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James Abbott mural in detail on cinderblock, which combined with the long exposure to weather has given the work sort of an unintentional impressionistic style. McCleary, Washington

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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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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

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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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James Abbott mural detail

McCleary, Washington

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James Abbott mural detail

McCleary, Washington

There is something deliciously and I'm sure unintentionally disturbing about the way he painted facial expressions in nearly all of the works he created around Grays Harbor County, although his landscape work was really good. It just adds to the surreal feeling many visitors have when visiting this zone of Washington State, Bezango WA 985.

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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James Abbott murals, Elma, Washington

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James Abbott mural

Brady, Washington

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James Abbott mural, created August 1995, Elma, Washington

Morty Comix # 2479

Morty Comix # 2479 was left in one of the public bulletin boards in McCleary, Washington. The main grocery store (with a great staff!) has some James Abbott murals on the side. Nadine is the only vehicle in the parking lot. This building was constructed in the 1940s and some say it is haunted.

In the last photo on the far left you get a glimpse of the seamy underbelly back alley in our thriving metropolis.

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An aging James Abbott mural in McCleary, Washington depicts a merchant at the McCleary Eyeball Store

When I was a kid in McCleary I recall you could buy a decent eyeball for only 50 cents,  but those darn federal regulations came in with Nixon and before we knew it, eyeballs were no longer obtainable by us normal folk. And another local business went under. My memory tells me blue was more popular than brown.

There was also a McCleary Spleen Store, but I do not believe that has been celebrated as part of a historical mural.

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Demon Child in James Abbott mural

McCleary, Washington