Central Oregonian

Decorating the Shack

Local artist Charlene Chauncey recently painted murals to be displayed on the exterior walls of the The Quilt Shack with the hopes of attracting customers as they drive by

JASON CHANEY/CENTRAL OREGONIAN

Local artist Charlene Chauncey (left) painted two murals for the exterior walls of The Quilt Shack, owned by Rhonda Krider (right). One mural was painted directly onto the building, while the second one was painted on a sheet of plywood that will be hung on the opposite side of the building.

Jason Chaney

November 08, 2012

In January, Prineville business owner Rhonda Krider moved The Quilt Shack to a new Madras Highway location.

Since then, her customers have prompted her to add some décor to the building to catch the eyes of people driving past.

“The ladies said I needed something on the outside,” Krider recalls.

After some deliberation over how to best do that, local artist Charlene Chauncey volunteered to take on the task.

She opted to paint an approximately four-foot by five-foot mural on the east and west sides of the building. Each painting resembles a quilt similar to what a patron might find inside.

The individual quilt patches represent both Crook County and the art of quilting itself. They include a landscape painting of the rimrock, a few rodeo-themed pictures, as well as some artistic depictions of different quilting patterns.

Chauncey has enjoyed a long career as an artist, having sold paintings to multiple buyers.

“I have probably got paintings all over the country now,” she remarked.

She has also taught oil painting classes for the Crook County Parks and Recreation District for the past 30 years.

However, with the mural, Chauncey found herself in unfamiliar territory. She painted the first quilt onto the wooden siding of the business. Having never used an exterior wall for a canvas, she found the process more difficult than normal.

“It’s real bumpy,” she said. “You can hardly get your lines straight.”

The project took her several days to complete, some as long as nine hours.

“I’m like, ‘Go home. You need to go home,’” a grateful Krider quipped.

All the while, Chauncey’s work caught the attention of The Quilt Shack customers as they walked through the door.

“The ladies would come by and (say), ‘Oh, what are you doing?’” Krider remarked. “They were all excited.”

After completing the first quilt mural, Chauncey felt it best to paint the second one on a sheet of plywood and attach it to the wall. Not only would she avoid the challenge of painting on such a bumpy surface, she could stay indoors and out of the cold or potentially rainy weather.

This past Tuesday, the second painting was ready for installation, and Krider was excited to see it go up.

“We are just trying to brighten up the town,” Krider said. “We don’t want anything too large, but still something pretty.”