A Seattle artist whose murals are displayed on school campuses around the country was furious when he discovered a huge piece he painted in his own neighborhood had been desecrated.

 Artist Andrew Morrison was crushed when he got his first look on Monday at the damage that vandals did to the Native American mural that took him 12 years to paint.

"A friend emailed last night and said, 'I'm sorry what happened to your murals,'" Morrison said. "My reaction was heartbreak. I immediately knew this action was an evil act."

He said he poured his heart, soul and heritage into the 100-foot long paintings on the Wilson Pacific School campus in Wallingford.

"These murals represent Native American spirituality, tribal affiliation, there's a picture of Chief Seattle, the namesake of the city," Morrison said.


Morrison attended the school as a child and wanted to give back a gift to his community. He estimates the four paintings together are valued at $130,000.

Seattle police are investigating the vandalism but haven't made any arrests. Morrison said he takes the crime very personally.


"You can't see their faces, cut out eyes, covered lips -- these are the great chiefs," he said. Officers are examining the white paint splattered across Chiefs Joseph, Geronimo, Sitting Bull and Seattle. It appears to be latex and sprayed with a fire extinguisher to reach the top of the 25-foot high art. The vandals tagged their names across the faces.


Morrison's father is a house painter who plans to help repair and restore the mural. The old middle school is slated for demolition next month, but the mural was set to be saved and the cut concrete installed on the new structure.

Morrison hopes the vandals didn't permanently destroy that plan. He fought hard to convince the school district to save his creations from the wrecking ball. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the police.
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