Benches with a view

Taking a seat has never been so eye-catching.

The city of Hayden recently installed nine benches along Government Way and Hayden Avenue designed by local artists to showcase the natural beauty and character of North Idaho. The “Come Together” project was funded by the Hayden Urban Renewal Agency and a “generous” donation from Hayden Homes, Hayden City Clerk Abbi Sanchez said.

Retired wind turbine blades made of fiberglass and carbon fiber offer a second wind to otherwise discarded parts. The eco-friendly repurposing aligns with artist Michael Fellegy’s piece titled “The Run” featuring Hayden Lake and the wildlife and recreational activities around the lake.

“A lot of my core memories are going around with family and fishing on the dock or at my aunt’s cabin on the river,” Fellegy said. “It represents good memories from the past. It’s all my favorite things implemented into it.”

Another artist, Melissa Cole, has her bench “Birds and Bees” at the corner of Government Way and Hayden Avenue. The art has plenty of connections to North Idaho’s nature.

“It highlights local flora and fauna and focuses on the importance of pollinators,” Cole said. “The flowers are all local wildflowers: phlox, lupine, camas, arrow leaf balsam root as well as western bumblebees. The birds are mountain bluebirds, Idaho’s state bird.”

The curved frame of the bench made applying the Sherwin Williams Forte paint a bit of an obstacle. Aside from having to sit at odd angles and poking into crevices and corners, the benches weighed over a ton according to Cole, making them challenging to move around.

“I have worked on other 3D fiberglass sculpture projects, so I knew that there is always more surface area than one imagines on these 3D sculptures,” Cole said. “I brought a yoga mat and cushions and did a lot of work lying on my back and my sides trying to paint in cramped areas. Fitting my paint brushes in under the bench was not particularly easy.”

Fellegy said that getting all the sides of the bench’s art to form together into one picture was the biggest challenge.

“It's difficult to get it to look good from both sides because you kind of have two different canvases that merge,” Fellegy said. “Then you have to tie it together because you want to be able to walk around and see it from all sides.”

Both artists took inspiration from their favorites when designing their benches.

“I added the swirls of blue as a nod to one of my favorite artists, Vincent Van Gogh, and to add movement and an energetic buzz to the scene,” Cole said.

Fellegy’s inspiration came from a few happy accidents.

“Bob Ross, he’s one of my favorite artists,” Fellegy said. “Some people laugh, but I like his process where he kind of feels things out. I started with the basic idea and kept adding as many details as I had time for.”

Each of the benches reflects a different artist’s view of Hayden and North Idaho, making what could have been ordinary benches into colorful spots to sit.

“It was nice to be able to do something that I wanted to paint and have the freedom to do it in the way I wanted to,” Fellegy said. “The city’s done a really good job of coordinating everything and making sure the project got done right.”

    Melissa Cole's bench "Birds and Bees" on the corner of Government Way and Hayden Avenue.
  

    One side of Fellegy's bench features a person with their dog fishing off a dock on Hayden Lake.
  

    A bird holds a heart next to the Van Gogh-inspired swirls of Melissa Cole's artwork on her bench.