Barrel Room Mural - Bridges
Photo credit: Kimberly Marie Kimble
Origin Story:
When I first moved to Portland, I met Stanley, an artist who carves beautiful walking sticks from found branches on the Willamette and Columbia river. Stanley has lived quite some time on the streets, but when I met him, he had just entered transitional housing. He and I became fast friends, as we're both experiencing significant adjustments with what we now call "home." He shared stories and wisdom from his extraordinary life. We found commonality in a love of exploring and channeling our energy into art.
Stanley knows this city unlike anyone else I've met. Due to a medical issue, he continuously walks to mitigate pain. It's also become his form of entertainment. Spending decades memorizing the architecture, history and observing the changes in the city. He would take me around Portland metro as I walked Charlie, acting as our tour guide. His stories captured my imagination and inspired much of what I create.
On one of our walks, I asked him what I should paint if given a chance to do a mural in Old Town Chinatown. He told me "the bridges." He shared how their construction changed and impacted the lives of so many and what it's like to have to seek shelter under one.
As requested by the first visitor and pioneer member of The Open-air People's Art Museum, the Morrison and St. John's Bridge can be found within the Barrel Room's Mural.
