Bend, OR

September 18, 2023 Greetings Tour

Greetings from Bend, Oregon! We're excited to finally complete one of our most anticipated murals, marking our first project in the state of Oregon and officially covering all the west coast states. Thank you to our partners at Chase for their generous support, making this community project a reality. You can check out the mural on the south-facing wall of the Downtown Bend Chase branch, located at 450 NW Franklin Ave between Lava Rd. & Tin Pan Alley."

The origins of this mural go back to May 2018 during our trip up to Alaska in the RV. At that time, we had scouted a few potential walls and reached out to some local art collectives and Visit Bend, trying to bring this project to life. Unfortunately, the process was hindered by a mural ordinance in place at that time, which posed some challenges. As a result, our communication with the city gradually faded.

Fast forward to 2020, during the pandemic, we initiated an annual mural grant program to support smaller cities across America that had been struggling due to loss of tourism. In 2021, the Downtown Bend Business Association applied for this grant, and we selected them to receive it for the mural project. You can find all the details on how Bend was chosen on our 2022 grant selection process page.

After the announcement of the mural, it took some time to locate the perfect downtown wall space that would be ideal for interactive photos. Unfortunately, due to frequent turnover within the downtown organization we had initially partnered with, they decided not to delay our project with too much red tape. Instead, we offered to collaborate with them on a future mural or contribute towards another mural where they could have more time for planning. They had the best intentions and played a vital role in getting us out Bend, for which we are very grateful! In the bigger picture, our primary goal was to make a meaningful contribution to the downtown community. We believed in our hearts that our efforts would support small businesses and still align with their organization’s goals.

During our summer tour in 2021, we made a stop in Bend and were pleasantly surprised to discover a ton of new murals that had sprung up since our last visit. Even some of the walls we had initially proposed in 2018 were now covered in artwork. From our perspective, the more murals, the better, and we were thrilled to witness the community's enthusiastic embrace of public art.

Sometime in late 2022, another talented local artist even created a 'Greetings from Bend' postcard mural in the Old Mill District before we could kickstart our project. However, there were no hard feelings, and we extended an invitation to that artist to potentially collaborate with us on our mural. Our artistic styles are distinctly different, so we have no concerns about people confusing the two murals. Even if visitors happen to stumble upon the wrong mural, it offers them a chance to explore another neighborhood in the city, which we hope will benefit small businesses in those areas.

On the surface, creating a large letter postcard mural may appear cliché or some might say 'basic' in the contemporary art world. We acknowledge that we've contributed to this perception, as we've undertaken more of these murals than anyone else. However, artistic trends come and go, and our unwavering commitment is to continue doing what we do best.

In our hearts, we believe that this particular concept serves as an extraordinary vessel for involving communities in the creation of something timeless. We view our murals not as isolated works but as a collective thread that connects numerous communities across the country. We are both excited and humbled to hear stories of individuals relocating to different cities and finding solace in one of our murals, which is both unique to their new home and a link to their past lives. While the paint on the wall may be temporary, the memories it evokes will endure a lifetime.

Selecting the Downtown Bend Imagery

With a city as unique as Bend, there's an abundance of ideas, too many for just four letters. So, we chose to focus the mural on downtown Bend and its surroundings, incorporating landmarks, culture, nature, history, and local artist collaborations. Our goal is to make sure these elements represent the city distinctly and timelessly. Having worked with over 60 communities in cities large and small, we've learned that what truly makes a place special often comes from its residents and businesses, creating that sense of 'home.' We consulted with many locals to gather input on the imagery they'd like to see representing their city.

One of Bend's most distinctive landmarks, visible from downtown, is Pilot Butte—an ancient, extinct cinder cone volcano. Locals often use it as a reference point for navigation, and it's noteworthy that Bend is one of only four cities in the United States with its very own volcano within city limits. On Independence Day, the Bend, Oregon fireworks show takes place atop Pilot Butte, creating Central Oregon's largest and most dazzling display. The spectacle resembles an erupting volcano and is a remarkable sight! This iconic summer scene has been incorporated into the "B" to represent both nature and culture." At the last minute, we also hid in some tributes to the Pilot Butte Drive-In as well as the smoke stakes in the Old Mill District.

