I live in a little logging town in the Coastal Range of Oregon. Almost no one passes through because there isn’t anywhere to go. If you roll into Vernonia, it’s because you live, work, or play here, or know someone who does.
Despite having a population of about 2,300, we just painted the town red. Not with rowdy revelers, but with murals!
I love Street Art. It’s bright and beautiful, accessible to all, and free.
Resa, over at Graffiti Lux Art & More, wanders around Toronto, Canada searching out street art. Her posts are gorgeous and inspiring, and if you enjoy murals, definitely stop by her place. I promised her I’d share my town’s new paint!
The long wall outside the R&S Market (above)
Two murals outside Mariolino’s Pizza and Grill (below). The artists still at work!
Two more walls were just starting to get their coat of paint. So no photos of those.
I hope you enjoyed our the new street art in our small town.
Credit due:
Some of these murals were commissioned by our generous businesses. The others were the result of a the tireless work of Rachael Organ, Vernonia’s Intercultural Committee, and the Portland Street Art Alliance, as well as a grant from Travel Oregon.
Myths of the Mirror 
I stop every time I see beautiful and artistic street art. Some works are so outstanding, creative, funny, imaginative and interesting that I am very enthusiastic. You have photographed wonderful examples, Diana. My favorite is “Behind the Black Iron Grill”.
Diana, I wish you all the best…. 🌞 🐞🌷
Rosie from Germany
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Thanks for taking a peek at the art in our tiny town, Rosie. It brightened the whole place up dramatically and I still enjoy driving through and marveling at it all. I love public art that’s available to everyone. 😀
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I agree with you, Diana. Yes, art beautifies every city, every street and every room.
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I love finding these types of works in so many towns and cities. What a wonderful addition to your town. Such excellent works! I’m so glad I kept this post notification and finally stopped by to check it out. Brightened my day!
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Thanks, Sheri. This is an old one! But I’m glad you saved it and enjoyed it. It was a fun day watching this all go up and it cheered up the town. I’m a big fan of street art and love to see it wherever I go. 🙂
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Street art makes the streets lively and beautiful. In my city, we don’t have any, unfortunately.
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I’m sorry to hear that you don’t have any in your city. We talked about creating a single mural for about ten years, and then suddenly it all came together. I’m glad you enjoyed the art. 🙂
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Street arts have the power to make anyone stop , and just stare for a while! ✨🥀
These are just beautiful😍
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Thank you so much for stopping by, Maria, and for the kind comment. It was a wonderful day for our tiny community, and the art changed the feel of main street. Have a wonderfully creative day.
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How fun! I love things like this.
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I do too, Chelsea. It was so fun. We had hoped that covid would be a thing of the past by the time this event happened, but no such luck. It was still fun to walk around and see the artwork in progress. Thanks for taking a peek! Hugs.
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We’re at an awkward teenage phase with COVID. I’m happy to see art still thriving.
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Oregon got through last winter fairly well, so it’s hitting hard now. A “march for freedom” in our little town (against vaccinations) ended up with 2 marchers dead and a bunch in the ICU, I can’t wait until this is over.
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Well… they did get their freedom… 😦
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Yup. Thoughts and prayers.
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[…] No Town too Small for Street Art […]
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Thanks so much for sharing the post and my town’s adventure into art. Much appreciated. 🙂
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As soon as I saw the colourful art, I couldn’t wait to dive in…you live in a magical place, Diana…! would love to spend time at them all (even the dentists’, lol!)!
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We have a talented dentist too, Kim. 🙂 The artwork transformed the town and it was so fun to see the influx of visitors to watch the the murals go up. We cancelled most of our hoped-for activities due to the virus, but it was still a fun day. Thanks so much for stopping by and for your lovely comment. Hugs.
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I wish I could jump in a car and check them out!
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😀 You must have wonderful murals up your way. And I plan to check them out next summer!
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Murals pepper our city but the festival originated in the Main St. area…I have yet to go on a wander and check them out! I’ve seen quite a few from riding on transit and I’d love a closer look. Here in the West End a tower at the edge of English Bay sports a recent Indigenous mural painted by Douglas Coupland, it’s very colourful and eye-catching! I hope you’ll get a chance to see it, Diana…
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I hope to, Kim. I think communities need to post self-guided walking tours. I’d get lots of steps in! 😀
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So lovely and lively! Who knows? Maybe your little town will get some tourism out of this.
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We hope so! We get some bicycling tourists now as part of out rails to trails initiatives. This might make the place even more of a destination. Yay! Thanks for taking the tour, Betsy. Have a great weekend. 😀
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That’s so great! I hope there’s a cute little coffee or sandwich shop for those bicyclists to stop in at along the trail too. Almost makes me want to take a trip!
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Just forest, Betsy. Miles and miles of forest with a paved bike path. You need to get all the way to the end, to town, to enjoy one of the restaurants or shops. 🙂 Come any time!
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Biking through a forest sounds divine. I’d better work on my endurance! 🙂
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What a wonderful thing for your town to do! So many beautiful murals. Thank you for sharing.
