This article brought to you by our resident art expert and tour guide extraordinaire Melissa – thanks!

On a typical overcast day in Portland over eighty cyclists and art enthusiasts gathered at the 28th and Burnside food cart pod in anticipation of the art exploration ride. The tour was led by Megan Sinnott a local bike enthusiast who put together the casual ride through 4 of Portland’s 5 quadrants to experience the murals of Portland, mainly, the new FFTT 2015 murals and others along the way. Forest For The Trees has been bringing art to blank walls in Portland for the past three summers by sponsoring international, national and local muralists

The mural festival’s name comes from the phrase you can’t see the forest for the trees, which signifies the inability to understand the greater picture when you’re too focused solely on what’s in front of you. Forest For The Trees hopes to pull Portland’s residents away from their daily routines and provides them a moment of appreciation for the creativity that surrounds us in the Pacific Northwest. Check below to see some of the best murals of Portland we discovered during the ride!