Artist: Mister Mural (Derek Wu)(website, Instagram)
Location: Elliott Ave & Bell Street
Mural Description 
(click to listen to the description)
In this second installment, after Jurassic Port on the other part of the wall in 2025, Derek added several Pteranadons and a container ship to the western-most portion of the wall in a similar manner to the first.
The 3 Pteranodons soar overhead with wingspans reaching up to 25 feet. They represent the constant movement of air traffic through @flysea. They symbolize the aviation industry of Seattle; which is also known as Jet City, because of the aircrafts that have been engineered and built here by @boeing for generations. (The Brontosauruses on the other part of the wall symbolize Seattle’s longshoreman industry.)
The subtle number sequences on the wings of the Pteranodons are fictional aircraft registration numbers: N206NWA and N253NWA. “N” is the designation for US based aircrafts. 206 is Seattle’s area code, while 253 is nearby Tacoma’s area code. Together these form SEATAC, short for Seattle Tacoma International Airport @flysea , the region’s anchor airport, that is also operated by the @portofseattle. The NWA represents Northwest Airlines, a former airline working out of the region.
On the lower right third of the wall is an intermodal container ship floating in the Puget Sound, linking this region of the mural to the hardworking longshoreman Dinosaurs on the other side of the block.
No projector or grids to upscale his design. With a cellphone as reference, Derek sketched his design freehand.
This location acts as the gateway to and from the @norwegiancruiseline and other passenger ships moored at Pier 66. Along with Shogo Ota’s “Puget Sound Flow” at the base of the building, these walls are among the first and last sights visitors bound for Alaska on Norweigian Cruise Line will see when visiting Seattle.
Artist Statement (click to listen to the description)
I visited @shogodzilla while he was working on the lower section of the building just before I started designing. He shared his blueprint of a beautiful whale leaping out of the Puget Sound. He was careful to consider the Brontosaurus mural that I started on the other side of the block, and he knew that I was planning to paint Pteranodons above his wall. He told me that he wanted to represent the sea, because my Brontosauruses were the land element and the Pteranodons evoked the air element.
I thought this was brilliant.
Having seen his concept art, I sketched the Pteranodons flight path with the same visual rhythm as his design later that evening.
Although this was an unofficial collaboration, of two artists, with contrasting styles, working independently; it was a pleasure harmonizing with an art and design icon like @shogodzilla .
Dinosaurs were one of my earliest artistic obsessions and some of the very first things I remember drawing with crayons as a kid. It took a little time, but I finally got the chance to paint them… at full scale. This was a childish love letter to my home and I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who helped make it happen.
Derek Wu (Mister Mural) bio from Belltown Mural Festival:
Derek is an American muralist born of Filipino and Taiwanese immigrants. As a muralist, signage painter, and youth educator, he has worked to shape the visual aesthetic of Seattle since 2008. Born in Toronto and raised in Atlanta, Derek’s work is rooted in the influences he’s experienced both in the U.S. and abroad. With an imaginative style that feels approachable, his work blends surreal imagery with a sense of place, creating murals that spark curiosity and invite connection.
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