Fall Creek Canvas is artist Will Watson’s interpretation of the beauty of Fall Creek, which flows just behind the building on which the artwork is placed. A blue heron, iconic to anyone who adores the city’s many waterways, preens in the sun, flanked by water plants and leaping fish. The piece is derived from an original painting by Watson, which was scanned at high resolution and turned into a series of adhesive vinyl sheets.  The vinyl was attached to a set of custom-made metal panels, which were placed across the building at varying levels to add depth and interest.

The artwork is sited on The Overlook at the Fairgrounds, an affordable-housing, mixed-use apartment building.  Originally built in 1939 as the Homer J Williamson Candy Factory, the iconic brick-glazed building was in operation until the 1950s. After the factory closed the building hosted ITT Tech and Ivy Tech classrooms before being vacated, and fell victim to vandalism and illegal activities.  The developer succeeded in turning a dangerous eyesore into an urban amenity.  In its current configuration, a portion of the original glazed brick and glass-block windows were restored, as well as several of the “lollipop” columns on the interior.  The artwork element was partially funded by a grant from Reconnecting To Our Waterways, a collective impact project intended to spur economic and social development in five of Indianapolis’ historic watersheds.

Will Watson is an Indianapolis native currently based in the Washington, DC area.  He specializes in painting and drawing. A graduate of Lawrence North High School and IUPUI, Watson was active in IUPUI’s Black Student Union, Student African American Brotherhood, and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity. His portrait and figurative works consist of highly stylized two-dimensional backgrounds that are infused with rhythmic shapes and patterns accompanied by unique urban hieroglyphs and African-influenced symbols. The juxtaposition of these symbols suggest unconscious and conscious thoughts, while representing various emotions, strength, faith, power, life influences, and life itself. Read more about the artist and his work at http://willwatsonart.com/ .