How fortunate are we to have an outdoor gallery of art scattered throughout our neighborhood? I’m referencing murals, of course. I’m mesmerized by each new one I come across. Being a curious sort, I wonder what inspired the murals, why they were created in that location, who commissioned them, and who painted them.
In this issue I’m featuring a stylish mural on the wall of Silhouette, a women’s tailoring boutique and design studio at NE 42nd and Fremont. I met Julia Studer, Silhouette’s owner, quite by chance several years ago when I walked into the shop with a cherished jacket in need of a new zipper.
While I was in the store, I noticed a framed painting identical to the mural on the side wall of the store. “That’s pretty cool,” I thought. “She must have found the painting and liked it enough to commission a painter to replicate it on a mural.” It didn’t surprise me, because the style of the clothing on the women in the painting captured the theme of the design studio to a T. Alas, it turns out my assumption about the painting was wrong.
Artist/designer Raziah Roushan actually created the masterpiece, not once, but twice! It turns out that as part of her creative process, Raziah painted the small framed version that adorns the shop wall after consulting with Julia about what she wanted the mural to communicate. Then it was a meticulous process outlining the painting, balancing the background tones just so, and completing a work of art on paper and then again on the shop’s exterior wall.
From my perspective, Julia and Raziah formed the perfect team. Both are passionate about their craft, possess a native instinct for style, and have a creative gene. Stop by and view the mural next time you are near the corner of NE 42nd and Fremont. If you see Julia, tell her Mike on a Bike says “Hi!”
For more about Silhouette visit silhouettetailoringstudio.com. Artist Raziah Roushan’s work can be seen at raziahroushan.com.
Alameda resident Michael Wright is a rewired (not a typo) sports agent who moved to PDX with his wife Sally in 2009 from New York City. Writing, cycling, and sports of all types are no longer side hustles, but full-time pursuits