View of Five Points I

Five Points became a Historic District of Huntsville in 1999 and now seems to have become the main place in town where academics, artistic types, pseudo-Bohemians, hippies old and new, young professionals hoping for a bit of local color, and college students tend to congregate. The houses of Five Points, their styles spanning several decades, have been split into duplexes, turned into businesses, restored lovingly, painted wildly, or been left to relative ruin, and the neighborhood in general poses a very curious contrast to the Twickenham District. The smaller houses of Five Points may come up on the market for over $500,000, but even the most carefully-restored buildings retain a certain quirky earthiness.

This painting, the first in what is to be a series of two views of Five Points, is meant to highlight the current colorful revival of the neighborhood. While Huntsville has its share of steeples, the tower in the background is to be seen as a thing of fantasy-- a reminder of the church towers in European villages, the castle towers of dreams and childhood wishes, and, of course, the Saturn V rocket that both literally and figuratively defines the character of modern Huntsville. The canvas upon which this image was painted is only 11X14, making the scene boldly bright yet cozy and quaint, much as Five Points feels today.