcome hardship, his deep connection to his clients and subject matter, and his distinctly gentle aura that instantly puts people at ease.
Hose has never met a stranger and treats everyone he encounters with kindness and respect. People are naturally drawn to him, especially when he has a brush in hand.
His natural talent has been nourished by his lifelong passion for art.
“I started drawing on my mother’s bedroom walls when I was three,” David said. “I’m addicted to art. It’s always been something that took me to a different place.”
They moved into the Fryelands neighborhood with their five kids on Takeko’s birthday, March 15, 2004.
Monroe was ready for David Hose. His first job was commissioned almost right away by the Monroe Arts Council, which wanted a mural on the wall of what was then Haight Carpet, now Bliss Yoga Studio, on North Lewis Street. David had to compete assertively for the job – not normally his nature – but he was ready to make his mark. When told that the art was almost as good as promised to another artist, he met with the MAC and asked to see the existing proposal.
“I looked at it and said, ‘I can beat that,’” David said.
The work, still stunning today, features an above and below cross section of the Skykomish River and measures 79-feet in length.
His artistic journey took him to Sultan next, which celebrated its centennial in 2005 with a commissioned mural on the side of the Visitors Information Center. The mural’s location was marred by a tangled web of electrical panels and piping, but David masterfully incorporated them into the art. Key Sultan community members are immortalized in both the centennial mural and his nearby 3-panel mural series at the original Sultan Fire Station, which he painted in 2008. Recently, the fire station murals were replicated in digital form after David’s original work became faded from the weather.
The murals showcase noted fire department leadership, staff and supporters over generations.
David loves honoring bellwether community members in his work.
When David and his wife Takeko discovered Monroe in 2004, it was like coming home.
“The River” 207 N Lewis Street, Monroe, WA
“They become icons,” David said. “These are people who are full of love and care for their community and I want to represent that as much as I can.”
Each of his murals tells a thousand stories, richly filled with the best that the Sky Valley has to offer. Like with the fire station murals, connections between the past, present and future are intertwined throughout David’s work, enhancing its relatability. Rivers, mountains, trains, wildlife, farmlands, and local streetscapes all come to life so vividly, it’s almost as though you could step into the walls and become part of the worlds he’s created.
You’ll find dogs in almost all of David’s murals, sometimes more than one. Occasionally, an owner will pay for their pet’s inclusion, but often, David adds them on a whim.
His mural at the NAPA Monroe Parts House features the owner’s cat TJ, famously known as the “real owner of NAPA.” TJ was included in the mural when David originally painted it, but later passed away. As a tribute to the cherished cat, David returned to the mural with his paintbrush, adding not only TJ’s urn, but also a small golden halo above the orange tabby’s head.
His largest mural to date is located in downtown Snohomish, on the home of Earl Winehart Post No. 96 of the American Legion. Painted from 2012 to 2013, the stunning token of gratitude to our United States veterans stretches nearly 70 feet across, reaches 35 feet in height and took David 13 months to complete. It is both a memorial and a tribute, paying homage to not only those veterans who paid the ultimate sacrifice, but also to those in service today.
The mural offers windows into six armed conflicts in which the United States fought – World War I, World War II, Vietnam, Korea, Iraq, and Afghanistan – each portrayed with powerful authenticity. The soldier in the image of World War I is American Legion Post No. 96 namesake, Earl Winehart, who was killed in action in 1918 just two short weeks after arriving in France. As always with Hose’s work, his passion for his subject matter is reflected in the details. Winehart’s gaze is piercing and brave. He grips his gun tightly, while a letter meant for his mother shyly peeps from his coat pocket.
While all of David’s murals are special to him, the Snohomish mural has particular meaning because of what it represents, and because of a young Marine from Snohomish named Cpl. Jeffrey Starr, who was
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killed in Iraq on May 30, 2005. Jeffrey is featured in the upper portion of the mural, the only veteran without a hat. His smile is infectious.
David got a photo from Jeffrey’s father to use as a guide to capture his likeness.
“It was the day of his graduation from basic training,” David said. “His parents took it and he insisted he didn’t want a hat because he liked his hair that day.”
