A new downtown mural created by Nate Otto captures bits of Homewood to show off what makes the village special.
Otto said he took pictures of “ten different places and I figured out a way to kind of distill their representation to really simple lines.”
When the Hartford Building, a four-story business and apartment building at the intersection of Ridge Road and Martin Avenue in downtown Homewood, was under construction, it was determined there would be an alleyway between the Hartford and the neighboring building. The village commissioned a mural for the alleyway on the side of the Loulou Belle building at 2049 Ridge Road.

The village noted that the alleyway is accessible to the public by means of an access easement and looked for a way to improve the alleyway aesthetically. They chose Otto to pain a mural.
“Every job is completely unique, and I have learned to not have specific expectations whether I’m dealing with a private client or…a municipality,” Otto said. “But all in all, it worked out well, and I really have a positive view of the Homewood government and Homewood as a community.”
Otto said he pitched his mural idea and was given a list of places the village wanted highlighted in the mural with the colors of the village shown in hues of green, orange and blue.
Locations highlighted in the piece are the town’s 58-year-old Dairy Queen, the village hall and water tower, the Amtrak and Metra Station, and its historic Gottschalk House built in 1891 that was home to former Homewood Mayor Henry Gottschalk.
Other locations in the mural include the historic Hibbing Building built in 1928, the Dorband-Howe House built in 1891, the new Wind Creek Casino and the Homewood Brewing Company, built by the mother of late rapper Juice Wrld as a tribute to him.

Otto, who lives in Chicago’s Beverly neighborhood, said being so close made it easy for him to work half a day on rainy days. Otto said the challenging part of working on the mural was the passageway itself.
“The trickiest part that was unique to this one is because [it’s] in a narrow passageway,” Otto said. “You can’t really back up and back away and see it all at once.”
Weather is something always taken into account when he works on outside murals. Otto had to cut some days short because of the amount of wind coming through the alleyway.
Otto usually works alone, which is the case for the Homewood mural. “I like to do it on my own,” he said. “I get on my headphones, I listen to audiobooks, and… you know four hours later I’ve painted a of mural.”
Before working on the mural, Otto wasn’t familiar with the Homewood area. He’s only lived on Chicago’s South Side for five years, he said.
When he first met with village trustee Jay Heiferman, “he kind of walked me around and gave me a tour and showed me the murals that already existed,” Otto said. “He introduced me to a few people around and that was my introduction to the town, and I was really impressed.”

The village board’s intention was making the passageway reflect the ambiance of an art alley.
“I would be happy to contribute again in more ways, but I’m generally in favor of there being murals everywhere,” Otto said. “I’m pro-mural. You know, the more they utilize it the better for the town.”
Homewood is no stranger to murals. It has the largest collection of Richard Haas murals anywhere in the world. The 15 troupe l’oil style works are scattered around the village’s business areas.
Otto has a 10-year career as a muralist. His other work includes him making around 200 paintings a year in his studio and he hosts several group art shows a year, he said.
“I’ve had about six to 12 solo shows depending how you count them,” Otto said. “I do just whatever comes my way basically like right now I’m designing a mural remotely for a college in Massachusetts.”
A big part of Otto’s art inspiration comes from city landscapes. Living most of his adult life in Chicago has had a significant impact on his art.
“I’m also influenced by so much art I’ve seen throughout my life,” Otto said. “Mostly I just love drawing, and it’s been a lifelong love of mine, and the fact that I get to do it all to make a living, that’s really the inspiration.”
More of Otto’s work can be found in his website.