Mural Monday - Waldorf Kennels & Gardens, Ridgefield, Washington
- Ana Gabriela
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Some mural projects become far more than just a wall.
My mural restoration project for Waldorf Kennels & Gardens in Ridgefield, Washington was one of those transformative experiences. What began as a mural refurbishment evolved into a full-scale creative partnership that included mural restoration, custom sign painting, branding design, and pet portrait commissions.
As a Vancouver WA mural artist specializing in public art, residential murals, commercial murals, and custom business branding, this project was a huge milestone in my creative career.
How Waldorf Kennels Found My Work
This opportunity began while I was actively painting the Evergreen Community Gardens overpass mural in Vancouver, Washington, one of the largest public art projects of my career.
Jeff, the owner of Waldorf Kennels & Gardens, saw my mural work in progress and connected with my artistic style, attention to detail, and ability to transform spaces through art.
After seeing the impact of my public mural work, he reached out and hired me for the following summer to restore and redesign a sun-damaged mural at his well-known dog kennel and garden center in Ridgefield.
For me, this was especially meaningful because Waldorf Kennels is a recognizable local landmark. Growing up in Southwest Washington, I had seen their signage along I-5 for years while traveling between Vancouver and Ridgefield. Being invited to restore such an iconic regional business was both nostalgic and exciting.
Restoring a 15-Year-Old Dog Kennel Mural
The original mural had been painted over 15 years ago and had suffered heavy sun damage, fading, and wear over time.
Rather than simply repainting the old design, Jeff wanted something fresh. He asked me to restore the mural while reimagining it in my own mural style.
This creative freedom allowed me to preserve the recognizable identity of Waldorf Kennels while elevating the artwork with:
Updated design elements
Refreshed color palettes
Enhanced visual storytelling
Stronger brand cohesion
This project became both a mural restoration and a commercial mural redesign, blending legacy with contemporary artistry.
Expanding Beyond Murals Into Full Business Branding
One of the biggest highlights of this project was how it expanded beyond mural painting alone.
While waiting for mural season to begin, Jeff hired me to create custom pet portrait commissions for Waldorf clients.
As a muralist with roots in portraiture, this was an incredibly rewarding extension of our collaboration. It allowed me to remain creatively engaged while offering meaningful, personalized artwork to his clientele.
In addition to the mural and pet portraits, I also redesigned Waldorf Kennels’ business signage, including:
A professionally designed digital sign created in Adobe Illustrator
A hand-painted acrylic business sign
This transformed my role from muralist into full creative consultant, supporting the business through:
Branding design
Commercial sign painting
Custom mural work
Client-focused commissioned artwork
First Time Using Scaffolding for Large Scale Mural Work
This project also marked my first professional experience working on scaffolding.
As any professional mural artist knows, every new tool, wall surface, and project environment offers opportunities for growth.
Using scaffolding expanded my technical mural skill set and prepared me for larger scale commercial mural projects in the future.
Learning how to safely navigate and execute detailed mural work from scaffolding was an important business and technical milestone.
Why This Ridgefield Washington Mural Was So Important
This project was particularly impactful because it combined several aspects of my business into one cohesive experience:
Commercial mural restoration
Dog kennel branding
Custom signage
Pet portrait commissions
Community visibility
Long-term client relationship building
It reinforced that being a successful mural artist often means offering more than murals alone.
As a Washington mural artist, the ability to provide full creative solutions for businesses can dramatically increase both project scope and client longevity.
What This Mural Taught Me
This project taught me the power of consistency in business.
My public mural visibility directly created this opportunity. Showing up, painting publicly, and consistently delivering quality work opened the door to an incredible client relationship.
It also taught me that diversifying my services strengthens my business. Offering:
Murals
Sign painting
Branding
Portrait commissions
creates more sustainable, long-term partnerships.
Finally, this project reminded me that clients do not always have to be one-time projects. Some of the best business relationships evolve over years and across multiple forms of creative collaboration.
Final Thoughts
The Waldorf Kennels & Gardens project was much more than a mural restoration.
It was:
A Ridgefield, Washington mural project
A commercial branding transformation
A dog kennel mural redesign
A custom sign painting opportunity
A pet portrait commission series
A major step forward in my journey as a Mural artist
This project reinforced that murals can be the foundation for much larger creative ecosystems.
Sometimes one wall leads to signage. Sometimes signage leads to portraits. Sometimes public art leads to lasting community partnerships.
And that is one of the most exciting parts of building a career as a professional muralist.
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