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Thanks for taking the tour, Merrild. We’d been talking about doing one mural for a decade and finally everything came together in a big way. Ten altogether. It was a wonderful day watching them all go up. 😀
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That is SO cool!
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I meant to get to this post much sooner, Diana! What beautiful murals and how amazing to see towns invest in their artists and community. You are fortunate indeed. I google mapped your town and see that you are northwest of Portland. We will have to meet up one day when we get back over to Oregon!
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We aren’t far from Washington, Teri, though the states are big and Spokane isn’t right around the corner. Lol. I’m so glad you enjoyed the artwork. When the pandemic is over, come on by. Right now, it’s awful here and we’re hunkered down. The artwork transformed the town. So bright and beautiful. Thanks for stopping by!
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Diana, I love it. There is a little mountain town in NC called West Jefferson that has cool street art. It seems the mountain communities have a more eclectic feel and they embrace their artists. Thanks for sharing. Keith
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Thanks, Keith, for introducing me to West Jefferson. We’re hoping that the art will bring more visitors to our isolated town, and I wonder if that was their motivation too. Perhaps small towns have fewer barriers since everyone knows everyone else, but it also makes fundraising a challenge. Have a wonderful, creative Sunday. 🙂
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Diana, I treasure the eclectic. These communities realize people will come to visit and participate in its art. We love to do day or weekend trips to these places. Keith
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Me too! I look forward to the end of this virus, so I can do it again.
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Oh how wonderful, Diana. Thank you so much for sharing such beautiful street art (thanks to Resa for sending me here!)
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Resa is so inspiring, isn’t she? I love how she seeks out art in her city. This project can together quickly after ten years of talking about murals, and it changed the image of our town. Thanks so much for swinging by! Happy Sunday.
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Yes, she is! Me too. And thanks to her, I now pay attention to murals in Montreal and everywhere I go.
I love that your city put out this project. Such a simple thing, to add colour to people’s lives.
Have a groovy Sunday, Diana!
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Ha ha. You too.
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😉
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The variety is awesome. Great post Dianne
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Hi Shehanne! So nice to see you here. Thanks for taking the tour through my little town. I love the variety too and it had a wonderful impact on the feel of the downtown area. Have a lovely Sunday. 🙂
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And you Dianne, I really loved this. xx
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So many talented artists!
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I love the variety, Suzanne. It was fun to see these go up and how they changed the look of the town. Thanks for taking the tour and have a wonderful weekend. 🙂
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You too!
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Reblogged this on Graffiti Lux Art & More and commented:
“Diana” – Prolific writer, book reviewer extraordinaire and lover of life & love others have for life; has shared some groovy (amazing) street art from her home town, Verona (population 2300).
Now I share it with you!
I strongly suggest you go over and see it for yourself!
– Thank you, Diana!
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Thanks so much for sharing the murals, Resa. So sweet of you. And I hope I’ve directed some traffic your way too. The more enjoyment of street art, the better! Hugs.
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{{hugs}} I’m commenting from Art Gowns. I finally have enough drawings for a post. I’m so excited!
Thank you so much for your wonderful sense of you!
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Yay. I’ll keep an eye out. I love your gowns. They are sooo magical. Straight out of a fantasy fairy tale.
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{{hugs}}
Sorry for the late reply. I got unusually busy.
Still am. Not much time to blog, been doing style pages for a MOW.
I should know tomorrow if I’m free, or facing 7 weeks of insanity!
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I can imagine that you’re busy, Resa. I have a feeling that’s you. Lol
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Not enough hours!!!!
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Thank you for sharing the beauty! The rooster is my favourite — I’d love to sit there with a cup of coffee.
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Wouldn’t that be fun, Basilike? So many people enjoy the chicken. Lol. As soon as our little town gets a handle on our covid cases, we’ll be out there enjoying the sights. Thanks so much for stopping by, my friend. I hope you’re enjoying your weekend. ❤
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I hope you get out there soon, and enjoy that coffee for me!
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THIS Is what I love about small towns. Well, one of the things. With smaller towns/villages there seems more of an ability for residents to allow creativity and imagination in the town. I grew up in a small town and of course couldn’t wait to escape to “the big city” (which meant any place bigger than my little town). But funny thing, by the age of 40 I realized I loved living in SMALL towns. I hope the street art in your little town stays up for a long time. And then I hope once a year, artists are allowed to “change up” their art and start anew. Thanks for sharing your photos – really neat.
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I like small towns too, Pam, and have always lived in them. In fact, them seem to get smaller with every move. Lol. We’ve been wanting to do a mural for a decade and it all came together this year, despite and because of the pandemic. Funds for art were available. I hope we add more and certainly hope these are, at least, maintained. Thanks for taking the tour and have a wonderful weekend. ❤
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love your beautiful street art Diana!!!! It sounds like a rich town with color and support from the locals. Love the small town…. ours is double that but still small. I’ll have to visit Resa, thanks a lot💖💖💖
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Thanks for stopping by, Cindy, and I’m so glad you enjoyed the tour. You would enjoy Resa’s blog… so many different murals from her wanders, and she takes great photos (no cars in the way, lol). Have a wonderfully creative weekend, my friend. Hugs.
