Hot Prairie Avenue
Dimensions: 60×48 inches
Acrylic, Mixed Media on Birch
I like these streets views.
They remind me of my roots and all the cultural nuances of growing up in a small town. For instance, the Hometown Realty sign on the building has been there since the early 80’s. When you live in a place where not all much happens, you still see small remnants of a by-gone era in some of the old business signs…it’s even there as I write this article today. It’s located on 6th Avenue on main street in the good ‘ol Hat.
There was often rumors about the guy who ran this Home Town Realty business. He owns this string of buildings that are all connected together and take up half the block on this busy street. He was not known to be the sweetest person around and often, when called on the telephone, would yell at the caller for interrupting his lunch (or meal, or snack or whatever)… I think he just liked to yell and treat people badly.
He is, in fact, the perfect example of someone holding back the growth of a community. The location of the downtown corner of this group of buildings has not been updated, repaired or even had a permanent renter in the last while. The downtrodden mess is holding up the whole beautification of Second Street.
I do wonder what other cities do to handle situations like this… I’m sure cities like Calgary have had their fair share of dilapidated buildings in their commercial core. Why doesn’t our city do something about owners who do not keep up with building repairs? I guess the downtown businesses will need to move him in a new direction to either sell these buildings or repair them before they are in such disrepair that they need to be ripped down.
So sad to see…. especially since the white building on the corner is an art gem. Oh well, I can still make it look like an art gem in my painting.
★★★★★
“The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now.”
Sam F.
