Sinclair Building - Table of Contents  .................  Albright-Knox Public Art Initiative - Table of Contents  ....................   Public Art - Table of Contents

"Wildflowers for Buffalo" mural  - The Sinclair
465 Washington Street, Buffalo, NY

The Sinclair - Official Website

The mural illustrated below replaced a 2015 mural. See Sinclair Building - Table of Contents.

Louise Jones’s mural for The Sinclair Building, located at 465 Washington Street, draws inspiration from the structure’s original tenets: an early-twentieth-century hat manufacturer. Based on conversations with building owners, historians, and horticulturalists, Jones has incorporated aspects of period design, hatpins, and flora native to Western New York into her composition, which builds on the dynamic and often borderless floral motifs found in her public works. Louise Jones is a Detroit-based, globe-trotting artist with a robust mural practice. Jones has executed work in Los Angeles, Detroit, New York, and Shanghai, among other major international cities. Her work in Buffalo will be the largest mural of the artist’s career and the largest mural in Western New York. - Albright-Knox Art Gallery (online Sept. 2018)

Reprint Mural Alert: 465 Washington Street By Queenseyes Buffalo Rising, August 29, 2018 A magnificent new mural is underway downtown. This is the latest AK Public Art Project to come to fruition. The canvas for the work of art is The Sinclair Building – 465 Washington Street, a mixed-use building recently completed by Ciminelli Real Estate. The artist is Louise “Ouizi” Jones. According to the Albright Knox, the history of the building, as a hat manufacturer, has come into play. Ouizi will be “incorporated aspects of period design, hatpins, and flora native to Western New York” into the composition. “Her work in Buffalo will be the largest mural of the artist’s career and the largest mural in Western New York.” – The AK Taking a look at Ouizi’s other works, the Detroit-based artist specializes in larger than life floral designs, which she has painted all over the world. The colorful work in Buffalo will be a welcome addition to the downtown building scape. Where once there were iconic old commercial signs, broadcasting Buffalo’s bustling businesses, these days there are some opportune blank canvases to work with. This particular building was in need of an injection of life. The only thing that could be better would be mid-rise infill in neighboring parking lots (corner of Broadway and Washington). This mural has been made possible through the generosity of Hodgson Russ LLP, Nottingham Advisors, and the New Era Cap Foundation. Additional support has been provided by Hyatt’s Graphic Supply Company and the sponsors of the Summer of AK. The Public Art Initiative was established and is supported by leadership funding from the County of Erie and the City of Buffalo.

Reprint The Flowery Side of Downtown Buffalo By  Queenseyes Buffalo Rising, September 13, 2018 The talk of the town is the Albright-Knox’s latest mural effort in Downtown Buffalo. The south side of the Ciminelli Real Estate’s Sinclair Building – 465 Washington Street– has been transformed into a flowery scene the likes of which this city has never seen. Yes, we’ve witnessed some pretty fantastic murals going up around town, but the scale of this one is off the chart. It’s especially nice, considering that there was something missing at that corner, where Washington meets Broadway. Suddenly there is a colorful splash of life that will look sensational throughout the seasons. Artist Louise “Ouizi” Jones has outdone herself with her latest effort. The floral design, which happens to be her specialty, worked perfectly with this particular wall, considering that history of the building as a hat manufacturer. Capitalizing on the floral nature of the mural, Ouizi incorporated flora native to Western New York, which might have been adorned women’s headpieces and broaches back in the day. Another neat aspect of the mural that I never considered is the way that the sun plays off the work of art as it transitions throughout the day. It’s as if different parts of the work are “waking up” as the sunlight creeps across the building, similar to what would happen in a field of wildflowers. This mural has been made possible through the generosity of Hodgson Russ LLP, Nottingham Advisors, and the New Era Cap Foundation. Additional support has been provided by Hyatt’s Graphic Supply Company and the sponsors of the Summer of AK. The Public Art Initiative was established and is supported by leadership funding from the County of Erie and the City of Buffalo.

Photos taken September 16, 2018 Details below, from upper left: