Having never lived in a single place for more than eight years, California-based artist Gaul Culley said she’s developed an eye for what makes a place unique.

The 41-year-old San Francisco artist was the force behind resurrecting the Kenmore Hydroplane Races three years ago after it was discontinued in the 1970s. So when the Kenmore City Council was thinking of commissioning a historical city mural, she was first on their list.

Sitting at Jay’s Cafe on a recent afternoon with local collaborating artist Staci Adman, Culley said the guiding philosophy behind her artwork is simply summed up.

“My work is about how identity is linked to space,” she said.

After she was approached by the Council, Culley in turn sought out Adman, 49. Adman has lived in Kenmore since 1998, raising her children and sitting on various art councils and commissions.

Culley’s husband was raised in Kenmore and the artist said she finds the city fascinating.

It was that fascination with Kenmore’s past and present that guided their historical research and serves as the basis for the mural.

The mural will be painted on the western side of the Kenmore St. Vincent de Paul building and will be approximately 12-feet high and 188-feet long.

The art itself seamlessly blends the past with the present. One panel shows a massive lumberjack’s legs stepping over racing hydroplanes. The panel directly to the left blends into images of boys rolling a log down the Sammamish River and a man on a golf green taking a swing.

Another features a large tree with a photographer at it’s base, camera lens pointed towards the viewer, with a red brick road running behind it. Culley said each element in their mural was based on extensive interviews and research they’ve conducted since last summer.

For example, the tree panel and road represents the old State Route 522 road, which under a previous name was made with red bricks in the early 1900s. The tree represents efforts of conservation groups to keep companies from logging within 200 feet of the new road, and the camera man represents Kenmore Camera.

The stories behind the mural are so intricate the artists are hoping to receive grant funding to create an interactive web site where people can learn about every aspect of the painting.

Jim McFarland, director of marketing and communication with St. Vincent de Paul, said they were more than excited to working with the city and the artists.

“You gotta have people who really have passion and want to make something happen, and after I interviewed them, I said ‘These are really the perfect people to do this,'” McFarlane said of Culley and Adman. “To me, this was really a no-brainer to get them involved.”

Funding for the project is split into thirds, with the city footing one-third of the roughtly $30,000 total price tag, St. Vincent assuming one third through a 20-year lease and maintenance and the total $10,000 to be provided by local businesses and residents.

Culley said for her this was important.

“It’s about this idea of community ownership,” she said.

A bowling night at Kenmore lanes on April 24, a barbecue with the fire and police departments and CalPortland on May 7 and an art auction at Inglewood Golf Course on May 13 will all raise funds for the project.

Several local businesses have also contributed, and ‘Kenmore Mural Project’ donation cans have been placed around town.

A coloring book, shirts and hats are also for sale.

The project was officially approved by the Kenmore City Council last October, and if everything goes according to plan, the artists hope to paint over the summer and complete the mural by September.

And if this project goes well, Culley said she’s looking to work on more projects in the area. She said she’s currently in talks with Redmond about an unspecified project.