SEQUIM — Longtime North Olympic Peninsula artist Tim Quinn, 62, was found dead at his Sequim apartment at about 11:30 a.m. Saturday morning.
A friend who had gone to see Quinn had found him and called authorities, said Sequim Police Officer Randy Kellas.
Kellas said he had heard that Quinn had died of natural causes, but no cause of death was official on Sunday.
Quinn was in the middle of a project to repaint the “Olympic Visions” mural in downtown Port Angeles
Quinn painted the mural — which blends scenes of Rialto Beach, Sol Duc Falls and Seven Lakes Basin — in December 1999.
Working from photographs of the mural — which began to peel after a sealant was improperly applied by volunteers when it was originally painted — Quinn was planning on making the mural better than ever, said Kurt Anderson, past president of the Nor’Wester Rotary Club, which covered the $16,000 cost.
Anderson said that the board would decide how the mural should be finished at its January board meeting.
Doc Reiss, president of the Nor’Wester Rotary, said Quinn had always been giving to the club, calling him one of “the great artists of the Peninsula.”
“He was a very giving man and was always trying to find a way to help people,” Reiss said.
“He was working on raising some money for the club by having people donate to have their names written into the mural — the names would look like wisps of grass — and he was going to give all that money just back to the club.
“This is a loss that we will all note.
“His work will live on in the public eye and we all knew of his generosity to Port Angeles and to the Rotary. His work will be a constant reminder of his talent and kindness.”
Quinn’s touches are felt throughout the North Olympic Peninsula, said close friend and fellow artist Jackson Smart.
In addition to the “Olympic Visions” mural, Quinn also painted the “Sluicing the Hogback” in Port Angeles, which shows a scene of when the streets of Port Angeles were raised, creating the underground.
Mud from the hill — known as the Hogback — east of downtown was washed by powerful hoses down the hill, funneled into forms and was later paved over where First and Front streets now are.
“He was a tremendous artist,” Smart said.
“He did many, many private commissions for people all over.
“Tim was very well-thought-of in the community, and we’ve worked on several pieces together.
“A lot of people are very sad to hear this.”
Smart said that Quinn lived alone in his apartment over the Sunshine Cafe in Sequim, and that he is survived by a brother and a son.
Quinn moved to Sequim in the mid 1980s and established himself as a multitalented artist in several media, Smart said.
Quinn, who did political cartoons for the Sequim Gazette, also was proficient at chain saw carvings, stained glass, painting and drawing.
Port Angeles City Council member Don Perry, also owns and operates downtown historical tours and often points out Quinn’s murals, said: “His talent and personality will be missed by so many people.
“He will never be forgotten for as long as I am around because I talk about him on every single tour.”
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.
