Nestled in the heart of Portland’s inner eastside industrial district, Wonderlove is more than just a food-cart and bar hub; it’s a vibrant space that fuses art, entertainment, and community. This summer, Wonderlove’s exterior was transformed into an urban gallery, with massive, eye-catching murals adorning its walls. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how we brought these murals to life, from the first sketches to the final brushstroke.
The Vision: Love Meets Wonder
The journey began with a simple question: How do you visually capture Wonderlove’s ethos—“The love of wonder is the wonder of love?
To answer this, we kicked off the process with an ideation phase. Inspired by our conversations with the client, we created initial sketches that explored story-driven concepts, each design reflecting a unique narrative of love, curiosity, and connection. To begin, we photographed each wall at the site and then used those images to create line art templates of the site to begin concepting out the images for each wall.
Since the space had the potential for seven different murals that would be experienced as a sequence, we proposed creating a loose narrative, with each wall progressing the story, like a huge comic or illustrated storybook.
We created five different story driven concepts.
Evolving the Concept
While the storytelling concepts resonated with the client, they had a fresh idea: to pivot toward an eclectic, gallery-style design. The goal was to make each wall stand out as its own statement piece while maintaining a harmonious overall flow.
We revisited our sketches, selecting standout elements from the original designs and reimagining them to create a visually dynamic experience. Each wall would tell its own story but remain part of a greater whole.
Refining the Designs
With the concepts in place, we moved to the next step: refining the designs and choosing a cohesive color palette.
We presented full-color compositions to the client, ensuring that every mural was vibrant and engaging. A “fractal sky” motif was introduced to tie the murals together, providing continuity while allowing each piece to shine on its own.
This phase was critical in balancing individuality and unity, ensuring the space felt like an urban gallery without overwhelming visitors with too much visual chaos.
Bringing the Murals to Life
With designs finalized, it was time to get to work on the walls. We were also working against the clock side by side with the Wonderlove construction crew who were all working to get the venue open for summer.
Preparation and Supersizing the Designs
Before painting could begin, all the walls were prepped with a white primer. We used a grid technique to accurately transfer the designs onto the massive surfaces. This approach dates back to the Renaissance, and was used by the great masters to scale up their works of art. It’s a tried-and-true technique that’s still popular today.
Paint and Color Palette
Each color was coded to help organize the palette. Moonlight Melody became E14.
At this scale we decided not to custom mix the colors in the event that repairs or updates might be needed in the future. We opted to work with premixed latex colors available as exterior house paint.
Hand-Painting the Details
Over weeks of careful work, the murals began to take shape. Layer by layer, vibrant colors and intricate details brought the designs to life. The “fractal sky” served as a unifying background, while bold imagery on each wall added its own unique personality to the space.
Detail of the Fractal Sky motif.
Planning for Unexpected Weather
To ensure we could keep moving forward even on rainy days, part of the mural was envisioned as a large framed hanging painting. This piece of the project we decided to create indoors and then install later. This enabled us to jump back and forth between the exterior painting and interior painting, and avoid any downtime due to weather or other interruptions.
One of four 5’x5’ panels created indoors.
The twenty foot long painting consists of four 5x5’ birch panels. The panels will be mounted side by side on the exterior “fractal wall” and surrounded by a custom frame. This final piece of the mural will be installed in the spring of 2025.
The Urban Gallery Realized
The urban art gallery taking shape at Wonderlove.
The result? Wonderlove is now an open-air urban gallery, where every wall is a work of art waiting to be discovered. From bold, abstract forms to intricate storytelling elements, each mural offers a different perspective, yet together, they create a cohesive and inspiring environment for visitors.
Visit Wonderlove
Whether you’re stopping by for delicious food, craft cocktails, or live entertainment, Wonderlove offers more than just a meal—it’s an experience. As you explore the space, let the murals guide you through a journey of love, wonder, and creativity.
If you’re in Portland, don’t miss the chance to see these murals up close. Come for the food and drinks, stay for the art, and leave with a heart full of inspiration.
Photo: @johnkeehn | Model: @lenamaekeehn | Location: @wonderlove_pdx