Anacortes struck me as an easy-going and slightly quirky small city. It’s the sort of laid-back place where a brief stop can easily turn into a couple of hours as you stroll its downtown streets, pause for a leisurely coffee, pop into a shop or two.
Perched on the western edge of Fidalgo Island (which is not actually an island!), this is the jumping-off point for ferries to the San Juan Islands. But it’s worth a few hours at least of your time in its own right, as we found.
One feature of Anacortes is the Anacortes Murals Project, created by local artist Bill Mitchell. Over 150 images of local characters past and present adorn the buildings on and around the main street, Commercial Avenue.
Unusually they are not painted directly on to the buildings but on plywood. Although attached to the buildings they are owned by Mitchell. He has taken this step to ensure they can’t be painted over or destroyed; if a building’s owner no longer wanted to host a mural it could be detached and moved elsewhere.
As well as the locals depicted there is also a sprinkling of famous people (John Wayne and Marilyn Monroe outside the theatre, Andrew Carnegie outside the former library) and a few imaginary ones (such as a mermaid) and even animals (a gorilla who once lived in a zoo here). I even spotted a Bigfoot!
What I hadn’t realised at the time and have since discovered is that Bill Mitchell is a quadriplegic, having been paralysed as a teenager in a car accident on Whidbey Island, making his contribution to the recent revival of Anacortes’ downtown area all the more impressive. This selection of my favourite of his works is shared for this week’s Photographing Public Art challenge.
I visited Washington State in 2017
23 Comments
Anonymous
Thanks, Sarah! I like the historic ones best, too. It’s funny – there’s one that I’ve gotten to know well because I often park near it but there are some I still haven’t ever seen. I have to differ on the question of whether Fidalgo is an island or not – it’s not technically one of the San Juan’s but it actually is surrounded by water – the Swinomish channel on the eastern side cuts it off from the mainland. But it certainly feels like it’s still part of the mainland when you go over the channel bridge and there may be people who consider it a peninsula. 🙂
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you for popping over to check this out Suzanne 🙂 It’s interesting to get a local’s perspective. I stand corrected on Fidalgo – I just looked again at the map and I can see that what I took to be a river could indeed be considered more of a channel separating it from the mainland!
Oh, the Places We See
I’ve never seen anything quite like this, but I like it! Interesting “flatties” that tell the tale of clothing, occupations, relationships, etc.
Toonsarah
Yes I found them quite unique too 😀
wetanddustyroads
Wow, this is pretty cool! Never seen anything like this … but such a good idea! I like all of them, but particularly the Customs official and locals 😊.
Toonsarah
Thanks – the regular locals are my favourites too, especially the more historic ones
Natalie
Such impressive work from the artist who is a quadriplegic. Very good shots, Sarah. Sometimes it’s tough to get the entire murals when they’re wide.
Toonsarah
Thanks Natalie. It was hard to get some of them all in the frame but luckily it’s a quiet town so I was able to stand in the street!
Easymalc
Wall Art can both excite and annoy people in equal measures, but as long as it’s appropriate to the area where it is, then it has to be an asset to the community. These murals are exactly that – and what an achievement for the artist! Another super post Sarah.
Sarah Wilkie
I agree Malcolm – I don’t think anyone could be annoyed by this particular wall art, especially as the paintings aren’t even directly on to the walls 🙂
rkrontheroad
How interesting that the murals are not directly on the buildings. It gives them an extra dimension, especially the people images which remind me of cut outs I’ve done with students in a photography project. The story of the quadriplegic artist is quite amazing.
Sarah Wilkie
I know what you mean about the cut-out effect Ruth – it makes them quite distinctive. For anyone to create these would be quite impressive but I agree, the fact that the artist is quadriplegic makes them extra special 🙂
leightontravels
I’m always a sucker for a mural-laden city/town. Particularly liked the customs officials. Oh, and I also love the name Anacortes.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks Leighton 🙂 I should have mentioned perhaps that the name of the town comes from that of Anne Curtis Bowman, the wife of an early settler.
Marsha
Sarah, this is another great story. I think I’ve been to Anacortes, but not wandered around. Is that where you catch the ferry boats to the San Juan Islands and to Victoria? I love the artwork, and also the fact that it can be moved it the building owner gets tired of it. I can’t imagine how he did this. Did he paint with his teeth?
When I was about twenty our church hosted a young paraplegic artist Joni Earekson who painted with her teeth. She told us that it didn’t matter what you used, if the art was inside you, you could get it out. She was such an inspiration. It sounds like this Bill had her same unstoppable artistic talent.
Thanks again for sharing this wonderful display of public art, Sarah. 🙂
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Marsha 🙂 Yes, we caught the ferry from her to Friday Harbor and I believe you can also go to Victoria from the same port. And also yes, I think he must use his mouth to paint. It’s inspirational that a young man can have such an appalling accident and yet do something so positive with his life.
Marsha
Yes, it is. Super talented and painting such large works. You’d go blind being so close. I’m super impressed. Thanks so much for sharing this.
Cee Neuner
The paints are so cool. 😀
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks Cee, glad you like them!
thehungrytravellers.blog
Those are very cool!!
Sarah Wilkie
Aren’t they just?!
Alison
Such great murals and artwork. A great idea too from the artist, you see a lot of graffiti on murals, almost like a jealousy. We saw a lot of murals in Kalgoorlie that had been defaced.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Alison – yes, I thought that was a neat idea 🙂