There’s a new mural taking shape just off Ballard Ave.
Local muralist Andrew Miller is transforming the north end of the Salmon Bay Sand & Gravel buliding, just behind Situ Tacos and Percy’s & Co.
“It’s been a wall I’ve had my eye on for some time,” he told My Ballard, saying the owners of Salmon Bay Sand & Gravel reached out to the Ballard Alliance asking for support with a mural project.
Wren Wilson from the Ballard Alliance says the property owners wanted a mural to reduce tagging and to enhance the neighborhood with more artwork. Wilson reached out to Miller, saying his artwork aligned perfectly with the property owner’s vision for the project.
Miller’s artwork can be found in several parts of Ballard, including at Mike’s Chili Parlor, Sloop Tavern, and Ballard Clay. He’s also painted murals beyond Ballard, in places such as Greenwood, Edmonds, West Seattle, and Lake City.
Wilson said the mural will feature a fishing boat, local wildlife, mountains, and a small depiction of Jimothy, the short-spined raccoon that became a Ballard icon earlier this summer. Miller previously painted Jimothy on the Ballard Clay building, which is in part why he was asked to help with the project.
Miller says he plans to focus on hummingbirds as a major feature of the mural, saying they’ll be “scattered throughout the painting with an ode to our marinas and fishing community,” Miller said. “Having painted the original Jimothy piece at Ballard Clay, this felt like a great follow-up and a little Easter egg within the design.”
Miller expects to finish the mural in the next couple of weeks.
Another mural project is on its way on Market, where the Ballard Alliance is seeking a muralist for the west wall of the Hjarta apartment building at 1530 NW Market St.
Photos by Andrew Miller