Outdoor Mural - Balfour Beatty Construction • Kali Grey Art Consulting

Outdoor Mural – Balfour Beatty Construction

We worked with the local Portland office of Howard S. Wright Construction, a Balfour Beatty Construction company with a national presence for this outdoor mural for a pedestrian walkway during construction. The client had seen murals popping up around Portland. These murals were created to transform boarded up businesses and storefronts into beautiful pieces of artwork. Balfour Beatty Construction was hoping to help beautify the area with a family-friendly outdoor temporary mural. They also wanted to support the businesses in the area that often suffer due to construction. They were hoping to keep the walkway clean and safe to encourage steady walking traffic amidst the construction for the next two years.

We worked with a local artist that has a signature abstract style seen across Portland. Their style includes exaggerated, hand-painted facial characteristics like eyes, nose and teeth in vibrant colors and patterns. This allows the viewer’s mind to personify the different forms in different ways. We selected this artist for their playful and psychedelic style that aligns well with the graphic posters also found in the walkway. The posters included directions to local businesses that remain open.

In the end, we installed this outdoor mural in three very long days. We needed to add a clear coat and let it dry before Portland’s insistent rainy forecast. The client can power wash the outdoor mural without damage if debris or unwanted tags occur.

Overall, the client was very excited about achieving their goals to help support the local community through artwork and creating a stronger connection between their brand and the streets of Portland. It was a great project to be a part of.