Bird Boxes

Spotted Towhee, by Madison Hughes, located at the corner of Division and Eastman Parkway.

Red-Tailed Hawk, by Madison Hughes, located at the corner of Powell and Eastman Parkway.

Robin, by Rico Ricardo Alvarez, located at the corner of 185th and Burnside.

Downy Woodpecker, by Rico Ricardo Alvarez, located at the corner of Division and Main.

Western Meadowlark, by Rico Ricardo Alvarez, located at the corner of Powell and Hood.

By Rico Ricardo Alvarez, located at the corner of Springwater Trail and Towle.

Artist: Madison Hughes

Madison is an artist who lives in Portland, Oregon. He started painting murals and large scale work in high school and since then has painted murals all over the world. When getting to design his own murals, he often chooses to paint subject matter such as plants, animals, and other things that are significant to the location of the piece. His style can best be described as illustrative folk art inspired by contemporary design.

Artist: Ricardo Alvarez

Ricardo (Rico) Alvarez got his start as a graffiti artist, then expanded into branding and logo work, clothing design, print making, screen printing and murals. He has lived in many different cities, but he decided to put down roots and make Gresham his permanent home in 2012.

He was working full-time as a brewer when the pandemic hit in 2020, causing him to refocus more of his energy on art and explore more ways to use his talents. Having been a graffiti artist for decades, he was always interested in large-scale public art and its ability to reach many audiences. His first art project with Gresham Outdoor Public Art was the colorful murals inside the Rockwood Marketplace.

Rico says his 8-year-old daughter inspired him and started him thinking about how to get her and other children more excited about the world around them. He sees art as a great way to stimulate curiosity and a sense of wonder about nature. His “Birds on Boxes” project was designed to do just that.