Southern Oregon Takes Shape in New Downtown Medford Mural
Artist Anthony Vella is turning regional wildlife, landscapes, and familiar local imagery into a four-panel public artwork for downtown Medford.
AT A GLANCE
Artist: Anthony Vella
Project: Four-panel downtown Medford public mural
Theme: “Connection”
Location: Bartlett-Middleford parking garage connection, 34 N. Bartlett St.
Size: Four 4-by-16-foot panels totaling 256 square feet
Imagery: Meadowlark, salmon, swallowtail butterfly, spotted frog, pears, morel mushrooms, Table Rocks, and Southern Oregon landscapes
Completion: Artwork expected in late October, with installation to follow shortly afterward
Mural Concept: Concept artwork for Anthony Vella’s four-panel “Connection” mural features a meadowlark, salmon, swallowtail butterfly, spotted frog, and other imagery tied to Southern Oregon. City of Medford.
MEDFORD, Ore. — A meadowlark stretches its wings across one panel. A salmon breaks through blue water on another. Nearby, a swallowtail butterfly spreads across a wash of pink and yellow, while a spotted frog anchors a fourth piece filled with imagery unmistakably tied to Southern Oregon.
Together, the four panels will become one of downtown Medford’s newest pieces of public art.
Southern Oregon artist Anthony Vella is creating the mural for the Bartlett-Middleford parking garage connection at 34 N. Bartlett St., where the finished work will eventually span 256 square feet.
The project is built around a single theme: “Connection.”
For Vella, that means more than simply painting recognizable animals.
“I wanted to explore our relationship with the Southern Oregon environment and the interconnected systems that sustain it,” Vella said. “The four panels bring together regional wildlife, landscape, and community, combining elements of realism and abstraction to create a visual story that reflects the character of our region.”
That regional identity runs throughout the artwork.
The four primary subjects are a flying meadowlark, leaping salmon, swallowtail butterfly, and spotted frog, but the compositions go well beyond those animals. Pears, morel mushrooms, Table Rocks, native landscapes, and other familiar elements appear throughout the designs.
Progress photos released by the City of Medford show that much of that vision is already moving from concept to finished artwork.
The butterfly panel is awash in pinks, purples, and yellow, with the insect at its center surrounded by other natural forms. The frog panel places the brightly colored amphibian against a more muted green backdrop, while the salmon panel uses cool blues and water imagery to frame the fish in motion.
Frog Panel: A spotted frog anchors one of the mural’s four panels, surrounded by additional Southern Oregon-inspired imagery. City of Medford.
Each panel measures 4 feet by 16 feet.
The project began months before any paint went onto the panels.
In February, Medford’s Public Arts Selection Committee opened a competitive call for artists and artist teams from Jackson and Josephine counties. The project carried an all-inclusive $10,000 artist budget covering fees, materials, insurance, transportation, protective coating, equipment, and other expenses associated with creating the mural.
The city is handling installation.
Vella was selected from the proposals submitted through that process.
A multidisciplinary artist with more than 20 years of experience, his work has included lettering, illustration, murals, abstract art, fine art, and gold leafing. He currently works as a resident artist at Timeless Treasures Hub and has been involved with community events, collaborative projects, and opportunities for emerging artists.
“My goal is to create work that inspires and connects people through art and creative passion, while continually pushing my own boundaries as an artist,” Vella said.
The mural is also arriving somewhat later than originally envisioned.
When Medford first sought artists in February, the project schedule called for installation to be completed by Sept. 18. The city now expects Vella to finish the artwork in late October, with installation to follow shortly afterward.
Once mounted, the panels will transform a utilitarian downtown parking-garage connection into something distinctly local — a piece built not around a single landmark, but around the plants, animals, landscapes, and relationships that help define Southern Oregon.
And for Vella, that appears to be the point.
The mural is called “Connection,” but its subject is ultimately a place.
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