Wellness Center unveils new beartastic mural
From left: Bill Burdett, Shelley Petritz, Robert Petritz, Lola the bulldog, Emma Stayduhar and Cory Lewis unveil the mural behind the Shoshone Medical Center Wellness Center in Smelterville on Wednesday. Photo by CHANSE WATSON
Photo by CHANSE WATSON For the mural, Shelley Petritz combined her love of painting bears with her physical therapy experiences at the Wellness Center.
SMELTERVILLE — Have you ever saw a blank wall and thought, “someone should paint something there.” Well that is exactly what Shoshone Medical Center maintenance manager Bill Burdett thought when he looked at the blank wall of the utility building just behind the Wellness Center in Smelterville.
For months, Burdett reached out to SMC staff looking for someone to design and paint a mural on the wall, but was not having much luck.
It was all a coincidence, albeit a painful one, that resulted in Shelley Petritz being commissioned for the mural that was unveiled officially on Wednesday.
After suffering a fall early in the summer, Petritz became a patient at the Wellness Center and it was the quality care that she received that really was the driving force behind her completing the brilliant work of art.
“I had a fall in June and broke both my tibia and fibula,” Petritiz said. “After the excellent care I received at Shoshone Medical Center’s ER, they referred me to Dr. Quinn at Kootenai (Kootenai Health) who then referred me to SMC for physical therapy. Emma Stayduhar is my therapist, and I can’t express how great she is and how much she has helped me. I mentioned to her that I was an artist, and she asked if I would be interested in painting a mural for them. I did a quick sketch of bears doing physical therapy in honor of my treatments, and when she passed it on to Jerry Brantz and they commissioned me for the wall.”
As mentioned, the painting depicts a group of bears going through a round of exercises similar to what Petritz went through during each of her therapy sessions, but it begs the question; Why bears?
“I started painting wildlife about eight years ago,” Petritz said. “My husband’s nickname is bear, and though I do paint all kinds of animals and landscapes, whimsical bears and moose seem to be my go to.”
Together, Petritz and her husband Bob, own a business called Where the Bear Lives.
She paints and he is an incredibly talented craftsman who has turned quite of a few of his wife’s original ideas into fun furniture pieces.
Through all of this, Petritz has really enjoyed her time working with the folks at the Wellness Center and is proud of the very permanent legacy that she has left there for people to enjoy.
“Even though my fall has created some difficulties, I am grateful for the care and support I have received from so many people in the Silver Valley,” Petritz said. “I am very happy that it led to this opportunity to give back to such a great community. I hope the mural will be appreciated and enjoyed.”
Following the unveiling on Wednesday, Stayduhar explained that the mural is a great addition to the Wellness Center fitness park and also a wonderful and uplifting image for the staff and patients of Shoshone Medical Center Rehabilitation to enjoy.
“I am very thankful to Shelly and her husband for contributing this great piece of artwork in the Silver Valley, to Jerry Branz for approving this project and providing financial support, and to Bill Burdett for the original idea,” she said.
Petritz’s art can be purchased at Northwest Handmade in Sandpoint and she also has smaller prints for sale at Lisa’s Gems in Kellogg.
You can follow Petritz on social media, both on Instagram and Facebook at where_the_bear_lives.