A summer of murals in Vancouver

Stroke by stroke, three new murals are coming to life on bare walls in downtown Vancouver.

The huge, colorful paintings are entries in the fourth annual Summer of Murals contest held by the Clark County Mural Society.

The concept for this year’s contest was Five Walls, Five Artists, One Summer. But only three artists’ proposals were selected, which means only three walls will get murals.

“It’s a little bit unusual and it’s unfortunate,” said Nikki White, who co-founded the mural society in 2005. “I think (the problem) is about not enough artists knowing about it.”

The contest awards $3,000 for the first-place winner, $2,000 for second place, $1,500 for third place and, in most years, $1,000 for fourth and fifth place.

Every year, the mural society task force recruits downtown property owners willing to allow a mural on an exterior wall. Each mural is meant to tell a special Vancouver story, add beauty to the surroundings and help build the city as a “destination location,” according to www.ccmurals.org. The artists were asked to review the suggested historical and cultural theme for each wall and then submit a design proposal in May.

Here are this year’s entries:

• Vancouver Chamber of Commerce, 1101 Broadway. Theme: “Moving Business Forward 125 Years,” by artist Bijan Sharifi.

• Luepke Flowers and Finds, 1300 Washington St. Theme: “Luepke History” by artist Michael Feliz.

• The Columbian, 701 W. Eighth St. Theme: “The Columbian newspaper” by artist Guy Drennan.

None of the proposals submitted were chosen for the themes “Farewell to the Ferry” or “Bridge—First Day 1915,” both of which were to be painted on a large wall at 1509 Washington St.

“Hopefully, we’ll be getting something there sooner than later because it’s a very nice wall. It would have been the most visible mural this year,” White said Friday.

The artists began their work the second week of July using paint donated by Sherwin Williams. They must be finished by midnight July 27. Public voting for the “People’s Choice Award,” which carries a $500 prize, will open a few days before the winners are announced Aug. 7 during the First Friday event held by Vancouver’s Downtown Association. The majority of the prize money was donated by local businesses.

The contest is open to all artists. Groups of artists are eligible, too. Six judges appointed by the mural society choose the winners for each prize, basing their selection on originality, content, quality, appeal and adherence to the theme and contest rules.

The completion of the three new murals will bring the total number of murals in downtown Vancouver to 24. For a map of the mural sites and photos, go to www.ccmurals.org.

“We’d love to be recognized as a mural destination,” White said.

When the murals are finished, The Columbian will run photos of all of them with stories about the artists.