Forestville gets Dressed Up in Brilliant Color

Amandalynn, mural artist, finds a wall that begs for paint

There it is, facing Forestville Downtown Park on the side of the building that houses a laundromat and Forestville Pharmacy. It’s plain beige and the only outstanding feature is a magestic oak on the corner by the laundromat.

Along comes COVID 19 that shuts down businesses and makes this already quiet downtown even quieter. No one is parked in the parking lot. People are not gathering in Forestville Downtown Park. Sunshine Roasters tiny coffee shop looks abandoned.

This must be the perfect opportunity to paint walls.

Over the course of about a week, this beige wall was transformed into brilliant color.

Small sketches of the final product were taped to the wall. Ladders were mounted against the building. Cans of paint with brushes sprung up like mushrooms at the base of the oak…next the magic of Amandalynn transforming downtown.

When you go to her website (www.alynnpaint.com) you can see MANY images of murals Amandalynn has painted far and wide. One of those has been on the side of a run-down building in Guerneville, just west of Forestville along the Russian River. This mural is called “Unconditional” and has become a familiar view. It greets visitors with beauty when they cross the bridge or come into town from the east. Idling at the stop light, your eyes rise to a tender exchange between an beautiful elephant and a beautiful woman.

Amandalynn clearly has a place in her heart for West County. Since she’s painted buidlings around the world, what made her come to our tiny town to paint our previously boring building?

I have been visiting Forestville for the last 20 years, and finally made the move here last August. I have always found a place of peace and inspiration here and am very grateful to now call this my home. I have spent the last 20 years living in San Francisco and painting the streets of the city, as well as many places around the world. After spending the last four months sheltered here, it seemed it was time to give something back to this wonderful place, and the best way I know how to do that is through painting murals.

Mural art is HUGE - I see you do pre-sketches (saw it on the building) did you plan this one taking the large oak into consideration and how it faced the park?

I am definitely inspired by all the local plant life and creatures. I have been eyeing this particular wall for quite a while and am so happy to have the opportunity to paint my piece in this location. When I am not creating art, I spend many hours hiking through the forest with my dog and am in awe of the secret beauty of this place. My artwork is heavily influenced by the world around me, so there are sure to be a lot more pieces created in the near future inspired by my life here in Forestville.

How did you get permission from the building owner?

First, I created a detailed illustration of a piece that is dedicated to the local flora and fauna. Next, I created a photo-shopped print out of how my image could appear some local buildings, such as Ideal Hardware, and walked in to propose the idea. I was very fortunate to have positive encouragement about the idea and was given the contact to the owner of the Coin Laundry. After discussing my idea with the owner, he reviewed my mock -up, then passed my proposal onto the owner of the building, who also gave approval.

How long did this take?

It took me about three and a half days to paint, and about a month or so to get the idea passed around and approved.

Is someone financing this project?

This was a personally-funded project. I consider mural painting my own personal therapy. It has been my passion for my entire lifetime, and since the pandemic, my mural career has come to a pretty abrupt halt. As I mentioned, I normally travel a lot for work, and I also normally have a career in art directing for music and art festivals. Therefore, life has changed quite a bit for me, so this was a nice opportunity to get out and paint again. It also has been a great opportunity to connect with the local community.

I see you did the mural in Guerneville - we love it - how long ago did you paint that one?

Yes, that was a really fun project curated by a local woman, Lindsay Goldenberg (resident artist at Russian River Art Gallery in Guerneville), who continues to support my work here in the North Bay. I painted that piece almost exactly three years ago. I was already friends with the owner of the River Theater, Jerry Knight, as I had assisted in painting the Theater's marque prior to the mural project. So when Lindsay reached out about painting a mural in Guerneville, that seemed like the perfect location. I am now working again with Lindsay, as well as Elise VanDyne, to get permission to paint a large piece in downtown Guerneville along with my painting partner Lady Mags.

Your coloring book is downloadable for free - how in the world do you make a living!?

Yes, the coloring book is part of a children's book I am creating along with my painting partner, Lady Mags, and author, Jill Mary, titled 'How to Know You Are a Fairy', which will be coming out in mid August.

We all felt very strongly that part of being a true fairy is supporting each other in times of struggle. Therefore, as the pandemic sent us all into lockdown, we knew there were a lot of people out there who needed inspiration and a creative outlet. The FREE coloring book is our way of keeping the magic alive. Our project is self-published, so we will be charging for the actual book. You can find more details at www.FairyWingsForAll.com.

As I mentioned before, I have made my living through commissioned mural projects, as well as art directing large music and art festivals. I am not sure festivals will be coming back into motion in the near future, nor extensive international travel for murals, but my hope is that my Forestville mural will spark some interest in local mural and fine art commissions.