Meet the Artists who created Dayton's Legacy mural

DAYTON-The Port of Columbia and the Sesquicentennial Committee will unveil a legacy mural commissioned for the 150th Celebration on October 4, 2025.

The mural, located at the Palus Museum on Main Street, has been one of the city's best-kept secrets. A local farmer lent one of his trucks to park in front of the mural as it was being painted. The completed painting has been under wraps, creating curiosity leading up to its unveiling.

The port and committee selected the design submitted by Emily Compton-Bwire and her husband, Joseph Bwire. Their design, a closely guarded secret, captures the county's heritage, pride, and history. Though not from Columbia County, the Bwires are accomplished artists with roots in Dayton. Emily's mother, Suzi Tasker, works for the Dayton School District.

The couple lives in Huntington Beach, California, with their children. The Divine Hive Mind is the couple's business, offering creative services, including custom tattoos, murals, paintings, and illustrations. Joseph is known professionally as ZERO, and Emily's social persona is Mrs. Compton.

The Bwires' work shares a strong narrative focus, skilled figurative draftsmanship, and a unique storytelling style. ZERO describes his style as "graphic realism" and writes that his immersion in books ranging from anatomy reference to graphic novels inspired it. His detailed and elaborate tattoos are primarily black and grey. When using color, it is often bold and saturated.

Mrs. Compton builds complex and delicate images using a full range of black and grey. Her imagery is layered with nature, spirituality, and storytelling based in realism and surrealism. Her color work glows with backlit and delicate tones.

But it is through their artistic collaboration that the couple's unique creativity shines. One collaborative series, "The Bee & the Butterfly," consists of striking drawings that explore human connections. They are rendered in ballpoint pen; Zero uses black, and Mrs. Compton works in red on the same piece.

divinehivemind.com

From the Bee & the Butterfly series.

The Dayton mural will be a showcase of the Bwires' storytelling strengths. The couple painted the mural with spray paint, utilizing their skills in draftsmanship, the use of negative space, and combining black and white elements with color.

Unfortunately, the couple will not be able to attend the unveiling on Saturday. Visit their website at http://www.divinehivemind.com.

"Our mission is to create art that resonates deeply, whether it's on your skin, your walls, or your community," states the couple on their website.