SEATTLE ARTIST & LOCAL FLOWER GROWERS TEAM UP ON FLORAL MURAL

A once-gray warehouse building in the Georgetown neighborhood is getting a colorful facelift.

Seattle artist Josephine Rice is painting the finishing touches on a multi-hued floral mural on the South Orcas Street home of the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market Cooperative.

Rice started painting the building’s 65 foot by 25 foot facade on April 15. She finished in time for the market’s Mother’s Day Market on Saturday, May 11. The market was open, selling dozens of local flower varieties from its 15 member farms in Washington and Oregon.

“We hope this mural will inspire people to shop with us, to support our fantastic local farmers,” says Market Manager Katy Beene. “Our flowers inspire beauty from the kitchen table to weddings and beyond.”

Rice is a floral designer herself and a former market employee. “I’m fascinated by flowers — obsessed, really,” she says. Years ago, she visited the market for inspiration, which was the spark that led her to become a florist. “It perfectly merges my love of plants, romance and making art.”

The mural actually wraps around the side of the building, covering another 25 foot by 25 foot section that faces north. It is her largest mural to date.

The project was financed by a Kickstarter campaign that drew 76 backers who pledged $9,299. The mural also got the thumbs up and financial support from the Harvey family, owners of Orcas Business Park, where the building is located.

The Seattle Wholesale Growers Market is a cooperative of 15 independently owned flower farms in Washington and Oregon. Its mission is to foster a vibrant community marketplace that sustains local flower farms and provides top-quality products and services to the floral industry.

Although the market caters primarily to wholesale buyers, members of the public are able to shop during retail hours every Friday 10am to noon.