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HAWTHORNE PARK Muralists add color to I-5 columns as part of Hawthorne Park renovation Comment By Damian Mann Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Posted Jul. 20, 2015 at 5:32 PM By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Posted Jul. 20, 2015 at 5:32 PM » Social News A colorful mural has been splashed over a somber pillar that supports Interstate 5 next to Hawthorne Park, attracting the attention of passersby. “Great job on the artwork,” said Cameron Smith, an 8-year-old Medford resident who was on his way to a comic-book art class. Artists Jessilyn Brinkerhoff and Esteban Camacho Steffensen, both 27, are painting murals on six pillars just south of Jackson Street as part of an effort to improve Hawthorne Park. “We spent seven months composing these images together,” said Brinkerhoff, of Galice. “We’re still adding a few things together as we paint.” Brinkerhoff and Camacho Steffensen, who is from Eugene, have been working on the murals at night because the lighting makes it easier to draw the initial designs, which are mostly completed. Now they’re working in the morning to add color to the drawings, bringing to life cougars perched above the Bear Creek Greenway and a bear jutting its nose down a pillar. They are using a couple of lifts to hoist themselves 20 feet above the ground. On Friday, Brinkerhoff and Camacho Steffensen will get a little help from other young artists who are part of the LIFEArt — Live, Inspire; Freedom of Expression — program. Founded in 2009, LIFEArt was originally set up to give at-risk students an artistic outlet. While the two artists paint, passersby gaze intently at the surprisingly colorful drawings taking shape. “About half the people who pass by say they really like the murals,” Brinkerhoff said. Camacho Steffensen said the murals depict different vistas and wildlife found in the Rogue Valley. On Monday, he was working on a section that will show the area’s most prominent peak, Mount McLoughlin. After they’re finished with the murals, they will apply a clear coat that should help protect them from graffiti, the elements and from being washed out by the sun. Other pillars supporting the freeway a short distance away showed some staining from water that leaked down. “We chose the columns that don't have that issue,” Camacho Steffensen said. His mother, Kara Steffensen, looked on as her son stood high on the lift working on a mural. At times, she also added a little color at ground level. “I knew he was an artist when he was 4 years old,” she said. Steffensen said she took him to a store where he saw his first parrot. Hours later, she saw him drawing the same parrot. Both Camacho Steffensen and Brinkerhoff have worked on other art projects together, including Art Along the Rogue and at the WJ Skatepark in Eugene. But they said the Interstate 5 pillars are the largest project they’ve worked on so far. Each pillar will represent two months out of the year. The pillars closest to Jackson Street will be January and February. On the backside, they will be March and April. The same format will continue on the other four pillars. The artwork runs from the supporting beam that holds up the viaduct down to the pillars. A Zen garden will be built between the pillars with rocks, gravel, sand and some plants. The pillar project is in addition to the $1.6 million in work to remodel Hawthorne Park, scheduled for completion later this summer. The city of Medford has set aside $50,000 for the art project, which includes a $25,000 grant from the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians. The contract with Brinkerhoff and Camacho Steffensen is for $45,300. Not counting materials and supplies, the fee for the artists is $27,000. ODOT spent $14,700 to remove lead-based paint from the columns before the murals were painted. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 541-776-4476 or [email protected]. Follow on Twitter at @reporterdm. By Damian Mann Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Posted Jul. 20, 2015 at 5:32 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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