CHICO — You might not know Scott Teeple by name, but you’ve definitely seen his work.

The prolific local artist painted dozens of murals both inside and outside businesses across town for decades until his death in 2011. Since then, however, the murals have largely been ignored, and now less than half remain — many are faded and cracking, and the city’s arts commission says there’s likely no way to preserve them.

Teeple’s best-known piece of public artwork is perhaps the portrait of John and Annie Bidwell on the side of 119 W. Second St. — in the alleyway parking lot adjacent to the downtown Jamba Juice and Crush restaurant.

But he’s also the artist behind numerous other murals across town, including the fake windows above Collier Hardware, a memorial to the Gianella Bridge on Mangrove and Fifth avenues, a portrait of Robin Hood and Sherwood Forest in the West Fourth and Main streets parking lot and a depiction of Chico’s original town hall near Main and Third streets — but which is most clearly visible from the north-facing steps of the current City Council chambers at 421 Main St.

He’s also the one responsible for many of the quirky, smaller murals in town, such as the window cleaner near Main and Second streets, and he helped paint the Floating Astronaut on the side of Hotel Diamond at Fourth and Broadway streets. The astronaut is likely to go the way of many of Teeple’s long-lost murals: It’s slated to be painted over when renovations to the hotel are done.

Mary Gardner, a personal friend of Teeple, as well as a city Arts Commissioner and a board member of the Chico Arts and Culture Foundation, said the muralist was at least partially responsible for the now-booming revival of downtown Chico starting in the 1980s and ’90s.

“Everyone really recognized that art was a part of revitalization, and Scott was right in the heart of that,” she said.

By the late ’70s, Gardner said, “downtown Chico had really emptied out. There were a lot of art students who opened up shops downtown because the rent was so cheap, and he was friends with a lot of them.”

Through those friendships, Teeple was able to secure funding (albeit limited) for producing public art on the walls of several private businesses in town. But due to the budget, Gardner said, often “the materials were not as high quality as they should be.” Teeple often used cheap paint, and many of the private business owners throughout the years have not invested in maintaining the artwork as ownership changed hands over the decades.

“Murals are fragile enough, especially in a place like Chico,” Gardner said. “It is an issue when it’s on private property and (owners) can do whatever they want with them.”

Only three of Teeple’s murals are under the jurisdiction of the city, she said: “Wildflower Century” on a bike trail leading to Durham, plus “Normal School” and “Flour Mill” — inside the windows of the Chico Museum at Second and Salem streets.

Recently the Chico Arts Commission made a list of public art that is in desperate need of repair and renovation, but because the majority of Teeple’s murals are privately-owned, they don’t appear on the list and aren’t eligible for city-raised funds.

Restoration of the murals would likely take thousands of dollars, she said, and would require hiring a professional to do an assessment and cost estimate. Restoration work isn’t like a “paint-by-numbers” set, she added, it would take a highly-skilled professional to take on the tricky work.

‘It’s quite a big undertaking,” Garnder said. “I’ve always hoped there’d be a groundswell of support by the people who loved these murals — but so far that has not happened.”

So Teeple’s work continues to fade into the background of a city that’s revitalized and renovating. If you look hard enough, you can still see traces of his mark on the city. But the gifts of one of the city’s first public artists will someday soon turn back into blank walls — and Chico’s art landscape will be far duller for the loss.

Surviving works

Some of Scott Teeple’s mural work survives in several locations:

“Wildflower Century,” on the Midway bike path.

“Normal Street School” and “Bidwell Flour Mill,” on the walls of the Chico Museum at 141 Salem St.

“Town Hall 1892,” best viewed from the north steps of 421 Main St.

“Sherwood Forest,” near West Fourth Street and Broadway.

“The Bidwells,” near West Second Street and Broadway.

Fake windows at Collier Hardware, 105 Broadway.

“Giacomo’s Vineyard,” inside 1020 Main St.