We live in Bigfoot country. There are stories of sightings of the large, hairy, ape-like creature throughout the Pacific Northwest. Those stories go back before the settlement by Europeans. My favorite name for the beast is Sasquatch. That word comes from the Coast Salish word “Sasq’ets”, meaning “wild man” or “hairy man.” Sasquatch is not to be confused with Yeti, a similar creature reported to inhabit the Himalayan mountain range in Asia. Stories of Sasquatch sightings are familiar around here. After all, we live northwest of the locations where the television series “Twin Peaks” was filmed.

We frequently see a man in a Sasquatch costume walking around the streets of Blaine. We know it is a man in a costume because it is human-sized. The beast of legend is reported to be much larger than a grown human. There is a giant sculpture of Sasquatch at the visitor center in downtown Blaine, a few miles from our house. Locals have a lot of fun with the creature, which is covered with fur in the summer. The fur has to be removed in the winter to prevent mould in our rainy season, but the underlying sculpture is crafted to appear to be a hairy creature. There are seasonal costumes for the Blaine Sasquatch, including special outfits for Halloween, Christmas, and the 4th of July.

Other than artwork, I have not seen a Sasquatch even though I frequently walk in the North Cascades where the creature is purported to live. I don’t expect ever to see one. As I have explained to my grandchildren, the fact that I don’t believe in Sasquatch prevents me from seeing Sasquatch. It is the same thing with ghosts. Because I don’t believe in ghosts, I don’t think I’ll ever see one.

I am well entertained by creatures that do exist. I like to watch the bunnies, gulls, crows, eagles, herons, hummingbirds, and songbirds that make frequent appearances as I walk and bike around the neighborhood. I’ve made friends with the dogs of several of our neighbors. I know the names of some of the dogs whose owners’ names I have not yet learned. I agree with the dogs in the fenced yards around here that their owners don’t take them for walks often enough, and I know the barks of several dogs whose yards are next to a path we take to go to the beach. A couple have dug under their fences enough for them to peer at passersby under the boards. I talk to them as we pass.

Some days, I take my camera and a long lens when I ride my bike and stop to take pictures. Great Blue Herons and Bald Eagles are among my most frequent subjects. I love images of birds in flight and occasionally manage to capture photos of multiple birds together.

However, there have been several new sightings of Sasquatch in Whatcom County, and I can confirm at least a couple of them. In the middle of last week, murals appeared on the garage doors of our next-door neighbor, featuring orcas and teal-colored Sasquatch creatures. I might not have recognized them as Sasquatch. They are quite stylized. However, the murals are part of a series by a Seattle artist who is quite famous for his murals around the area. Ryan Henry Ward signs his artwork with a printed “Henry.” He has painted murals at the Subaru dealership where I have work done on my car and on several other buildings in the area. One of my favorite murals is the one he painted on the inside of the pedestrian tunnel under the railroad at Laramie State Park. That mural is a memorial to his brother, who died at the age of 25.

According to his website, Henry is on a creative mission. Beginning this year, he plans to paint one thousand Sasquatch Heads on garage doors, walls, homes, and public spaces across the Pacific Northwest. He has no shortage of places to paint. Over 1,500 homes and businesses had signed up to receive the murals by the deadline for enrollment in May. Henry has a significant social media presence with videos on YouTube, an official Facebook Page, and an Instagram account where photos of his murals can be found.

An article on the King News website says that he can paint as many as ten murals a day. He chose his version of Sasquatch because he loves the creature and because he believes that the paintings can help unite the people of our region. "It's my favorite thing to do," he said. "On a bigger scale, I kind of see it as a Pacific Northwest connection. I just feel like right now we just need to be more connected. This is like my favorite thing to do. Yeah, I can do this guy in my sleep." 

The Sasquatch project is part of Ward’s commitment to public art outside of museums. In previous years, the artist has engaged in several other street art campaigns. One such campaign featured a mythical bird wearing a shirt with the words, “You can’t unsee me” on it. The Bird Alley mural and street art campaign responded to the need of unhoused and other marginalized people to be seen and recognized in our communities.

In addition to Sasquatch, Ward paints other animals, including octopus, fish, moose, and orcas. There are some murals, like the one outside of Flatstick Pub in Bellingham, that depict the whole Sasquatch creature. The murals on our neighbor’s garage show just the head and shoulders. Ward’s version of the beast is cartoonish and distinct from the sculpture at the visitor center. That’s one of the advantages of artwork that focuses on a mythological creature. The artist has the freedom to imagine the creature however they like. Ward’s choice of colors for the creature is quite different than many other artists. I think that the Sasquatch heads on our neighbor’s garage doors are colors chosen to coordinate with the paint on the house.

It is all in good fun and a pleasant addition to our area. I’ve been keeping my eyes open for more Sasquatch sightings. I don’t expect to see a real beast, but for me, a mural with the signature “Henry” is delightful enough.