Broadway mural

Kuma

Kuma-blocking out of image

Full room view: before.

Full room view: mural finished.

17th and Tacoma Avenue

In 2013, I began designing for the public realm and started, what I like to call, my interventions of urban spaces. I was accepted onto the Tacoma Murals Roster and through this roster, Tahoma Associates picked me to complete a 29’ X 46’ mural on the side of their building. As with all public murals completed through the City of Tacoma, muralists are required to get extensive feedback from the community which surrounds the site, to complete research about the history of the neighborhood, and to get impressions of the future visualized for the community. After creating a design for the site, artists then present their design to the city, to the building owners, and to the community to get approval.

After consulting with my mural’s surrounding community, they really wanted the plaque that rests behind the Swiss, on S. 21st St, located right in line with the mural site, to be included.

The inscription says:

‘Each December 21st gather to view the sunrise out of the top of Mt Rainier. If the weather cooperates when the first rays of daylight streak out of the peak of the sacred mountain, on this one day of the year, one can see through the spirit door between our world and the world of the dead.’

And when I turned the plaque image upside down, right away I saw it resembled an abstract mountain shape.

And, all throughout my childhood, I was told that Coastal Salish saw a glacial portrait of an elk head on the top left of the mountain. I see it every time I look at the mountain. In my research, I also discovered the elk is considered the mountain’s guardian spirit. So I incorporated an elk image, rising out of the ground, trumpeting its colorful ray-like positiveness along with the word YES, into the design.

The elk’s horns became the abstract outline of a mountain with its mushroom-spore-like formations representing the cycles of the moon. The center sphere, nestled within the horns, is symbolic of both the rising sun coming from behind the mountain, as described on the plaque and also of the cycle’s full moon.

The community had the final say between 3 different patterns, which were added to designate the abstract mountain shape. The chosen pattern reminded them of waves, both sound or water, or a woven basket pattern.

That is me standing in front of my mural!

Acrylic paint
29’ X 46’
17th and Tacoma Avenue Street, Tacoma, WA

Mural-17th and Tacoma Avenue

Left photo: the plaque--my main inspiration--that inspired my design. Right photo: the 'elk' is circled in red.

The mural with its surrounding neighborhood.

Acrylic paint
29’ X 46’
17th and Tacoma Avenue Street, Tacoma, WA

14th and Martin Luther Jr. Way

Summer 2016, I, along with my assistant Jesse Peterson, finished a 16’ x 81’ Tacoma Murals Project mural on the Cedar River Clinics building, located at 14th and MLK. Cedar River Clinics offer woman-centered health care, along with LGBTQ care, and have a persistent weekly protester presence at their clinic creating neighborhood unease. Grateful for the Hilltop community’s patience, especially with the protesters, and support, the clinic desired to show their appreciation through this mural.

After meeting with Cedar River Clinics, the Hilltop Business Association, the Hilltop Action Coalition, and surrounding businesses, 3 issues stood out: 1) the desire for more color in their community 2) more of the natural world represented and 3) organic shapes to soften the hard edge of urban structure.

Considering their collective thoughts regarding the mural site’s past, present, and future, I designed a mural depicting colorful fabric flowing across the wall, breaking down the rigid lines of urban structure. Its twisting and turning bonds together the different “colors” of the Hilltop neighborhood, representing the LGBTQ community and different religions, ethnicities, and gender, until eventually transforming into big, color-filled flowers.

A final photo of the mural I finished for Cedar River Clinics through the Tacoma Murals Project.

With this mural the Tacoma Murals Project assigned me an assistant so as to pass on mural making knowledge. I had a blast Jesse Peterson! He was a fun and competent assistant.

Acrylic paint
16’ x 81’
14th and Martin Luther Jr. Way, Tacoma, WA

The Cedar River Clinic building before I started my mural. Pretty bland.

Pots of paint= coloration on my Cedar River Clinic mural design.

Painting on the mural with pots of color.

Jesse and I paint the day away!