David visited Jeffrey’s grave before he started to paint, to build that connection so integral to his work. The bond he formed is clearly reflected in the portrait, as is the vow he made to Jeffrey that he would “give it his whole heart.” The Snohomish mural stops passerby in mid step, spellbound as they take it in. Jeffrey’s portrait is his mirror image. Hatless, face filled with joy at becoming a Marine.
David is far from finished, as there are many more stubborn surfaces he’d love to transform, many more snippets of the sky that he’d love to commemorate. He awaits the next big thing and hopes to someday complete a mural larger than anything he’s done to date.
“I’m ready to work,” David said. “My dedication is stronger than it was 10 years ago.”
DAVID HOSE Instagram Photo Ops
Take your photo in front of a mural and tag #monroewamurals for a chance to be featured on our Instagram @cityofmonroewashington Exterior
• Bliss Yoga Studios, North wall – 207 N Lewis Street, Monroe, WA • Keg-N-Cue, North wall – 202 S Lewis Street, Monroe, WA • Masonic Lodge, South wall – 125 S Lewis Street, Monroe, WA • NAPA Auto Parts, South wall – 200 N Lewis Street, Monroe, WA • Northwest Differential, North wall – 211 S Lewis Street, Monroe, WA • Smiley’s Pro-Lube – 506 E Main Street, Monroe, WA • American Legion Post 96, West wall – 1201 1st Street, Snohomish, WA • Blanket Express – 15930 US 2, Snohomish, WA • Post Office, South wall – 4 4th Street, Sultan, WA • Visitors Center, East wall – 320 Main Street, Sultan, WA
INTERIOR – Please call ahead before visiting these murals
• Fryelands Elementary (360) 804-3400 – 15286 Fryelands Blvd., Monroe, WA • Miracles and Memories Academy (360) 805-8858 – 123 N Blakeley Street, Monroe, WA • Monroe Montessori School (360) 794-4622 – 733 Village Way, Monroe, WA • Whitfield’s Licensing Agency (360) 794-5678 – 19677 US-2 #106, Monroe, WA • 107 W Main Street, Monroe, WA • Chain Lakes Elementary (360) 804-3100 - 12125 Chain Lake Road, Snohomish, WA
4 4th Street, Sultan, WA
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outdoor art: walking/driving tour
he value of public art cannot be understated. It enriches lives, sparks conversation and inspires hope, while cultivating a heightened sense of community T pride for those who live, work, and play in its vicinity. Public art can completely transform a mundane street corner into something magical, as it infuses beauty, softness and meaning into drab grey streetscapes. Craggy old walls become dreamy doorways into the past, present and future, as vibrant mural art craftily blends history and modernity.
Now more than ever, public art holds a vital position in Monroe and its surrounding communities. Here are some of our favorites:
A Day at the Fair
By Cheri O’Brien 179th Avenue SE at the Evergreen State Fair Park, Monroe, WA
Thanks to Everett artist Cheri O’Brien, the two dingy grey pedestrian tunnels that lead fairgoers back and forth from the parking area to the entrance of the fair, are awash with bright, cheerful colors, and playful images meant to embrace everything the fair has to offer.
Even now, with the park shrouded in uncharacteristic silence, the bright, colorful tunnels inspire memories of all the past fair experiences you’ve treasured, while helping you visualize a future with the Fair Park filled with happy, frivolous fairgoers.
Freedom Rock
By Ray “Bubba” Sorensen II U.S. 2 in Travelers Park, Sultan, WA
Sultan’s Freedom Rock is a showstopper, holding the esteemed honor of being the first and only Freedom Rock in the state of Washington. Founded by Iowa artist Ray “Bubba” Sorensen II, the 50 State Freedom Rock Tour is a national effort to create custom, hand-painted murals honoring our United States military veterans in key locations across the country. Each mural highlights a veteran or group of veterans from the community, tying the rock to that location in a meaningful way.
One side of the rock features Severin “Sam” Martin Wold Jr., a Native American who served in the U.S. Army with the 70th Infantry Division
during World War II. The other side of the rock features Space Shuttle Challenger Commander Dick Scobee, born in Cle Elum, Washington and killed in 1986 when the Space Shuttle Challenger suffered catastrophic failure shortly after launch.
