Local artist Paige Rochefort (also known as Daydreams by Paige) recently painted a new mural outside of Colby Cafe and Brew in Whitehall. The design was inspired by Colby’s coffee and signature meals, such as their unique french fries.
Rochefort attracted the attention of Colby Cafe owners after she completed a mural for Whitehall’s Dairy Treat last summer.
The cafe hired her to paint a nature-inspired design inside last fall, prior to the larger mural now located on the outside wall of their drive-thru. The indoor design consists of what appear to be vines on the top of their wall near the back of the cafe.
Rochefort said she used inspiration from Colby's signature dishes, while also presenting the cafe’s importance of locally-sourced fresh produce that it uses, complemented by common pollinators and bees that would be associated with farming produce in Michigan. Other artwork included images of the beverages served at the cafe.
“I feel like because it was my first exterior project of the season, it took a little longer, especially with us experiencing bad weather,” Rochefort said. “I think it took me six eight-hour days to complete. It was also kind of challenging because it was sporadic. We had to work around the drive-thru and peak hours, so they didn’t have to close it down. It didn’t pose a lot of issues, I would say, just more of a challenge than what I’m used to. They had a great system set up for it. It was seamless.”
The mural posed different challenges, all of which Rochefort embraced.
“The texture of the wall was also difficult,” said Rochefort. “I think that also contributed to why it took so long. When they told me where they wanted it, I saw it was a very textured brick and thought to myself, ‘Can you even paint on that?’ It was all freehand. We had a couple different concepts in mind, did a couple of digital designs, changed it a couple of times, and ultimately landed on the ingredients and food items angle. We were framing something super fun and eye-catching that looked yummy.”
Rochefort said the Colby's mural was a nice change for her compared to the work she is used to doing.
“I think because my work is usually floral-led, it was something fun and different to do,” said Rochefort. "When I did Dairy Treat’s mural, it was nice to get out of my element and make it more of an advertisement compared to a still art. The color scheme was also a lot of fun.”
Originally based out of Grand Rapids, Rochefort said she has really enjoyed her time and projects since moving to Montague. She said she looks forward to pursuing more projects in the White Lake area in the future.
“We moved here with the hope that I wouldn’t have to commute to Grand Rapids all the time for work,” Rochefort said. “Especially with our newborn, it’s so much easier. I do feel like more people locally have been reaching out and my work has gotten more attention recently, which is really nice.”
More details and images of Rochefort’s art can be found on her Instagram page, @daydreamsbypaige.
