Dr ML King Way Octomural

At a recent event downtown Bremerton, an acquaintance mentioned she liked my octopus mural on Dr. MLKing Way (formerly 7th Street) and after thanking her I asked if she knew any of the story behind it. I can’t seem to contain myself when the subject comes up because so many stories are contained not just in the imagery of this 200 ft long painting but also in the making of it. So… time to get it all “on paper.” The beginning: My husband and I live around the corner from the backside of the Peninsula Community Health Services building which, for many years, sported a sad grayish color with occasional patches of touch-up paint that only matched in the way that all grays somehow match. For several years, every time we walked past I’d say, “Needs a mural. I want to paint one.” Then, early one Sunday morning, my husband came running into our bedroom with the Kitsap Sun. “Look!” The front page showed one of my neighbors on Dr. MLKing Way lamenting that his street, which had not long ago been changed from 7th to honor Dr. King, sadly did not honor his legacy. It had inadequate lighting, was dirty and needed some art or maybe even a…. mural! I hopped out of bed, wolfed down breakfast, dressed and nearly ran over to meet this neighbor. We connected right away and I said, “I do murals. I’ll do one!” We were both jazzed and ready to make it happen. But… alas, I couldn’t start that day. What would the subject be? Who might help with this epic endeavor? And… most importantly, who the heck owns that building and do THEY even want a mural? Stay tuned for the next chapter of the Octomural story in my next blog.