A new piece of artwork featuring the city of Cottage Grove was unveiled over the weekend.

The painting, by folk artist Eric Dowdle, has been turned into a puzzle and is available for purchase, city officials said.

A new painting by folk artist Eric Dowdle has been turned into a puzzle available for purchase at Cottage Grove City Hall. (Courtesy of the City of Cottage Grove)

City officials commissioned the $75,000 artwork “to capture the past and present of the community,” officials said in a statement. It was funded through the city’s Economic Development Authority.

Famous faces and places who shaped the community are featured in the painting, including Boondocks, The Rush, the Cottage View Drive-In theater, the Historic Furber Farm, Cedarhurst, the Strawberry Fest Ferris Wheel, Shepard Farm, the city’s Ice Arena and Mayor Myron Bailey and the rest of the Cottage Grove City Council.

Dowdle, who lives in Lindon, Utah, said he “gained a deep appreciation for the history, places and people of Cottage Grove … during the process of creating this painting. It was my goal to capture what makes it such a special place to live.”

Dowdle’s painting and a wooden puzzle showing Dowdle’s artwork will be displayed at Cottage Grove City Hall.

Puzzles are available to purchase at City Hall in 500- or 1,000-piece sets; the price is $28 and $30, respectively. The puzzle sales will help the city recover the cost of the painting, said City Administrator Jennifer Levitt.

Puzzles also can be purchased online at cottagegrovestore.com.

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