A Century on Screen
A new large-scale mural by artist Nick Stokes
Click here for a larger image of the above.
Created digitally and printed for installation at Portland International Airport, this artwork celebrates more than 100 years of filmmaking in Oregon. It honors three pillars of our screen industry:
- Oregon’s film history from the silent era to today
- The crews, creatives, animators, game designers, services, and vendors who power production
- The diverse locations that bring stories to life across the state
What you are seeing
This mural gathers 60 on-screen references from Oregon’s catalogue of more than 700 films made since 1909. The composition spans seasons, eras, and landscapes to highlight the breadth of storytelling that happens here.
Look closer. Dozens of “easter eggs” are woven throughout the design. Some nod to film facts and behind-the-scenes moments. Others point to familiar towns, landmarks, and production details that fans will recognize.
Location at PDX: Post-security within Concourse B (Level 2)
Explore the references
Use these prompts to guide your viewing:
- Find three references to early Oregon film history
- Spot a location from the coast, the Willamette Valley, Eastern Oregon or Southern Oregon among other regions
- Look for a nod to animation or gaming
- Try to identify a camera or piece of gear hidden in plain sight
- Can you name ten films represented in the mural?
- How many film crew professionals can you find?
- Can you find all 60 OregonMade film references?
Legend: Films and References
Each numbered element on the mural corresponds to a film, show, or production made in Oregon. Use the numbers below to learn more about the scenes, locations, and creative history represented in the artwork.
Click or tap on the image to enlarge. Click here for a PDF of the Film & Image Guide.
Click here for a Fact Sheet.
About the artist
For this commission, Nick Stokes created a digital composition that could scale to the terminal environment while preserving fine line work and color detail for close viewing.
ARTIST BIO / STATEMENT
Hi, my name is Nick Stokes. I’m an illustrator and art director born, raised, and currently living in Portland, OR.
When I’m not making things for work, I’m making things for fun.
I gravitate to creating work with bold color, humor, and minimalism that usually find its way into maximalism (to my chagrin).
I was a terrible student as a child and was frequently in trouble for either drawing in class or spacing out and getting lost in my own little worlds. Turns out these are the precursors for not one, but two pretty cool careers: art director and illustrator.
For over a decade, I worked at the Portland-based ad agency Wieden + Kennedy. Some of my advertising clients include YouTube, Netflix, Illumination Entertainment, Travel Oregon, Fisher Price, Coca-Cola, and KFC.
At the same time, I maintained a career as a freelance illustrator. Some of my illustration clients include Harry Styles, Nike, IGN, Adobe, KFC, Adidas, Habitat Skateboards, Patagonia, Columbia Pictures, Microsoft, the Portland Thorns, and local poet Rebecca Wadlinger.
As someone who never imagined I would get to draw pictures and come up with ideas for a living, I thought I’d use some of the space on this placard to share some thoughts that have helped me creatively. Hopefully this may help to open the door for those who also doubt themselves.
- Make what you love and let the work find you. Enthusiasm and passion are contagious.
- Remind yourself that you might not be ready yet. Your ambition or desire may just need more time to simmer.
- Authenticity is key. Ask yourself, is what you’re making something you care about or is it something someone else cares about?
- The harder you work, the luckier you get.
- No one is more anxious than an ambitious person who creates nothing.
- There are fewer wrong answers than you think.
- Take the obvious thing and use it in an unobvious way.
- Ask for help when you need it (I asked the aforementioned poet Rebecca Wadlinger to proofread this).
- Good art needs two legs to stand: concept and aesthetics. Without one, it falls over.
- Be good to everyone. Even the people you don’t like. It’s better to light a candle than curse the darkness.
