Astoria Armory patron and local historian Jeff Daly checked on the progress of the Gateway Mural day and night. “The energy it has brought to the community already, it’s phenomenal. Everybody is just digging it,” he said.

The 3741 square-foot mural covers one side of the Astoria Armory, the community and events center at 1636 Exchange St., in Astoria. 

It was created through a collaboration between the Astoria Armory, the city of Astoria, the Portland Street Art Alliance, mural artist Casey McEneny and Care Oregon, which sponsored the mural.

“We couldn’t have done it without Care Oregon’s Support,” said Susan Hobson, president of the Friends of the Astoria Armory. 

The mural covers a 129 x 20 foot rectangular panel positioned at the top of the wall on the Columbia River side of the historic building. The placement inspired the moniker “Gateway” because of its visibility from major thoroughfares like the Columbia River, the Astoria Riverwalk and U.S. Highway 30. “The mural will serve as a visual ‘gateway’ before entering downtown Astoria,” said Hobson.  

Undaunted

In addition to having the vision, supporters said the artist tackling the project needed to be undaunted by the size and physicality required to install the piece. They hired McEneny from Seal Rock, Oregon, who has years of experience in large-scale murals.

McEneny got hooked on mural painting at 16 when he was commissioned to paint a mural in Newport. Now in his 30s, the artist has completed so many he has lost track. “It’s really hard to say how many murals I have done since that age, but I would say it’s somewhere around 100 plus,” he said. 

These have appeared around the Pacific Northwest and one in the West Indies. 

Largest

The Gateway Mural is one of his largest projects. “Since 2010, the mural size has definitely been increasing. Most of my murals over the last 10 years have been 100 feet plus in length, and usually around 25 to 30 feet tall. The Astoria one is on the larger side of those projects” he said. 

A mural of that size and height created extra challenges for McEneny even beyond rainy days and a three-day delay caused by an equipment malfunction. “The mural starts 15 feet off the ground and goes up from there,” he said. “It’s a little more nerve-wracking to be up that high, but the height of the mural will allow for good visibility.”

To mitigate challenges, McEneny hired his close friend from art school, fellow artist Jason Kopydlowski to assist. “Jason is an expert at lift operating, the projection process, and it would take twice as long if not more without his help,” said McEneny.  

‘Awesome’

The pair of artists basked in the Astoria ambiance. “That’s the best part of murals; you get embedded into a different culture than you’re used to for the duration of the project.” McEneny said. “We are staying in a cottage up the road where we can see the amazing views of the ships on the river, deer in our yard and eat at the local food trucks. It’s been awesome.” 

Curious onlookers witnessed the public art project coming together bit-by-bit. “Being out in front of the public eight hours a day leads to some in-depth conversations with local people,” says McEneny. “Lots of locals show up and talk to us, but there are a few regulars.”

McEneny says Daly was the most regular. “There is a guy named Jeff who is the most memorable because he shows up in his clown car. He is just a lot of fun and the community aspect of mural painting allows those interactions to happen.” 

In turn, Daly appreciates that McEneny and Kopydlowski are willing to multitask. “I can’t say enough about how great Casey and Jason are. They are wonderful people who take the time to stop and tell everyone about the work, even though they are hard at work. I think it’s great,” he said.