Photo: Jamie Brooks

traffic box wrap

Custom acrylic paint design originally completed on paper then digitally printed onto adhesive vinyl. Upon first glance, an observer sees graphic, abstract dancing branches; upon close inspection, one sees trapped frolicking creatures within boldly colored strata.

My Traffic Box Design and I in Tacoma, WA

Acrylic paint on paper then image printed on adhesive vinyl.

Locations:

-McCarver & Ruston Avenue, Tacoma, WA, 48”h x 59”w x 59"d
-S 48th & Pacific, Tacoma, WA, 59”h x 44"w x 26"d

Traffic Box Wraps, City of Tacoma
August 2016

Front view of my Traffic Box Wrap design

Acrylic paint on paper then image printed on adhesive vinyl.

Locations:

-McCarver & Ruston Avenue, Tacoma, WA, 48”h x 59”w x 59"d
-S 48th & Pacific, Tacoma, WA, 59”h x 44"w x 26"d

Traffic Box Wraps, City of Tacoma
August 2016

My Trafffic Box Wrap at McCarver & Ruston Avenue, Tacoma, WA,

Acrylic paint on paper then image printed on adhesive vinyl.

Locations:

-McCarver & Ruston Avenue, Tacoma, WA, 48”h x 59”w x 59"d
-S 48th & Pacific, Tacoma, WA, 59”h x 44"w x 26"d

Traffic Box Wraps, City of Tacoma
August 2016

Roosevelt House Murals Project

The end result!

This photo: stairs leading to the rooftop deck and garden. My painting continued up to the top of the stairs.

Read further for the WHOLE story.

Photo by BUILD LLC.

OLD HOUSE:

The little house. My temporary home.

This was my home--for a very short time.

I was living in Portland when one of my best friends and her husband dropped an amazing proposition into my lap: to live in Seattle in their recently bought little house before it was torn down to make room for their newly built family home.

How could I say no? I couldn't and wouldn't.

Here is the interior as I moved in.

Around mid April 2014 I moved in and promptly it dawned on me this opportunity was a realization of a project I had visualized a year before.

I imagined having a room-at least three connected walls and perhaps a ceiling- that would be my 'blank canvas' to draw and paint anything I was moved to create. After completing the 'rooms', I would then reinstall them into other public viewing spaces.

Soon I was settled in.

I thought of many ways to achieve this without actually drawing and painting on someone's privately owned walls: cover the walls with paper? buy a utility trailer and cover its walls with paper? or perhaps buy a Sprinter and cover its walls with paper? My brother-in-law and sister even offered to build three false walls in their basement that could be covered with paper. All of these ideas hit a dead end. Eventually I abandoned the idea.

But now...now this house would become my blank canvas. Early May I started the work.

Initial application of color and first indications of future images in the same corner as the previous photo.

Long time friends came to visit.

Me in action, adding color to the design. I used a rolled up towel to ease my neck.

The project complete and I am very satisfied.

Final look.

A collaboration between Kristin Giordano and myself. Our first project completed for a future series. She took these beautiful photographs while living in Qatar and I 'extended' them--even onto the walls.

Final look.

Detail.

Final look.

Detail.

Final look.

Me, enjoying the final look.

Final look.

Detail.

On July 20th I welcomed friends and family to come and say goodbye to both this wonderful house and my artwork. Here's Erika Eckert, both my long time dear friend and owner of the house, bringing some party goodies.

Photo by BUILD LLC.

I'm talking a collabortion piece I completed with artist Kristin Giordano.

Then BUILD LLC came to check out the house. Fun to have them visit and see my work before demolition started a couple of days later.

Photo by BUILD LLC.

On July 23rd this arrived. The time had come.

Goodbye, sweet dear house. I was thankful for everyday that I was able to stay in this structure. It surely was home.

NEW HOUSE:

It is done! This is the new house that replaced the old one.

A view from the front.

Photo by BUILD LLC.

My friends, the ones that invited me to stay in the little old house, the Eckerts, co-own a custom designed and built house company called BUILD LLC. Here is a link: http://www.buildllc.com/

The back side of the new house and Erika's studio.

