Mural Monday - Evergreen Community Gardens
- Ana Gabriela
- 5 hours ago
- 6 min read
This mural was unlike anything I had ever taken on before, in size, in scope, in community impact, and in the sheer physical and emotional endurance it required. The Evergreen Community Garden mural stretched across both sides of an overpass in Vancouver, Washington: 600 feet long and only 3 feet tall total, becoming the first mural ever approved on a Washington State overpass and the first mural WSDOT had ever approved in general.
This project was commissioned by the Vancouver Downtown Association, The Historic Trust, WSDOT, the City of Vancouver, and Divine Consign, a collaboration between organizations that wanted to bring more beauty, joy, and color into a space thousands of people drive and walk by every day.
What we hoped to create was simple: a year-round, ever-living garden for the community.
What actually happened became much bigger.
How the Project Began
The idea started long before I ever picked up a brush. The city had discussed painting a mural on an overpass for years, but this would be the first of its kind in Washington. There were endless brainstorms, meetings, and ideas, but once I joined the planning committee, the vision began to crystallize.
We needed something that would stay vibrant through every season. Something that honored the Pacific Northwest. Something that families, children, and everyday passersby could connect with. And something bright enough to cut through our long stretches of gray and rain.
The final vision: An ever-blooming garden filled with native plants, local animals, and even beloved neighborhood pets.
A mural that would bring joy in the winter gloom and remind the community of the beauty that surrounds them, even on the hardest days.
Designing a 600-Foot Mural
Because the mural was so long, 300 feet on each side, I suggested painting one full panel on canvas to show the committee exactly what I envisioned. They agreed.
I painted the first of 60+ individual panels in my studio on canvas, and thankfully, they loved it.
From there, I pitched an idea that made the project even more interactive: a built-in scavenger hunt.
Kids could search for animals along the wall while walking with their families, and QR codes at each corner would lead to a website explaining the plants, animals, history, and meaning behind the mural. They loved it, so I spent months researching and building that site, finishing it just in time for the unveiling in August 2024.
But before any paint touched the wall… we needed a mountain of permits. City permits, highway permits, WSDOT approvals, transit coordination, everything.
Our original plan was to paint both sides in one summer. But the permits didn’t come through until late August, and I had a trip to Ecuador and Colombia planned right in the middle of the available weather windows.
So we made a new plan:
Side One in Fall 2023.
Side Two in Spring 2024.
Painting 300 Feet — Round One
After prep work with the VDA Clean Team and gathering materials from Miller Paint, I began.
Day 1: I painted the entire 300-foot base coat on the first wall by myself, two full layers of green across the entire stretch. It was exhausting and surprisingly only took me 5 hours.
Day 2: Two assistants joined me to help paint base colors on the opposite wall while I started the first flowers. The rain was coming soon, so speed became everything.
A few days later I flew to Ecuador, came back, and jumped back into this marathon of a wall. Because the florals were in my signature style and I didn’t yet know how to teach others how to paint in that style, I painted every detail alone.
I showed up every single day, warm or freezing, tired or energized, painting 8–14 hours a day.
Friends brought food. Family watched my supplies when I ran to the bathroom. My entire life became this mural.
One thing that really surprised me while I was in the thick of the project was that I didn’t expect the wall to bounce subtly every time a bus drove over the overpass… It was unnerving, to say the least. I also didn’t expect the outpouring from the community.
At first, people called the cops because they thought I was painting illegally, a fair assumption given the location. But once they realized it was a city project, everything changed.
Neighbors brought pets hoping to have them included in the mural. Kids named the animals. People shared their favorite flowers. The community fell in love with the wall while it was still being painted.
One of my favorite moments: A class from nearby Vita Elementary came to sit with me, ask questions, and talk about their favorite parts of the mural. Seeing children interact with art at eye level is something I’ll never forget.
Another moment I’ll cherish forever: A familiar unhoused woman approached me near the end of the first wall. She hadn't been by the wall in some time, and when she saw the mural almost complete, she burst into tears. Through her tears, she told me how grateful she was that I was spending my time creating something so beautiful, something she could visit anytime, without being asked to leave like in a gallery. We cried together, sitting in front of the mural in the quiet of the evening. It reminded me exactly why I create public art: Because public art should belong to everyone.
By the time I sealed the first wall with anti-graffiti coating, I felt pride and dread. My body hurt everywhere, and the second wall still awaited me.
Painting 300 Feet — Round Two
After resting through the winter and completing smaller projects, I returned in March 2024 to begin the second wall.
Spring showers tried their best to sabotage the timeline, some days I simply couldn’t paint. But little by little, the flowers bloomed across the concrete again.
By early June, after months of grinding, a trip to Colombia to see my family, and many rain days, the mural was complete.
We installed the QR codes. I finished the website. We began planning the unveiling.
And that’s when I realized just how big this project truly was.
The first overpass mural in Washington. A groundbreaking approval from WSDOT. Hundreds of community members involved. Even the mayor of Vancouver came to celebrate the unveiling of the mural.
So many people came, families, children, longtime locals, my first art teacher and my loved ones. The turnout overwhelmed me with joy. News stations even covered it. People took photos. The community celebrated it as theirs. Because it was.
What It Taught Me
This mural taught me more than any other project I’ve ever created.
It taught me that I can do hard things — truly hard things that require endurance, strength, and unwavering commitment. It gave me the confidence to believe I can take on massive projects in the future.
It taught me that community matters. Public art is not just decoration; it is a mirror of its community, a gathering place, a source of joy, and a symbol of care.
The public space belongs to the public, and as artists, we are its visual stewards.
It taught me that muraling is physically demanding and I must charge accordingly. Back pain, hand pain, migraines, fatigue; this work requires respect, preparation, and a sustainable rate.
It taught me that public art is for everyone, especially those who feel excluded from traditional art spaces. You never know what someone is going through, and a single flower or small painted animal can brighten a very dark day.
And finally, it taught me that no mural is ever done alone. Not this one. Not any of them.
A mural is created by:
the client who believes in the vision,
the community who guides and inspires it,
the artist who brings it to life, and
the family and friends who support the artist through the long hours.
This mural was a collaboration of hundreds, and a defining chapter in my life as an artist.
The Evergreen Community Garden mural isn’t just paint on concrete. It is a love letter to Vancouver. A celebration of nature. A testament to community. And the project that changed how I see myself, my work, and the power of public art.
Every time I drive past it now, I’m reminded of the people who shaped it, the kids, the neighbors, the unhoused woman who found comfort in it, the teachers, the city staff, the volunteers, the friends who brought me food, and the thousands who now get to experience it.
It will always be one of the proudest accomplishments of my career.
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