Rain Shadow, 2016
Enamel, ink, acrylic on plywood
8 feet x 60 feet

Exhibition: P.U.B. gallery, Peninsula College, Port Angeles, WA

Rain shadow is a large-scale freehand mural commissioned by Peninsula College, inspired by the community,
indigenous culture and my own status as a Washington native.
Peninsula College is an open-access institution that admits all persons provided that they are eighteen years of age
or older, or are a high school graduate or equivalent. Located in an area long occupied by succeeding cultures of
indigenous peoples and one of the settings for the Hollywood blockbuster “Twilight,” it is geographically located
in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains, which means that it gets significantly less rain than other areas of
western Washington. The imagery in the mural draws upon the history of the region and includes stories told to me
by the students, faculty and staff.
The mural presents a vast high-key abstract geometric landscape inhabited by the region’s natural fauna and flora.
Upon closer inspection one can begin to read several narratives embedded in the imagery, including the fishing
practices of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and the logging industries of 19th century European American settlers.