I work for a sign company, so it shouldn’t surprise you at all to know that I pay close attention to signs. But working for a sign company also means that I look at signs not just in their totality as visible objects of identification and branding, but from the standpoint of their component parts. The design, fabrication techniques, installation engineering, and integration of digital technologies intrigue me as well. But the bottom line remains that we sign makers are in the business of getting people noticed — our ways of doing so have simply evolved like everything else under the sun.

Which is why, in a nutshell, that Meyer Sign sponsors Tales of the Magic Skagit. Our stories and companion media are just another way to get us to notice each other and the amazing community in which we live.

Which is also why I make it a point to slow down for mural art. At its best (and we’ve got some great examples here in the Magic Skagit) it is the ultimate visual brag on who we are, where we come from, and what matters to us. I call your attention, for example, to the amazing mural at the intersection of Gates and Main Streets in downtown Mount Vernon.

I’m therefore pleased to further call your attention to a new mural project in town, out on East College Way. My wife brought it to my attention just before the Skagit County Fair fully occupied my days, and we made a point to check it out just before the Fair’s commencement. Although it was clearly still a work in progress, its sun-infused colors and the beauty and energy of its design were every bit as impactful as Mount Vernon’s downtown mural, albeit on a slightly smaller scale. Its visual narrative, however, seemed more focused.

Not long after taking the photos for this article, I was delighted to come across a story about the murals, courtesy of Jake Isom, a reporter for the Skagit Valley Herald. It was from this August 3, 2022 article that I learned the identity of the artists who, with some volunteer assistance, created the murals: Fulgencio Lazo and his wife, Erin Fanning.

A total of seven murals beautify the walls of he the new Consejo Counseling and Referral Service building on East College Way, at the corner of Windsor Dr., two are outside and five are inside. They represent the fifth such artistic endeavor that Lazo and Fanning have undertaken for Consejo Counseling (which now makes me want to check out the clinic’s other locations). For about a month prior to Consejo Counseling’s grand opening on August 19, the artists were spending most days working 12 to 14 hours a day in order to finish on time.

The Herald article quotes Fulgencio explaining his artistic relationship with Consejo Counseling, which extends over two decades. “In each building, always, they’re trying to put some murals in and trying to reflect our community,” Lazo said.

You can certainly see the local connections in the Consejo Counseling’s murals. There are the iconic landmarks, such as the Tulip Tower and the Division Street Bridge. There are vistas of cultivated fields with Komo Kulshan and the Cascade Range in the background. But in addition to these obvious symbols of the Magic Skagit’s identity, the murals also recognize and celebrate the contributions of our valley’s Latino community. These symbols include Latino families, workers, musicians and festivities. As Lazo explained in the Skagit Valley Herald story, “In general, it’s trying to reflect that culture of the Latino community, and people can feel welcome to the organization,” Lazo said.

It’s the depiction of Latino culture in all its imaginative richness that I found the most compelling aspect of Lazo and Fanning’s work. It therefore came as no surprise to learn from the Herald’s story that although Lazo has spent the past 30 years in Seattle, his origin is a place steeped in artistic richness: Oaxaca, Mexico. I should add that this cultural richness extends to the culinary arts as well, as anyone who has ever experienced a Oaxacan molé can attest (can I get a witness?).

I particularly loved Lazo’s explanation of the flying women image on one side of the building: “In our community and in our family, the women, they’re more important for the families and communities, so that’s why I put two women flying,” Lazo said.

Consejo Counseling provides services addressing mental health, substance use, domestic violence and sexual assault. Lazo explained that while Consejo Counseling has a Latino community focus, its services are open to anyone who wants to take advantage of them. After all, that’s how we roll here in the Magic Skagit. I like to think of this as a place where we can all soar as high as the wings of aspiration and imagination can take us — and here in the Skagit Valley, what a view we have as we fly!