For motorists going west through Blountstown, their eyes are beginning to focus on the east side of the Dewberry Building on the corner of Central Avenue and Pear Street. Prominent muralist Wes Hardin of Dothan, Alabama, is there most days either on a ladder or up on a scaffold sketching and painting scenes from Blountstown’s past.
The center of the mural will be the John W. Callahan steamboat which served this area from 1907 to 1923 when it sank about two miles from Wewahitchka. The steamboat was vital to the development of our area and it seems appropriate to pay tribute to the boat which was once called “the queen” of this region’s river steamboats.
Surrounding the image of the Callahan, there will be smaller paintings of other historic pictures of our community.
Mr. Hardin’s parent had lived in Blountstown in the 1990’s and owned Blountstown Collision. He studied Illustration and Advertising Design at The Art Institute in South Florida. He says his parents loved Blountstown.
Mr. Hardin landed his first mural commission at 18 years old while still in high school. He moved to Dothan in 1989 to work as creative director for Durden Outdoor Displays, eventually establishing himself as a full-time
regional muralist and portrait artist. Mr Hardin has painted dozens of large-scale historical and cultural storyboards on brick building across Alabama and neighboring states, utilizing graphic storytelling to capture local history. In Dothan, he is known for painting a large portion of Dothan’s famous public murals as part of the area’s designation as the “Mural City.”
Further information on this project will be forthcoming.
Anyone interested can check Saving Downtown Blountstown’s Facebook page. Donations are needed to complete this ambitious project. Questions can be sent to savingdowntownblountstown@gmail.com.
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