Portland State Magazine Fall 2016

26 PORTLAND STATE MAGAZINE FALL 2016 GROWING UP in Puerto Rico, Gretchen Schauffler ’85 was surrounded by vivid colors—from the ocean to the foliage to the brightly painted buildings. Portland came as a shock when she moved to the city as a young woman. The gray skies seemed to erase the color from everything. Rather than complain about the drabness, she set out to redecorate it. She started Devine Color, a line of vibrant interior paints designed as a brighter counterbalance to the dull shades of Northwest winters. “Each one of the colors had to have a purpose to integrate with the environment and feel natural with wood colors, different forms of lighting and so on,” she says. “Each one is its own work of art.” The line of paints was an immediate hit with the public, and is now sold nationally through Target and Western region paint stores. Devine Color also helped transform the paint industry, which has shifted to deeper, brighter colors along with traditional offerings. Schauffler went on to develop other Devine products, such as vinyl flooring and wallpaper, which met with similar success. That led to a bath design and remodeling company. All her work reflects her passionate belief that color can enhance mood and is integral to quality of life. Her latest project: creating colorfully pleasing environments in facilities for aging adults. “Color wealth contributes to a feeling of well-being,” she says. “And one’s life should be filled with color.” As part of Schauffler’s effort to improve lives for seniors, she is joining in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease through Devine Color’s support of the Alzheimer’s Association and as a member of the Oregon Alzheimer’s Association Leadership Board. Schauffler, a restless, creative soul, studied at colleges in New York and Oregon before she found her niche in Portland State’s graphic design program, where she earned a bachelor’s in 1985. “It just felt so right,” she says. “PSU was able to channel my creativity, and it has paid off 20 million times.”  Painting a brighter world Alumni WR I T T E N B Y J OHN K I RK LAND