Piano artist Natalie Martin of Sequim sands down the piano that filled the Port Angeles downtown streets with music last year during a work party Saturday. (Jesse Major/Peninsula Daily News)

Piano artist Natalie Martin of Sequim sands down the piano that filled the Port Angeles downtown streets with music last year during a work party Saturday. (Jesse Major/Peninsula Daily News)

Downtown Port Angeles piano getting a makeover

PORT ANGELES — The piano that filled the downtown streets of Port Angeles with music last summer is getting a makeover before it returns.

A work party at the Conrad Dyer Memorial Fountain in downtown Port Angeles pulled the piano apart on Saturday, sanding it and prepping it to be painted this week — and possibly back out on the streets by this weekend.

Downtown business owner Mike French, a City Council member, said he began putting the piano out last summer.

His inspiration was a young trumpet player who busked at the fountain, he said.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

“It was a young musician who was trying to better himself and become better at his craft while entertaining people in the process,” French said.

French, who plays piano and has never had a portable instrument, wanted pianists to be able to do the same thing, he said.

After checking with city officials and neighbors, French added better wheels to a piano, which was donated by United Methodist Church, and began leaving it at the fountain on sunny days.

French said he was delighted to see how well the community reacted to having the piano downtown last summer.

“We’re a super musical community, so to me this made total sense,” he said. “And to see the joy it brought to a lot of people solidified what I thought was a great idea.”

After the piano had been out for awhile, people suggested that it should be painted, French said. That’s when, at the suggestion of others, French asked Natalie Martin of Sequim to paint the piano before it hits the streets again this summer.

Martin, who has specialized in painting pianos for the last eight years, also painted pianos in Sequim for Keying Around.

She said she will combine elements that speak to Port Angeles, taking a whimsical approach that will likely include mountains, water and music.

“It’s always a lot of detail; it’s not just a block of colors,” she said. “Every piano tells a story and I let the piano speak for itself.”

Though she specializes in painting pianos, she doesn’t play music. She leaves that to people who know what they are doing, she said.

“I am not musically inclined,” she said. “I have a deep appreciation for pianos. I love music, but I leave that to someone else. I just make them pretty.”

She estimated that she could be done painting the piano on Friday, depending on how things go. She planned to paint much of it from her home, but also planned to paint parts of it at the former Maurices, adjacent to the fountain.

She said it will take some time to dry before it can be out in the sun.

French said he is excited and is prepared to put the piano out again for the public to use once it’s done.

He said last summer he would push the piano out in the morning, then sit down at the fountain to play music and relax in the morning.

“It was a moment to myself,” he said.

French, who often plays piano in his living room at home, said playing in public is different and that the downtown piano has worked as a conversation started.

“I’d have all sorts of really interesting conversations with people I never really would have had a conversation with without that piece to start a conversation,” he said. “Out here, it’s hard to not have conversations and make connections.”

________

Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at jmajor@peninsuladailynews.com.

Port Angeles Council member and downtown business owner Mike French works on a piano, which he started putting out downtown during sunny days last year, during a work party on Saturday. (Jesse Major/Peninsula Daily News)

Port Angeles Council member and downtown business owner Mike French works on a piano, which he started putting out downtown during sunny days last year, during a work party on Saturday. (Jesse Major/Peninsula Daily News)

A work party on Saturday prepares Port Angeles’ downtown piano for a makeover on Saturday. (Jesse Major/Peninsula Daily News)

A work party on Saturday prepares Port Angeles’ downtown piano for a makeover on Saturday. (Jesse Major/Peninsula Daily News)

More in News

Family members of the late Mike McAleer, from left, McAleer’s wife, Shannon Burke, son Michael McAleer and daughter Colleen McAleer, accept the Clallam Economic Development Council’s Olympic Leader Award at Friday’s annual EDC Gala at 7 Cedars Casino in Blyn. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Former volunteer named Olympic Leader at EDC gala

Mike McAleer served on boards, provided support

Jefferson County discusses rules for rental units

Public comments to be accepted through Friday

U.S. Rep. Emily Randall, D-Bremerton, speaks about current issues during a town hall meeting on Saturday in the Little Theater at Peninsula College in Port Angeles. Several hundred people attended, including an overflow audience in the Pirate Union Building. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Town hall

U.S. Rep. Emily Randall, D-Bremerton, speaks about current issues during a town… Continue reading

Firefighters rescue woman from house fire

Firefighters and neighbors rescued a woman and three dogs following… Continue reading

Firefighters from East Jefferson Fire Rescue extinguished an RV fire early Monday morning on Marrowstone Island. (East Jefferson Fire Rescue)
Firefighters put out RV fire on Marrowstone Island

East Jefferson Fire Rescue extinguished an RV fire in… Continue reading

Soroptimist International of Sequim’s Medical Loan Closet seeks a business or community organization that can take advantage of its nonprofit status to provide it with an 800- to 1,000-square-foot space. (Soroptimist International of Sequim)
Soroptimists seek partner for Medical Loan Closet

Soroptimist International of Sequim’s Medical Loan Closet has provided free… Continue reading

Shop With a Hero program partners with Mariners

The Clallam County Shop With a Hero team has… Continue reading

Celebrations set this week for World Water Day

The Elwha Legacy Forests Coalition and the Earth Law… Continue reading

Forum to discuss Charter Review Commission

The Clallam County Democrats will host a forum on… Continue reading

Jeannine Vaughn of Carlsborg looks a gems and jewelry at a display table operated by Steve Morgan of Joyce-based Lil’ Log Cabin Creations on Saturday at the Clallam County Rock, Gem and Jewelry Show at Vern Burton Community Center in Port Angeles. The show, hosted by the Clallam County Gem & Mineral Association, brought together rock enthusiasts with vendor booths and demonstrations highlighting the hobby. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Gem show

Jeannine Vaughn of Carlsborg looks a gems and jewelry at a display… Continue reading

Sequim City Council members will discuss March 24 how the city’s Fourth of July fireworks display, pictured in 2022, impacts wildlife and residents. Local advocates made the request to council members in February to stop the fireworks display and move the drone show away from wildlife habitat at Carrie Blake Community Park. (Michael Dashiell/Olympic Peninsula News Group file)
Sequim City Council to discuss fireworks

Grassroots group advocates for changes

Interact Club members fill jugs and buckets in the Dungeness River for the annual Walk for Water event on March 1. They walk about 4 miles roundtrip to symbolize how far some people must go for drinking water. They raised more than $5,000 to help build a well in a Ghana village. (John Pehrson)
Sequim High students raise money through Walk for Water

Interact Club helps fund another well in Ghana