Award-winning and noted watercolorist Wyatt Waters of Clinton made a stop in Eupora last month to paint a community landmark.
Wyatt Waters painted a picture of the Flatiron Building on Oct. 4. The two-story brick building was constructed in approximately 1915 on a triangular piece of land across the tracks from the Eupora Depot. The long-vacant building is located on South Dunn Street at the southwest corner of the junction with Adams Avenue.
The Flatiron Building has been included on the 2023 “10 Most Endangered Historic Places in Mississippi” published by the Mississippi Historic Trust. MHT announced the list Oct. 19 at Hal and Mal’s in Jackson. Waters was among artists who created works of art depicting this year 10 Most sites that were auctioned at the event.
Waters is a prolific painter, and renowned watercolorist. According to his bio on the website wyattwaters.com, Waters works solely on location – preferring the challenges that both plein air and watercolor present. His philosophy is “if it is interesting to see, it can be a painting.” His eponymous gallery (wyattwaters.com) is located on the brick streets of the Olde Towne business district in Clinton and has been recognized as Best Gallery in Mississippi by Mississippi Magazine.
Waters is scheduled to sign his book “The Watercolor Road: Painting and Writing through America’s South” at the Book Mart & Cafe in Starkville on Sunday, Nov. 12.
Owner Henry Ross has stated his family wants the Flatiron Building restored and plans to do so. However, he said the restoration of other buildings he owns are priorities in front of it because the possibility of viable tenants providing a commensurate return is speculative at this point. His comments were included in Progress-Times’ Nov. 3 article “Local building on Most Endangered Historic Places list.”
