COEUR d’ALENE — For Gabrielle Lewis, every mural she paints is special.

She’s made her mark on two walls in the city of Renton, Wash., and is the creative mastermind behind the often-photographed “pink mural” in Bozeman, Mont.

But the Post Falls High School graduate’s latest project in Coeur d'Alene is more than a work of art — it's a homecoming.

Lewis returned to North Idaho a few years ago after laying down roots in both Bozeman and the Seattle area.

Though she has done murals for an area organization and a local business, she has long been “shopping around for the perfect wall” to make her newest artistic vision come to life.

As it turns out, that perfect wall was the exterior side of the Tomlinson Sotheby’s International Realty office at the corner of N. Third Street and Sherman Avenue.

Sotheby’s has long been supportive of local artists, Lewis said, and welcomed her proposition for the previously blank wall to become her canvas.

“They’re so gung-ho for the community,” she added.

Lewis got to work in mid-June and by summer’s end, her “doodle grid” abstractions became a vibrant tribute to many of North Idaho’s most beloved plants and animals.

She hopes both locals and tourists will walk away with greater appreciation for the region’s wildlife after seeing the mural.

“I love that art itself can teach people something,” she said.

Also featured are the words “Welcome to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho,” which overlay an idyllic Lake Coeur d’Alene at sunset.

“The whole heart behind this project is ‘Welcome to Coeur d’Alene,’” Lewis said.

The project itself has been funded through donations, and kids from Emerge CDA’s summer program had opportunities to help Lewis in the earlier stages of color blocking.

“Art was so important in my formative years,” she explained. “I try to get kids involved whenever I can.”

Start-to-finish work on the mural costs about $36,000, according to Lewis. About $6,000 in funds remain to be raised as the finishing touches are completed.

Lewis plans to auction off a piece of original artwork based on the mural and sell limited-run prints on social media to boost fundraising efforts.

To thank those who made the project possible, a tiered plaque naming each contributor will be on display along with the mural.

It’s harder to put a price on what it means for Lewis to honor her hometown through her art, however.

“It’s incredible,” she said. “I swore I would never come back ... but I did and realized it really feels like home. The world is still out there for me to go see.”

The Arts Commission is holding a ribbon-cutting for the mural Oct. 24 at 5 p.m. The deadline for monetary contributions is Oct. 17. Info: brelseillustration.com.  

    The mural that has taken shape on the exterior wall of the Tomlinson Sotheby’s International Realty office in downtown Coeur d'Alene is a vibrant tribute to the region's beloved and diverse flora and fauna.
  

    Lewis gradually overlaid color and eventually detail on a "doodle grid," a method of ensuring correct proportions and perspective in a large painting.
  

    Kids participating in Emerge CDA's summer programs show off their colorful hands after adding their own touches to Gabrielle Lewis's new mural in downtown Coeur d'Alene.