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Elma, Washington

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James Abbott mural detail, Elma, Washington. One of the few instances I have found where he created a face that was not (A) Lifeless or (B) Demonic. Like I mentioned earlier, he was great on landscapes, but portraying people was not his strength.

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Detail of James Abbott mural, Elma, Washington

The "resting face" of the woman here reflects a modern condition

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James Abbott mural, downtown Elma, Washington

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Entitled "Cycle of a Forest" and painted on a giant saw blade, this is yet another James Abbott work of public art that has vanished. Actually I am just sort of guessing he created this, but I think part of his signature can still be seen at the bottom.

Elma, Washington

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Fat Leo's Rollin' Bistro

Elma, Washington

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James Abbott mural detail. Faces were not his strong point and the technique of painting black, empty eyes gives the works a bit of a dark edge.

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James Abbott mural, Elma Police Station, Elma, Washington

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James Abbott mural half-hidden in a hardware/lumber yard

Elma, Washington

Morty Comix # 2626

Morty Comix # 2626 was placed in a strange little plastic dispenser at a bulletin board in a restaurant, Elma, Washington

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Detail of James Abbott mural on waferboard

An unusual texture and amazingly well-preserved after being two decades outside

Elma, Washington

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James Abbott mural, Elma, Washington

An unusual one, painted on waferboard

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Watching this huge James Abbott mural being covered by a new paint job in Elma, Washington makes me think of sandcastles being gobbled by the tides on the coast. Outdoor murals can be such a fleeting art form.

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Now and then I have been documenting the work of muralist James Abbott, who was active in eastern Grays Harbor County mostly in the 1990s. Many of his works were historical in nature, frequently highlighting the culture of the early timber workers.

One of his largest works in Elma, Washington is vanishing forever as the building is repainted. Such is the brief life of outdoor painted art.

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Elma, Washington

Morty Comix # 2590

Morty Comix # 2590 was slipped into a copy of our free local weekly and returned to a newspaper stand under a James Abbott mural in a restaurant in Elma, Washington

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Chehalis River

near Elma, Washington

under a typical Grays Harbor County sky

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Chehalis River, near Elma, Washington

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Boxcar structure interior

WPPSS ruins