Joe came to Olympia in 1974 after dropping out of college at Gonzaga in Spokane. He was looking to join a commune like the ones he’d visited in San Francisco on several hitchhiking trips. Here in Olympia he found Cold Comfort Farm with its cows, goats, and chickens, and its sauna, and geodesic dome. Perfect! He set up shop as a sign painter (Buffalo Sign Co.) and got involved in a variety of civic and artistic projects. His public art pieces are on view around Olympia if you know where to look. There’s a carving of an Orca on the boardwalk, and the mural reproduction of Hokusai’s wave, not to mention several surviving wooden signs.
- Making Hay While the Sun Shines – By Joe TougasHOME Making Hay While the Sun Shines By Joe Tougas