Dedicated to retired mayor Julie Maeddle, this mural explores pieces of Middleport’s almost-forgotten-past. I’ve worked with Julie on two separate mural projects for the town so far, and I’ve always appreciated her enthusiasm and energy for improving her community, especially with public art! It’s great to see someone like her commemorated by the community.
Using a series of old black and white photos, I created a full color look into three different decades.
The first scene includes the old Middleport High School that burned down in 1910, and a wagon load of baskets. The figure standing by the horses is Julie Maedlle! It was fun including her in the painting.
As everyone in the area knows, Middleport produced a lot of baskets around the turn of the century. They were used mostly for storing and shipping produce, but they served a variety of other purposes as well. Today, there’s a restaurant at the old factory site on the canal called The Basket Factory, which has done a lot to keep the story alive.
Middleport is of course a canal town and the second scene is like a snap shot from a sunny day long ago, featuring that waterway. The canal was once lined with a multitude of businesses, bustling with commerce.
The Fenton Hotel once stood prominently on a rectangle of property created by the Erie Canal, Main Street, and Rt 31. It was torn down in 1961, and there are still people around that remember it.
For me, the highlight of this project was experimenting with a new surface. These murals were painted in my studio on synthetic, non woven fabric whose original purpose was garment interfacing! It’s thinner then canvas, very flexible and of course it won’t deteriorate in the elements like canvas would. It also won’t delaminate like most wood substrates have the potential to do. After apply two coats of exterior primer and one coat of acrylic gel medium to the fabric, the murals were painted. Then they were cut out and awaited installation while on site, the bricks were cleaned. The fabric was adhered to the brick with more acrylic gel, but first the wall was primed to create a better surface. Applying the fabric to this incredibly uneven surface was the biggest challenge! But As always, seeing a mural installed in the place it was created for always makes the most challenging parts more then worth it.
I hope you have a chance to stop by and see the mural – they always look way better in real life. If you do, be sure to pick up a coffee (or some amazing tea!) from across the street at Alternative Grounds, and have a seat by the windows where you can enjoy an excellent view of the mural. Relax for a little bit and enjoy small town life in a WNY canal town!
A simple, graphic, mural for a little girl’s nursery.
I also love her choice of a graphic, cream, silhouette. It brightens up the room and adds interest to otherwise blank walls. 