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It was my pleasure and I do like her blog for sure. Sooo awesome and no cars is always a bonus. I will Diana and you do the same my friend. 💖
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Wow. Just wow. For a town of that size to commit to that much public art–that is truly extraordinary. And I love the murals, although my favorite is the chicken because it reminds me of mine.
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Lots of people liked the chicken, Cathleen, and we’re a town full of chickens and fresh eggs. 🙂 We’ve been talking about doing a mural project for a decade and suddenly it came together with ten of them! I love public art. Thanks for the visit! Have a wonderful weekend.
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These are so fun to see!
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Thanks, Barb. I’m so glad you enjoyed them. They’re brightened up the town and completely changed it’s image. Now it we can just tackle covid, we’ll be open for tourists! Have a lovely weekend and Happy Writing. ❤
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Oh my goodness – these are stunning, Diana! Such talented artists. Bet they put smiles on lots of faces when folks pass them. Thanks for sharing!
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It was an amazing week of artists converging on our town, Teri. We cancelled all of the accompanying activities because covid is on the rampage here. But the painting went forward after nearly a year of planning. Lots of socially distanced smiles. Lol. Thanks for dropping by, my friend. Have a beautiful day.
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Thank you very much for sharing these pictures! How awesome they are!! I love street art like this!! Stunning!!
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I’m a fan too, Kirk. I just love how accessible it is and how it transforms a place, not only with its color and creativity, but by becoming a asset to the community. It’s created quite a buzz. Thanks so much for taking the tour! Have a lovely day.
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Wow! Diana, your town has become a colourful work of art! I love the flowers popping out of the wall as if to greet the passerby! What a joy for you all and I’m impressed by the quality and quantity. Your town is about the size of our village … and we only have a village store in a Portakabin and one pub!
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Thanks so much for stopping by, Annika. The town has a completely different feel to it. I love those flowers by the window too. We’re about an hour’s drive from the next sizable town so we’re somewhat self-sufficient here, especially in the winter. I’m so glad you enjoyed the post. Have a lovely day, my friend. ❤
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Adore this post, Diana.
Art in the street is an enriching aspect of reality.
Your Vernonia seems a magic place.
Thanks for the shout out!
Will be reblogging this in a few days!
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That’s awesome, Resa. I’m so glad you stopped by and enjoyed the tour. I would have loved to do a post on each mural with all kinds of shots, but it was also fun to show how in one weekend the town was transformed. You’re an inspiration. ❤ Hugs.
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Shucks! I’ll reblog in a few days. {{{{{hugs}}}}}
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Gorgeous artwork, Diana, that I’m sure brings life to the little town. I love the murals that Resa finds too. She has a good eye. 🙂
Thanks for sharing! ❤️
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Thanks for stopping by, Lauren. The murals completely changed the look of the town. Resa finds great ones in her city and she inspired this post. 🙂 Have a lovely day, my friend. ❤
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Gorgeous, and must give such a cheery feeling for the residents of your town. Thanks for sharing.
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Thanks so much for taking the tour. I’m glad you enjoyed the artwork, And you’re right that it gave a lift to the town, in more ways than one. Have a beautiful day. Hugs.
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The street art in your town has vibrant colors and meaningful content, Diana. The bird, flowers, rooster look like coming out of the walls approaching me. With 2300 population in your town, probably everybody knows everybody. There’s street art in LA downtown but it’s no more than lettering. I’ve seen some street art in Berlin.
I just came back on Saturday from a two-week trip helping my daughter to watch for the kids. It was wonderful but I’m tired.
Hope your back is getting better, Diana!
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Most of the art is reflective of our community, Miriam – logging, farming, nature, and some diversity, which I love. I’ll bet LA has lots of great art, but you’d probably need a map to find it. Some great street art in Portland too. I’m glad you had fun with your grandies. You probably need your rest! Hugs, my friend. ❤ ❤
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Beautiful street art, Diana! Very impressive. 💕
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I was delighted to see the wonderful variety and high quality, Vashti. It was a fun day seeing it all emerge. Aren’t you supposed to be on a break? Lol. Thanks for the visit and take it easy. Hugs.
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I am.😅 It’s too easy to pick up my phone in between things. And it’s a good distraction sometimes.💕
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Sounds like a wonderful place to live. I love the beautiful art!
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Like any town, there’s the good and bad, Mark. But this was a great day for the community, and it completely changed the look of the old mill town. Thanks for stopping by to take a look!
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This gets a Maine wowsah! Fantastic.
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Ha ha. We’ll take the Maine Wowsa, Laurie. We’re such a small, isolated town that art isn’t readily available to all residents. Now the whole town can enjoy it. Thanks for taking the tour! Have a great day. 🙂
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What fun street art!
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Thanks for stopping by, Anne. It was such a fun day to walk around and see the town transformed. 😀 Have a lovely, creative day.
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