Photo by BUILD LLC.

After the demolition of the old house, the new one was almost complete by late April 2015. In honor of the work I had created in the old house, Erika and Kevin Eckert asked me to paint again but in this new one. So touched. Of course I said YES!

Kitchen/dining/stairway wall before painting began.

The image they wanted was a simplified version of a wallpaper design they adored but could not hang because of the 3 stories length of wall space--reaching from their rooftop to their basement. So I hand painted a 'shadow' version of the trees with the more prominent tree on top.

This photo shows me painting the second layer of trees over the first layer of 'shadow' trees.

The final look. It turned out beautiful and we are all so happy with the results!

This is the main entry. My custom painting extended from below these stairs into the basement, up into this floor, around the hallway to the left, then up the stairs into the kitchen/dining/living room areas.

Photo by BUILD LLC.

Kitchen/dining room.

Photo by BUILD LLC.

Kitchen.

Photo by BUILD LLC.

The rooftop deck and garden.

Photo by BUILD LLC.

A view from the house's back deck.

Photo by BUILD LLC.

The living room with my painting extending across the whole central structure.

Photo by BUILD LLC.

New home festivities for the friends and family of Erika and Kevin Eckert, BUILD LLC, and all the contractors involved in the creation of this house.

Photo by BUILD LLC.

Humans, Join Us!

"Humans, Join Us!"
Wheat paste, paper copies, acrylic paint
12' x 87'
11th & Market St., Tacoma WA
Spaceworks, City of Tacoma
August 2013

A temporary, 2-dimensional, site-specfic, transportation themed installation (Artscapes) created by myself and Kristin Giordano for SpaceWorks in Tacoma, WA. Designed to promote the use of other sources of transportation other than the automobile.

Artists statement:

Humans, Join Us!™

By Mindy Barker and Kristin Giordano

Hey you! Yes, you, "driving" by in your car, texting. Notice the air quotes around "driving?" Don’t you know the dangers of texting while driving? I think Werner Herzog just did a documentary about it. You don’t know Werner Herzog? You should really look him up on Netflix™. The Criterion Collection® put out an entire box set of his films. You will not believe the scene with the tiny monkeys in Aguirre, Wrath of God.™

Sorry, I lost my train of thought for a sec. I was talking about danger, texting, and driving. Because there are alternatives. Have you ever considered the pleasures of bipedal locomotion? We have! The best way to begin walking is to find yourself an excellent pair of shoes. They should be comfortable, but please--try to be a bit stylish. You’re in public now. It is not okay to wear your pajamas to the store, and slippers are not shoes. You know who you are.

But seriously, have you ever seen a cuter bunch of baby chickens? One of them is wearing a helmet. By this time, you have probably gotten distracted and clicked on the YouTube™ cat video your cousin put on Facebook™. You really need to stop messing with your phone while you drive. You're becoming a menace. And you really shouldn’t hold a No-whip Mocha Frappuccino® and an iPhone™ while operating a motor vehicle, especially a stick shift. That's probably why the baby chicken has to wear a helmet all the time.

I see that you are now scrolling through the photo gallery on Flickr™ of cute animals in mugs. I mean, a baby hedgehog IN A MUG! That is literally the cutest thing ever. OMG, totes adorbs! Wait, no way, there’s one with two baby bunnies IN THE SAME MUG! WATCH FOR THE PEDESTRIAN!!!!! Jeez, you really need to focus.

If you take a break from looking at the hilarious thing George “Sulu” Takai just posted to Twitter™, you might notice that there is a large lemur on a skateboard on the side of a building downtown. That is horrendous! Oops, I meant to type “hilarious.” Stupid auto-correct! You know, you really shouldn’t try to post it to Instagram™ while you’re driving. But, oh, wait, never mind, you just did. No worries! But you should really pull over if you want to get the one of the meerkats in sneakers. It could totally go viral. For, like, 2 seconds.