By Gale Hemmann
Thanks to Jeannie Beirne, many kids’ days are now a little bit brighter. The local artist recently created colorful murals in the Children’s Services lobbies of the Hoquiam and Elma Behavioral Health Resources (BHR) buildings.
The murals, which depict local scenery and wildlife, are already bringing out smiles in those who see them. Now as children and parents wait for appointments, they are greeted by playful seals in Hoquiam and grazing horses in Elma.
I spoke with Beirne to learn more about how the project came to life. Beirne, who lives in Olympia, was originally asked to create a mural for the Olympia BHR Children’s Lobby. The mural, which depicts colorful Puget Sound scenes, was a huge hit with the children and families who saw it. The project was so successful that Beirne was then asked to create two additional murals, for the Grays Harbor BHR locations.
Beirne got right to work. After finishing the Olympia mural last month, she hit the road to Hoquiam, where she spent several days painting in the Hoquiam Children and Family Services building. For each mural, Beirne must create a design and scale it to the space, draw an outline on the wall, and then fill it in with color. Completed in early January, the Hoquiam mural is a lovely reflection of life on the Harbor. Graceful blue herons, rippling water and rolling hills provide a serene, peaceful scene to look at.
Beirne says that a wonderful part of the project was seeing kids’ enthusiasm as the murals were in progress. They were very interested in the painting process itself and asked her a lot of questions. She says it was great seeing the kids get so excited about art. Says Beirne, “My favorite story from working on the Hoquiam mural was when a little boy picked up some crayons and paper and sat down to draw with me. He would look up and watch me, then go back to drawing. I love seeing the kids’ respond to the environment I’m creating and get inspired to explore their own artistic self-expression.”
After finishing the Hoquiam project, Beirne moved on to start the Elma mural. A pasture scene true to the area’s rural beauty, the Elma mural features farm animals and local wildlife. Beirne notes, “The kids in Elma loved the chipmunks! I tried to add in lots of little critters for the kids to discover.” Indeed, viewers will find a playful squirrel balancing on a branch, different species of birds, and more.
I also spoke with Kaj Kayij-Wint, Program Manager, who works at both BHR locations. Says Kayij-Wint, “The kids have been very excited and we’ve received a lot of compliments on Jeannie’s work. We are working to make both lobbies more kid-friendly, and the murals are the biggest piece of that. It’s also been great that the kids got to see the process of creating the murals from start to finish.”
Alliea Phipps, Community Relations and Foundation Director for BHR, says, “We’re beyond blessed that Jeannie has chosen to share her genius with us and our clients…Hundreds of children, and their parents, will get to see her creations over the years.” The staff are also enjoying the new art additions to their workplace environment.
What’s next for Beirne? She’ll be creating one more mural for Behavioral Health Resources, at their Shelton location (also made possible by the Rotary Club of South Puget Sound and BHR Foundation). A busy artist, illustrator, and set designer for Harlequin Productions in Olympia, Beirne will no doubt be bringing her artistic touch to many future projects.
Beirne is delighted with the experience of painting the murals and the response they have gotten. She says, “I did my best to design each mural to reflect the community I was working in. One of my favorite comments was while I was working in Hoquiam and one of the employees said, ‘It’s so Grays Harbor!’ I wanted the murals to show a playful, stylized version of familiar places.”
“The murals definitely warm up the lobbies and encourage positive conversation in the space,” says Jeannie. “It’s been deeply heartwarming for me to get to make art in a place that matters to people.”
Behavioral Health Resources is a non-profit organization providing many vital mental-health and addiction recovery services to adults and children in need. They serve over 11,000 people through their locations in Thurston, Mason, and Grays Harbor counties. Learn more about them and how to support them on their website. You can also “like” them on Facebook.
To learn more about Jeannie Beirne’s art, visit her website and find her on Facebook.
