New mural colors Oak Harbor’s Serendipity Lane

Oak Harbor dwellers may notice a new mural by the waterfront.

By Sam Fletcher • May 14, 2024 1:30 am

Oak Harbor dwellers may notice a new mural by the waterfront.

The developing Serendipity Lane, a passage from Pioneer Way to Bayshore Drive, now boasts classic windowpanes, colorful flowers and plenty of subtle details in a Trompe-l’œil style, a French term for art that deceives the eye into thinking it could be real. With realistic shadows and lighting, the mural appears three-dimensional.

The Serendipity Lane painting is the latest of many of Paula Fries’s Oak Harbor murals. Her art can be seen all over the city, such as the oak trees near Smith Park, Mount Baker at the corner of Dock Street, the giant octopus and more.

The Serendipity Lane project was a collaborative vision between the Main Street Association Board, the city, former Mayor Bob Severns and his wife Rhonda, said Main Street Association Executive Director Margaret Livermore. Since, tons of townspeople have stepped up and contributed.

The archway opening the lane was designed by Ferd Johns, the retired urban architect, and built by the Skagit Valley welding group. Volunteers with the Oak Harbor Garden Club and the Navy built the terrace and put plants in. The city paid for the colored concrete, which will eventually be shrouded with trees and flowers. The South Shore Condo Association allowed them to paint on their wall.

The project was funded by the American Rescue Plan, the Main Street Association, a grant from Island Thrift, an arts fund grant from the Paul Allen Family Foundation and various local businesses through the Main Street tax incentive program. Private donors will also receive plaques, made by Terra Vin, on the walkway expressing gratitude.

Fries is even giving some of her money back to use toward the plants, and contractors are providing discounted work. Many more volunteers and groups have helped, Livermore said.

By the end of summer, a four-foot-high trellis with entangling vines will run along the mural, she said, and solar panels will light the walkway at night.

Fries has been painting projects around the Puget Sound since she was 23, she said. Formerly a Coupeville resident, she is soon to open a donut shop in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

Each of Fries’s Oak Harbor murals have a distinct personality, she said, and it’s hard to choose a favorite.

“My favorite mural downtown is the Dutch shoes,” she said, “but I didn’t do them.”

Dealing with unpredictable weather, the Serendipity Lane mural took about three weeks. Every day, people stopped by and gave Fries her proverbial flowers.

“I am blown away at the response,” she said. “People go out of their way; they come back around the block and pull in here and have to tell me how much they love it. It’s so nice.”

At the end of the summer, Fries hopes for little tables so people can linger and enjoy the space.

“It is amazing,” she said. “Like, what? ‘Cause this is just like a parking lot basically. Once the whole thing’s done, it’s going to completely transform this place.”