As I’ve mentioned earlier, I consider the historic building at 7401 Hazel in our town to be an attractive piece of carpentry. I am not alone.
Also, as I have mentioned in the past, one of Maplewood’s most talented artists, Stan Masters, knew a good subject when he saw it as well. He painted five different versions of it. I may have said six earlier but I must have been bursting with enthusiasm.
Some of my more alert readers may recall that many of Stan’s paintings are on display until February 9th at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center. You can read about that here.
More recently, a local artist, Bob Thomas has painted an absolute, top notch version of his own. He had no prior knowledge of the Masters paintings proving that great artists think alike.
What no one could have known is that Bob Thomas’ painting/s are also on display and for sale at Heartland Art Club Gallery, 101A West Argonne Drive in Kirkwood. What is it about Kirkwood? Bob’s painting of 7401 Hazel is called, “On the Corner.”
Prints are available of both Stan and Bob’s paintings. Stan’s can be found at the above link. Bob’s can be found here. https://1-bob-thomas.pixels.com/
This is my third post on 7401 Hazel. If you somehow missed the first two posts, you can link to them here.
This is a signed version of 7401 Hazel by Stan Masters. it was a gift from Stan’s widow, Carlene to the Maplewood Historical Society. When the MHS went belly up I asked Carlene if she would be comfortable donating it to the Maplewood Public Library. She was and did.
This version was unsigned.
This version has “Antiques” painted on one of the display windows.
This version has a sign that reads “Beauty” on the Sutton Ave. side.
In this version the sign reads “Central Salon.”
Bob Thomas’ superb take on the subject. Bob had this to say about it. “Despite my struggles to paint straight lines I am continually drawn to architectural subjects. This gem of a building sits at the corner of Sutton Boulevard and Hazel Avenue in Maplewood, Missouri about two miles from my house. It is especially striking in the early morning light.”
Bob’s painting called “On the Corner” can still be seen at the Heartland Art Club Gallery, 101A West Argonne Drive in Kirkwood.
Contact Robert Morrissey for information about Stan’s paintings.
Folks, My photographs do not do these outstanding paintings justice. You really should see them in person.
This post is a pretty good way to kick off the new year. Let’s hope that, in this coming year, we can all find a way to get along better than we have in the past.
Happy New Year, everyone!
Doug Houser January 1, 2024
Appreciate very much seeing all these versions of the Hazel building paintings!! Thx, Doug!
Happy New Year, Doug!
It’s fascinating to see the iconic building at Hazel and Sutton continues to inspire. I wasn’t aware of Bob Thomas, but I’ll stop by the Heartland Art Club and take a look. “On the Corner” is a beautiful painting that captures a quiet moment. I especially like the glow of the interior of the second floor and the warm sunlight on the exterior transom over the front door. For me, that brings the painting to life and invites us into the scene. I look forward to seeing more of his work.
In 2006, shortly after I started working with Stan Masters’ widow, Carlene, I photographed the entire collection. There were over 300 watercolors! There were 8 versions of “Hazel and Sutton”, one of which now hangs at Cedarhurst Center for the Arts in Mt. Vernon, IL., a wonderful museum about 90 miles east of St. Louis. Well worth a trip! How many times he painted the building throughout the course of his career, I don’t know, but it was one of his favorite subjects.
All of them excellent !!!!
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