Lesley Brey
Reporter
One of the many things to love about living in Pocatello is the gorgeous architecture of Old Town.
Many of the buildings were constructed around the turn of the 20th century and still retain their classic looks. However, the decades haven’t always been kind to these historic buildings, leaving many in disrepair or at the very least, in need of a fresh coat of paint.
Nick Hottman, a Michigan-born muralist moved to Pocatello three years ago. You may have seen Hottman’s latest mural if you’ve had a chance to drive down N. Arthur Ave in the last few weeks. In bold colors and crisp, dynamic lines an abstract mountain scene now decorates the street-facing side of the North Building, bordering Simplot park.
Hottman was commissioned by the owner of the building to cover up some areas of problematic graffiti, but it turns out the task is a bit harder than just buying paint.
Due to the age of the buildings, most modifications have to be approved by the Pocatello Historical Society, a board of community members who work to protect and preserve the historic charm of Old Town.
This approval process can take time, as every detail of the project has to be discussed including paint color, location, how long it’s expected to stay up, the meaning of the artist behind the piece and even how long it will take to complete. Rejections can often mean having to wait a whole month before being able to appeal at the next meeting. As such, it pays to have a solid design in mind.
“When it comes to murals, I want something that’s clean and simple and that can be glanced at but then if you stop and look at it, you see some of the interesting stuff in it,” says Hottman. “Especially with the one on Arthur, I didn’t want one with text on it because I didn’t want people stopping and trying to read while they’re driving, and doing that whole rubber-necking thing.”
Securing funding is an important step when creating public works. Along with the owner of the building, the Pocatello Arts Council supplied a grant to help cover the cost of the commission.
Once you have the certificate of appropriateness from the Pocatello Historical Society and the funding, it’s just a matter of buying supplies and getting down to work.
It took Hottman only 7 days to complete all 140 feet of the North Building mural.
During this time, passersby occasionally stopped to chat, children came to play in the park and other community members came to be a part of the experience.
“A couple of people came up to me to ask what I was working on, and when I told them I was working on the mural, a lot of them were happy I was getting that old graffiti covered. They were really understanding of it. [People] came up and had snacks, and played music, and chatted and a lot of the culture was there sun-up to sun-down with me,” said Hottman.
In the week before painting was scheduled to begin, Pocatello suffered a tragedy when a man passed away from cold weather exposure in Simplot park adjacent to the North Building. The event was unrelated to the mural but special considerations were made to ensure the unnamed man’s memorial would not be disturbed while the painting was taking place.
Due to the difficulty in getting a mural approved, design changes were not possible at that time. Still, Hottman connected with relatives of the man while working, some of whom came out to watch.
“By the second day, they were very understanding and they knew that I wasn’t there to do anything malicious,” said Hottman.
This mural is far from Hottman’s first; he is responsible for the three-paneled mural in the back of Station Square as well as one of the many pieces comprising Pocatello’s graffiti alley behind Cottonwood Junction.
He also has murals in Texas and Detroit. His style has had to evolve over the years to accommodate a bit of paralysis on his right side, but he shows no signs of slowing down.
He has two proposed murals in the works, as well as plans to eventually publish a collection of comic strips. We may even be seeing some of his work on campus soon.
You can check out his work and keep tabs on his new projects at Nick Hottmann Art on Facebook or at Nickhottmanart on Instagram.
