The Eel Watershed mural in Willits at the corner of Main and East Valley streets.
Perhaps you’ve noticed that the 14-year-old Eel watershed mural in Willits has seen better days. Artist and champion for the Eel River, Rosamond Crowder, is fundraising to revitalize the mural and extend its life by printing it on billboard vinyl and mounting it in a steel frame. Please help us raise funds for this wonderful piece of community artwork. Rosamond describes her inspiration and process below. You can click here to make a donation, please select the option to direct your donation to the “Willits Mural.” We need to raise $3,700, and 100% of donations for the Willits Mural will go to Rosamond for her materials and time.
When I first came to Mendocino County and fell in love with the Eel River watershed I imagined standing on the ridge above Willits and being able to see all of it from my feet to the ocean far north near Eureka. I wanted to paint my vision high and wide so people would remember and feel connected to this vast and magnificent bio-region.
I sketched the mural, showed it around and 17 years later Friends of the Eel River sponsored its creation. It took me and my cohort Kier Walter 7 months to paint it on signboard in my studio. Village Liquors in Willits on Main Street opposite the Post Office agreed to host it and in 2012 we celebrated its unveiling with music, a puppet parade, the “Cool Water Hula,” and a blessing ceremony.
Because art is not eternal . . . the mural is in need of renovation. Rather than repaint it on deteriorating signboard an image of the original painting in all its colorful glory will be printed on billboard vinyl and mounted in a steel frame. Please help us make this renovation a reality so everyone can view our beloved watershed with its land features, place names and glistening water.