Guardian of the Mountain Pass
By Milo White and Jay Bowen SE corner of Main and Lewis Streets, Monroe, WA
Guardian of the Mountain Pass is Monroe’s newest piece of public art, added to the southeast corner of Main and Lewis streets in late 2019.
Artists White and Bowen were compelled by Monroe’s position as the gateway to the Cascade Mountains, along with the City’s idyllic rural landscape, powerful rivers, and lush green forests. The piece is filled at the base with authentic river rock topped with blue glass accents, to represent the Skykomish and Snohomish rivers. At night, the sculpture is illuminated from within, adding a gorgeous glow to the stunning piece.
Rolling Pin Woman
By Jesse Purdom, 101 Union Ave., Snohomish, WA
This 12-foot tall female baker is meant to serve as the Snohomish Bakery’s version of “Hammering Man,” the iconic moving sculpture positioned outside the Seattle Art Museum. Rolling Pin Woman has mechanized arms that, when switched on, tirelessly move back and forth, driving her rolling pin across her oversized worksurface. She is resolute, with broad shoulders, strong features, and a firm stance, perfectly embodying a hardworking baker who rises before dawn every day to craft her confections This sculpture is made from handpounded steel that has a custom patina which is meant to give it a slightly bronze hue.
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By Gloria Bornstein Lake Tye Park, Monroe WA
Poised on the eastern shores of Monroe’s Lake Tye, Storm Patterns perfectly demonstrates the poignant reality that exceptional beauty can come from the unlikeliest of sources. The roughly 4-foot by 4-foot by 5-foot tall stainless-steel sculpture is the result of the state of Washington’s 1 Percent for Art program, which sets aside 1 percent of capital improvement project (CIP) funds for the installation of public art.
Storm Patterns came to life through the construction of the Intensive Management Unit (IMU) at the Monroe Correctional Complex, a maximum custody unit that opened in 2007.
As artist Gloria Bornstein developed her concept, she was drawn to Lake Tye for its beauty, its popularity, and the versatility of its landscape, which welcomes a variety of uses. The sculpture includes profiles of iconic Monroe women and a cumulonimbus cloud formed from converging cumulus clouds.
207 East Main Street, Monroe, WA
Aimed at beautifying Monroe’s downtown business district in a unique way, the Tile Project used original art created by 5th grade students from the Monroe School District, and was funded with sponsorships and donations from local families and businesses. The effort was spearheaded by Sky Valley Artists Guild member Bob Fairfax, who tasked the students with creating art that captured the elements of the area’s rural landscape.
Students handmade the clay tiles during the 1993 – 1994 school year, and Fairfax personally fired them in a kiln over the summer months. Then, Fairfax and other members of the Sky Valley Artists Guild, an art advocacy nonprofit that operated in Monroe at the time, used buckets of grout and affixed nearly 400 6-inch by 6-inch clay tiles to the lower wall of the museum, which also happens to be the original Monroe City Hall.
The project was completed in time for the Monroe Fair Days Parade on August 27, 1994.
By Kevin Edwin Pettelle NW corner of Main and Lewis Streets, Monroe WA
Located on the northwest corner of Main and Lewis streets in downtown Monroe, Wagner Swifts is a one-of-a-kind community emblem. The sculpture, which extends 12-feet tall and rests on a six-foot base, celebrates the gentle and sweet-natured Vaux’s swifts that make Monroe’s Wagner chimney their home during their twice-yearly migrations. The swifts are well known for their dramatic showmanship, swirling above the 31-foot brick chimney at dusk, one by one answering the silent call that compels them to gracefully tuck themselves in for the night.
The Vaux’s swifts are Monroe’s official city bird and are typically celebrated during a community event held every year in September called “Swift Night Out.”
The elegant sculpture features around 100 of the tiny birds, true to size, each cut from 1/4-inch stainless steel and welded carefully together to recreate the whirling spiral of birds that instantly enamors all who witness the unique spectacle.
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david hose murals and outdoor art locations
Monroe
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LEGEND 1 David Hose Mural
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7 8 9 A Day at the Fair David Hose Mural David Hose Mural Tile Project Guardian of the Mountain Pass David Hose Mural David Hose Mural David Hose Mural
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Snohomish
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