Tim Quinn, one of the ‘great artists of the Peninsula,’ dead at 62

SEQUIM — Longtime North Olympic Peninsula artist Tim Quinn, 62, was found dead at his Sequim apartment at about 11:30 a.m. Saturday morning.

A friend who had gone to see Quinn had found him and called authorities, said Sequim Police Officer Randy Kellas.

Kellas said he had heard that Quinn had died of natural causes, but no cause of death was official on Sunday.

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

Quinn was in the middle of a project to repaint the “Olympic Visions” mural in downtown Port Angeles

Quinn painted the mural — which blends scenes of Rialto Beach, Sol Duc Falls and Seven Lakes Basin — in December 1999.

Working from photographs of the mural — which began to peel after a sealant was improperly applied by volunteers when it was originally painted — Quinn was planning on making the mural better than ever, said Kurt Anderson, past president of the Nor’Wester Rotary Club, which covered the $16,000 cost.

Anderson said that the board would decide how the mural should be finished at its January board meeting.

Doc Reiss, president of the Nor’Wester Rotary, said Quinn had always been giving to the club, calling him one of “the great artists of the Peninsula.”

“He was a very giving man and was always trying to find a way to help people,” Reiss said.

“He was working on raising some money for the club by having people donate to have their names written into the mural — the names would look like wisps of grass — and he was going to give all that money just back to the club.

“This is a loss that we will all note.

“His work will live on in the public eye and we all knew of his generosity to Port Angeles and to the Rotary. His work will be a constant reminder of his talent and kindness.”

Quinn’s touches are felt throughout the North Olympic Peninsula, said close friend and fellow artist Jackson Smart.

In addition to the “Olympic Visions” mural, Quinn also painted the “Sluicing the Hogback” in Port Angeles, which shows a scene of when the streets of Port Angeles were raised, creating the underground.

Mud from the hill — known as the Hogback — east of downtown was washed by powerful hoses down the hill, funneled into forms and was later paved over where First and Front streets now are.

“He was a tremendous artist,” Smart said.

“He did many, many private commissions for people all over.

“Tim was very well-thought-of in the community, and we’ve worked on several pieces together.

“A lot of people are very sad to hear this.”

Smart said that Quinn lived alone in his apartment over the Sunshine Cafe in Sequim, and that he is survived by a brother and a son.

Quinn moved to Sequim in the mid 1980s and established himself as a multitalented artist in several media, Smart said.

Quinn, who did political cartoons for the Sequim Gazette, also was proficient at chain saw carvings, stained glass, painting and drawing.

Port Angeles City Council member Don Perry, also owns and operates downtown historical tours and often points out Quinn’s murals, said: “His talent and personality will be missed by so many people.

“He will never be forgotten for as long as I am around because I talk about him on every single tour.”

__________

Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.

More in News

Supreme Court says no to recall reconsider

Sequim man found liable for legal fees

Chimacum Ridge seeks board members

Members to write policy, balance values, chair says

Fire destroys shop east of Port Angeles

A fire on Hickory Street east of Port Angeles… Continue reading

Jefferson Transit Authority to expand Kingston Express route

Jefferson Transit Authority has announced expanded service on its… Continue reading

From left to right, Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding students Krystol Pasecznyk and Scott McNair sand a Prothero Sloop with Sean Koomen, the school’s boat building program director. Koomen said the sanding would take one person a few days. He said the plan is to have 12 people sand it together, which will take a few hours. (Elijah Sussman/Peninsula Daily News)
Wooden boatbuilding school building ‘Twin Boats’

Students using traditional and cold-moulding construction techniques

Prevailing wage by trade across multiple counties in Washington state.
Prevailing wages are driving up housing

Administrative burden may decrease competition

North Olympic Library System
Rendering of the new Sequim Library, which is currently under construction.
Library system board recognizes top donors

Naming opportunities still available

Port of Port Angeles approves roof rehab projects

McKinley Paper Company moves out of Marine Drive warehouse

Drug takeback day set across Peninsula on Saturday

Law enforcement agencies across the North Olympic Peninsula are poised to take… Continue reading

Public meeting set to meet administrator candidates

Jefferson County will host a public meeting at 5… Continue reading

Interfund loan to pay for Port Townsend meter replacement

City will repay over four years; work likely this winter

Artists to create murals for festival

Five pieces of art to be commissioned for downtown Port Angeles