In the letter "E," we made sure to include the city's most iconic downtown landmark—the Tower Theatre. Serving as the heart of the arts scene, this historic venue has been a cornerstone of downtown Bend for over 80 years. After a full renovation in 2004, it continues to be a thriving cultural hub to this day. We were honored when they gave us a shout out on their south marquee!

We invited local artist duo Janessa Bork and Josh Ramp of Vivi Design Co. to help design and paint the imagery inside the “N.” We gave them the creative freedom to come up with something that represents Bend the most to them personally. “Our artwork features Mt Bachelor with a beautiful central Oregon sunset. In the foreground, we paid tribute to perennials from all the gardens in the roundabouts downtown including Black-eyed Susan flowers. Some hops were added as a nod to the breweries. Finally, we had to throw in a snow covered Ponderosa pine to represent the winter season.” They did an amazing job and we love the contrast of styles throughout the overall piece.

In the letter "D," we paid homage to Drake Park and Mirror Pond, featuring a specific view that includes a glimpse of the Three Sisters mountains in the distance. To capture the essence of downtown culture, we included stand-up paddle boarder and a dog in the scene. David had some fun and actually used himself and his dog as the reference. Bend is definitely a community of dog lovers! Additionally, we included a historical nod to the swan pageant, which used to draw tourists from far and wide. Finally, by popular demand we included a little easter egg of “The Traveler” sculpture by Richard Beyer in this scene.

Last but not least, we collaborated with local photographers Autumn Swisher and Aarica Horner to document the mural creation process. While it's easy to find photos of a completed mural, we've always prioritized capturing the work in progress and the community engagement. These moments in time tell the true stories, as we've come to appreciate that it's not solely about the finished product.

Autumn Swisher

Aarica Horner

Painting the Greetings from Bend Mural

We had a complete team dedicated to this project, with members hailing from various locations, including Boston, Hawaii, and Los Angeles. Originally, we had planned for another local mural artist to assist with the background, but unfortunately, he had to cancel due to a family emergency. However, this setback actually worked out to be a great opportunity for another recent friend of ours.

David Wang, Janessa Bork (Vivi Design Co.), Victor Ving, MelonJames, Josh Ramp (Vivi Design Co.)

The previous month, we had returned to Waikiki Beach in Honolulu to refresh our Hawaii ground mural at the 'Alohilani Resort. We connected with a talented local artist that goes by Melon. During our conversations, Melon brought up the fact that he kept hearing about Bend, Oregon, a city known for its dog-friendly atmosphere, and had even been dreaming about relocating there, despite never having heard of Bend before. This was totally unprompted and to his astonishment, we revealed that Bend was actually the next city we were going to paint a mural in!

As destiny would have it, Melon was coincidentally scheduled to be in Sacramento, wrapping up another job just as we were about to start our mural project in Bend. Without hesitation, he rearranged his plans to divert his journey home to Bend, stoked to join us on our project!

The weather is pretty much a crap shoot in the high desert. We were anticipating some cooler early Fall temperatures but to no surprise, we ended up painting in a little heat wave. It wasn’t too helpful that it was a south facing wall with no shade! Although, we had some smoke rolling into town from new fires towards the end of the week that did filter out some of the sun. Despite the hot conditions, we were grateful that we didn't have to deal with rain delays this time.

Completing this mural took approximately one week. Special thanks go to David Wang, the all-star who arrived in town early and organized everything. We're also grateful for the local volunteers who generously offered their help and support. Projects like this have a unique way of bringing the community together, and we received assistance from several neighboring businesses. Lift Fitness Studio, located next door, provided ladders and storage space for our supplies. Thump Coffee kept our team fueled with caffeine throughout the entire week. Home Depot and Sherwin Williams made significant contributions in terms of paint and supplies, which we later donated to local artists after finishing the project. We always ensure that these local businesses are permanently recognized on a plaque next to the mural.

While we've passed through Bend on a few occasions during our travels, spending time with locals truly makes a significant difference. It provides us with valuable insights into the community of a place that attracts a considerable number of tourists year round. Now, we can proudly say that we've made some wonderful connections in Bend, and there's no doubt that we'll be returning for a leisure vacation in the near future!