In early 2007, I was commissioned by the Boston Mill Society through the Oregon Parks & Recreation Department to recreate two traditional mural emblems on the monumental silos at Thompson’s Mills State Heritage Site. In December of 2007 this site was inducted as Oregon’s newest state park. Scroll down for more.

Work on the restoration occurred in October and November of 2007.
See below for an account of my work on the murals.

Thompson’s Mills (also known as Boston Mills) is a grist (or flour) mill, the oldest continually working mill of its kind in the whole state. The unique facility has been in operation since 1858.

Visitors to the park can see the antique machinery, the Mill’s relationship with the Calapooia River and tour what’s left of the long lost town of Boston! The park is in a survey period open to the public, with a grand opening this coming summer.

The new state park is located about 1 mile east of Shedd, in Linn County Oregon, between Highway 99E and I-5. Shedd is a small town 12 miles south of Albany.

photo by Doug Crispin (courtesy OPRD)

These 50ft. monuments were built in 1917. They were graced with the colorful logos for the two Thompson’s Mills brands (an apple and a rose), which were also used on the company’s flour sacks. The original logos were repainted sometime in the 1940s, but weren't as faithful to the original design.

For the last 50 or so years, they were allowed to fade.

Fortunately, we were able to uncover the original paint layer which could be compared with two vintage black & white photographs and digital scans of two original (slightly faded) flour sacks.

I had all the ingredients to recreate the two murals...

1. This is the remnant of the old rose on the surface of the silo being transferred onto a sheet of plastic. Every crack and groove serves as a reference point, drawn in Sharpie marker.

2. The visual notations on the plastic film are transferred onto a life-size (12' x 12') paper grid. Having analyzed the vintage pictures with the remnant paint work, I reconstructed the rose outline to follow the artist’s original concept. The grid can be broken into smaller panels for ease.

3. The paper grid is lined back up on the silo's face. Perforations along the design’s lines allow blue chalk to be pounced against the silo to give a true likeness of the reconstructed rose.

The outline of the petals, leaves, and text are painted.

After working on the platform lift for so long, returning to solid earth was actually like the movie Water World.  I felt strange to be on land after four days in the air.  I worked an average of 6 hours a day, because the daylight hours (in Autumn) are so short.

Filling and shading inside the outlines is a gradual process.

The apple was far more mysterious since it had almost completely faded on the silo.

The vintage photographs served as a visual guide while the faded flour sack informed what types of colors should be used. It’s a “Delicious” apple (originally named the “Hawkeye” apple), noted for its striping back then.

The only trouble is... there aren’t any more true “Delicious” apples left!

That trademark pattern was stamped out of the lineage, as growers found that for every striped apple, nine solid red ones would sell; leaving us with the less distinctive (and less tasty) “Red Delicious” apple. The original “Delicious” apple from a by-gone age is certainly specific, and to re-render it properly on the mural was carefully researched.

This experience was good for me in many ways. Becoming certified to operate the boom lift proved to be most efficient and offered that “step back” opportunity to view the work as it progressed. Painting scenes about history is one thing, but to bring historic images back is something else entirely. It really feels like painting with purpose. Thompson’s Mills is a fascinating place.

I was happy to be involved with the project and it was wonderful to work with Oregon State Parks again along with their Friend’s group; the Boston Mill Society.