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Members of the Paradise Center sometimes have to look at the big picture to get things done, but sometimes that big picture is a very big mural. 

The panoramic photograph of the mountain setting behind the Paradise Center was attached to a custom made frame on the wall in the center where a railroad display fills half the room. The mural, a photo taken by Plains resident Cheri Seli, was made up of three to five of Seli’s digital images that she shot two years ago. 

The mural, which was 34 feet, 3 inches long and 50 inches deep, was printed at Alpha Graphics in Missoula at a cost of $600, said Karen Thorson, the Paradise Center’s board secretary and Plains resident. Mac Hall of Plains, one of the project volunteers, said they looked at two different texture surfaces — canvas and vinyl, but the vinyl had a more reflective surface. “I think that Cheri’s photo adds a great deal to the whole train layout,” said Thorson, who added that the canvas gave a painted like appearance that seemed to best compliment the overall project. “The railroad exhibit is a vital part of telling the history of Paradise and the photographic backdrop is a vital part of the exhibit,” she said. She said it changes the exhibit space in indescribable ways.

The photograph of the mountain slopes will be the background setting to go with an model exhibit of the town of Paradise and the Northern Pacific Railroad in Paradise as it looked in the 1930s, said Thorson. The railroad display is broken into two sections with several buildings representing the town and the railroad station, including a rendition of the old roundhouse, and some 70 feet of track. Because each building has to be custom built, completing the display will take time, she added. “For now, the photographic backdrop not only provides a realistic setting for the railroad exhibit, it anchors the exhibit to this place and this town,” said Thorson.

Hall, Marc Childress, and John Thorson, all of Plains, and the project leader, Rudi Boukal of Thompson Falls, worked on tacking the mural to the frame for just over four hours last Wednesday. They attached the frame to the wall the previous day. The canvas mural was connected to the top and bottom of the Baltic birch frame. Boukal said there were more than 400 pieces of wood in the frame, which he made at his home with the help of John Thorson and Childress. Boukal and Thorson finished the project Sunday, getting the remaining wrinkles out of the mural and making sure it was flat against the framing before attaching the rails and cover trim. “The wrinkles were such a challenge. We ended up taking down part of the left side, adjusted this, adjusted that, and then got all the rails and cover trim mounted,” said Boukal. He said they taped the entire width, doing about a foot at a time. “It was worth the extra effort — looking good.”

They considered adhering the mural directly to the wall instead of a frame, but on the wall was the school chalkboard, trim, crown molding, and a pencil tray at the bottom, said Boukal. With those obstacles and because there were varied textures in the wall, it would have been more difficult. “Without removing or damaging the historic elements in the school room, in case a new purpose the space would later be desired, I had to find a way to mount the mural to a very irregular wall surface that also contained many different profiles,” said Boukal. “The challenge was not only to hide these distractions, but to also do it in such a way that the mural could be hung flat while covering everything — doing so without disturbing the existing woodwork and historic value of the space.” 

“This is awesome, just awesome,” said Karen Thorson about Seli’s photo. “Building mountains in this room was huge,” she added. The Paradise Center, formerly Paradise School, is a combination community center, arts center, museum, and visitor center. “Capturing the images and creating the final backdrop was a challenging experience for me,” said Seli. “I’ve never done anything this large, but I had great technical help from the printing company, and I learned a lot in the process,” she added.

The railroad display is located on the second floor of the Paradise Center in one of the old school’s former classrooms. Volunteers began working on the train exhibit over two years ago. Boukal designed and constructed the custom cabinets for the display. Storyboards and photographs have been incorporated into the display to highlight important dates and events. Boukal has volunteered countless hours at the center. He also refurbished the bell tower, constructed easels for art classes, made the audience risers for the auditorium’s theater performances, and helped make the auditorium restrooms ADA compliant.  

“We are so fortunate that two individuals funded the backdrop and its installation, that a talented local woodworker had the skill to create an amazing structure to support the backdrop, and that a local artist created this stunning photograph,” said Karen Thorson. Seli said that many people have put a huge amount of time, effort, and energy into making the exhibit an educational experience that pays homage to the influence the railroad had on the history of Paradise. “It is an honor to have been asked and to have their trust in my ability. I couldn’t be more proud to have been able contribute this small part to the exhibit,” said Seli. All of the people working on the mural project were volunteers.

The Paradise Center is waiting on results of four pending grant applications — an ADA elevator, building materials for the railroad display, specifications for an outside roundhouse building, and a boiler replacement. They are also looking for bike donations for their bicycle fence. The center has been closed due to COVID restrictions, but plans to reopen the auditorium for static groups in June. Karen Thorson said they hope to have the entire center open this fall.