CONTACT INFO:
Nick Stokes
Art Direction / Illustration
Website – itscolortime.com
Instagram – nick___stokes
Email – nickstokesdesign@gmail.co
Project Credits
Conceived and commissioned: Oregon Film
Artwork: Nick Stokes
With partnership from: Hollywood Theatre, including creative development and production support by Jenny Lee and Gareth Smith. With special thanks to Ted Hurliman at Hollywood Theatre
Supporting partner: Koerner Camera Systems
Presented as part of: PDX Rotating Art Program
Printing and Installation, Michael Day: Graphic Print Solutions, Inc. (GPS)
About the Oregon Film Office
Oregon Film (A.K.A. The Governor’s Office of Film and Television) has supported the film, television, commercial, animation, gaming, and interactive industry in Oregon since 1968. The office promotes Oregon as a creative destination and strengthens the community that supports it.
About the Oregon Film Trail
The Oregon Film Trail is the official statewide movie trail and the first of its kind in the United States. It celebrates Oregon’s on-screen history through physical markers and digital experiences, connecting communities, film fans, and visitors to more than a century of filmmaking in Oregon.
Explore the Trail and plan a trip: https://www.historicoregonfilmtrail.com/
The SetJetters mobile app puts thousands of Oregon filming locations in the palm of your hand. Visit the exact spots seen in your favorite OregonMade shows and films. Use the SetJetters ShotSync camera to take a then-and-now image. To discover where iconic scenes were shot download the free app: https://setjetters.com/download
About the PDX Rotating Art Program
The Temporary Rotating Art Program at Portland International Airport (PDX) provides a portal into the dynamic cultural life of the Pacific Northwest. Through relationships with professional regional artists, arts organizations, art museums, and galleries, the PDX Art Programprovides a showcase for artwork that reflects the values of the Port of Portland and the region they serve.
Explore: https://pdxart.portofportland.online/pdx-rotating-art/
About the Hollywood Theatre
The Hollywood Theatre, a Portland landmark since 1926, is a nonprofit cinema dedicated to preserving film history while celebrating new voices in storytelling. Through restoration, diverse programming, and community partnerships, the theatre continues to connect audiences with the art of film and the creativity that defines Oregon’s cultural landscape.
Explore: https://hollywoodtheatre.org/
FB: @hollywoodtheatre & IG: @hollywoodtheatr
About Jenny Lee and Gareth Smith
Jenny Lee, Producer – working in film and TV since 2005. She has served as co-title designer, editor, and illustrator of numerous title sequences and montage sequences for both animated and live-action films. She is also a Movie Madness University film instructor and an Oregon Literary Fellow.
Gareth Smith, Creative Director -an award-winning filmmaker, title designer, and motion designer bringing over two decades of visual storytelling expertise to feature and documentary filmmaking. He was the co-founder of a boutique title design company and a design producer of critically acclaimed documentaries including Elton John: Never Too Late and Martha where he pioneered innovative approaches to archival storytelling.
Explore: https://www.smithleedesign.com/about
About Koerner Camera Systems:
Koerner Camera Systems is the Pacific Northwest’s leading cinema camera rental house, serving productions of all sizes for 25+ years from Portland and Seattle with extensive ARRI Alexa, Sony Venice, and RED (V-Raptor, Komodo) packages, premium Cooke/Angénieux/Zeiss lenses, expert prep spaces, dedicated technicians, and customer-first support.
Explore: https://www.koernercamera.com/
About Graphic Print Solutions, Inc.
Graphic Print Solutions Opened for business in 1996, specializing in large-format outdoor advertising printing applications. Over the years, they have expanded to include billboards, bulletins, transit, wallscapes, P.O.P., and vehicle graphics. They use state-of-the-art digital and screen-printing technologies to complete each project.
Explore: http://www.graphicprintsolutions.com/
Social Media
#NickStokesAtPDX #OregonFilmAtPDX #PDXArt #OregonFilm”
- Oregon Film
- Instagram: @OregonFilm
- Facebook: facebook.com/OregonFilm
- URL: OregonFilm.org
- Oregon Film Trail
- Instagram: @OregonFilmTrail
- Facebook: facebook.com/OregonFilmTrail
- URL: HistoricOregonFilmTrail.com
For press or project inquiries: shoot@oregonfilm.org
Accessibility
This page is designed to be readable on mobile devices. If you would like a text-only version or a large-print PDF, contact us at makeit@oregonmade.org