Heat, travel, and a 40-foot curve aren’t slowing down Will Sykes, who’s halfway through painting Battle Ground’s first city-approved mural, all on his own dime.
Sykes, a Central Washington University graduate with a background in computer science and studio art, began work on the “Tiger Pride” mural on July 7 at the Battle Ground Skate & Bike Park. The piece, five tigers surrounded by jagged lightning, is a nod to the high school mascot and a bid to inject energy and identity into a well-used public space.
Though computer science was his major, art has always been Syke’s passion.
“So I’ve been drawing since as far back as I can remember,” he said. “It’s just natural to me, kind of like skateboarding or running for others.”
Before moving to Battle Ground a month ago, Sykes made regular three- to four-hour trips from Ellensburg, Washington, as he was attending college, to pitch and develop the mural idea. He made the trip roughly eight times to participate in Parks and Community Engagement Advisory (PACE) Board meetings. Now living locally, he works on the mural four to six hours a day in the heat. The city contributed $1,000 for supplies, but none of that went toward labor.
As of day three, he’s ahead of schedule. The background is nearly complete, and he’s begun outlining the first tiger as of press time.
Sykes has a personal connection to the skate park. His mom moved to Battle Ground three years ago, and he spent long visits skating there while in college. The idea for the mural came after he noticed layers of graffiti at the park had been painted over.
“So I saw all this painted-over graffiti. I knew everyone here loved art and wants to do art,” Sykes said. “That’s why they keep tagging up the place, so, I [thought] maybe if we can get some good art like a good mural, something that can command respect like, I can help them solve their vandalism problem and, maybe inspire some of these wannabe artists take it a little further.”
Sykes pitched the project to city leaders in December. He collaborated with the Parks and Community Engagement Advisory Board to refine the concept before it received unanimous approval from the City Council in May.
To manage the wall’s curved shape, Sykes created a squiggle grid, a hand-drawn system of symbols and numbers, to scale his digital design onto the dome. He uses Adobe Illustrator to map out his squiggles, which helps him paint the details accurately.
The tigers nod to the Battle Ground High School mascot, but for Sykes, they’re more than just local school pride.
I kind of see the skateboard community [as] individuals that come together, and some of them can be real ferocious, but together, it’s electric,” he said, referring to the mural’s electric background. “So I was just like I feel like this is just a great piece for where we’re at.”
He also hopes the mural can serve as inspiration for other artists.
“I used to think like any graffiti artist. I started out as one of these kids where I just wanna put up something anywhere that I can,” he said. “And, as I grew the skills and got the support of my family and my friends, I started making bigger and bigger stuff… I just thought it’d be an overall good thing.”
For aspiring artists, Sykes offered one piece of advice.
“Trust the process,” Sykes said. “The city’s been trusting me since I brought this to their attention, and now we’re here, and you know I’m doing my absolute best, and I just appreciate all the love I’ve got so far.”
The mural is expected to be complete around mid-July as of press time. Community members can visit the mural in progress at the Battle Ground Skate & Bike Park in Fairgrounds Park. To see more of Sykes’ work, visit stylenuevo.com or follow him on Instagram @nuevo.wdb.
