Steve Bloom/The Olympian
Rep. Kathy Haigh, D-Shelton, (right) and Kim Moores, her legislative assistant, have livened up the east stairwell in the John L. O'Brien building with their painting, "Silver Lining," which uses and covers earthquake damage to the wall.

Legislator, aide find 'silver lining' in earthquake scar

PATRICK CONDON, THE OLYMPIAN

OLYMPIA -- While the Nisqually Earthquake has mostly brought headaches for state lawmakers and legislative staff, one representative and her assistant transformed a small piece of quake scarring into something redeeming.

Noticing that a chunk of broken plaster in the stairwell of the John L. O'Brien Office Building resembled a mountain range, Rep. Kathy Haigh and her assistant, Kim Moores, rolled up their sleeves over the weekend and painted a mural around it.

The mural is familiar to anyone who recognizes Washington horizons, portraying a far-off mountain range towering over a lush forest.

True to the spirit of the endeavor, Haigh and Moores dubbed their artwork "Silver Lining."

"It's a good painting, but not what I'd call a great painting," said Haigh, D-Shelton. "What's great is that it's helping people to move on from something painful."

The Feb. 28 earthquake shook the O'Brien Building hard, although no permanent damage was done.

With the nearby Capitol still unsafe to inhabit, the entire House of Representatives has set up shop in O'Brien.

Haigh and Moores -- who live across the street from each other in Shelton, have been friends for 20 years and drive to work together every day -- regularly passed the large crack in the wall of the east stairwell, between the first and second floors.

"We talked about how miserable it was to look at it," Moores said. "It just kind of reminded you of the earthquake."

Haigh's original idea was to put a great big Band-Aid over the crack. Then, Moores looked a little closer.

"I said, 'That kind of looks like the Olympic Mountains,' " Moores said.

Moores, an artist, suggested they paint a mural around it. Haigh, who has also dabbled in painting, cleared it with the House clerk before the pair went to work Sunday afternoon.

Since then, House members, legislative employees and others have admired the transformation.

"I was impressed," said Dan Frizzell, a House Democratic staffer. "All I saw when I looked at it was a big crack. They saw mountains."

Sooner or later, the mural is likely to fall victim to earthquake repair work. But the two artists say that's OK.

"Even if someone comes and repairs over it tomorrow, it's done what it was supposed to do," Moores said.

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