If you visit or live in Southeast Idaho, especially Pocatello, you have seen the beautiful works of art scattered throughout the rows of businesses that line our main street. The person behind most of these beautiful murals is Nick Hottman. Many of you watched as he transformed wall after wall into works of art that set a new bar on what we can do to increase the aesthetic of our small little town.

Our own Josiah Smith was able to sit down with Nick to learn more about the man that has transformed our view of art and inspires so many.

Nick spent the first 25 years of his life in Oxford Michigan, when it was time to further his education, he attended Rochester College where he was majoring in Youth and Family Ministry while attending art school in Detroit. While attending Art school his focus was sculpting and vehicle design, and interning for companies like Apple, Nike and GM. But after the challenge of one professor, it set his life on a course that he didn’t expect.

With all the inspiring works of art we had to know what was the catalyst that set him on this amazing journey.

Excerpt from interview:

JS: “What was the catalyst that really brought you in to artistry?”

NH:” I guess I don't really know when it started, when I was little, I just always watch Disney movies like every other kid, you know growing up in that generation before DVD's it was all video cassettes, so I would pause the video and try and redraw whatever was on the screen. For example, when the genie transforms into the dragon and then shoots the fire, I would try pause those scenes and redraw them, and I just started to love it.”

Like most kids his age he grew up watching Charlie Brown, and being a fan of Snoopy, he has a the tattoo of Snoopy to prove it. Another influence of Nick as a kid was Calvin and Hobbes. The little mischievous, creative boy with his pretend tiger, and you can see how much it influenced Nick’s character. When he was younger, he created a character that he calls the “Nickinator”, which was his version of the Terminator. He then began to take art classes over the summers at a place called Orion Art Center, in Lake Orion. He began learning about portrait realism, learning the uses of the grid system and just fell in love with it. It wasn’t until his third stint in college that he started painting. He planned on becoming a sculptor until one of his professors that was teaching Intro to Painting told him, “That before the end of that semester he was going to be a painter.” So, at the end of the semester, he changed majors and a painter he became. Nick is classically trained in oil and acrylic painting. Even being trained in creating landscapes and all the cliché subjects though he prefers Pop Art. And when you look around our town you can see that influence all throughout his work.

The next big question that was on our minds was Why Pocatello?

NH: “We were living in Texas, the metro area of Dallas and when our oldest was 2 and My wife was pregnant with our youngest, we wanted something smaller than where we were living. I grew up in a small town, where businesses closed early for the local football games and where we have a slower paced life. So, my wife’s aunt and uncle who were already living here, and the explained to us how we would love it here, so we gave our notices to our jobs and off to Idaho we went. We never had been to Pocatello or anywhere in Idaho before moving.”

Upon arriving it was an easy transition for his family, and they really liked the vibe of our small town. Nick worked remotely for Miller Coors, until he began work at a local graphic design firm. After much thought he decided to leave the part time position with Miller Coors and work full time at the graphic design firm. While working designing business cards, he also wanted to create Fine Art. At this point he happened across Dennis, the owner of Station Square, and he asked Nick to paint the back alcove of the 3 story building. Nick jumped on the chance to create a mural which he already had the experience. He had created numerous murals in high school, in Detroit, and on train cars some approved and some not. He also painted a couple in Texas, which made him comfortable creating a piece for Dennis. Creating such a piece can take time, getting the approvals, estimates, cost, design and so on. Once approved it ended up being a 2-year project, after getting the color fading on and then winter hit and prevented the completion, so he began again in the spring. And after that it just took off, and he was getting referred by word of mouth. At this point he needed to decide “Do I want to work for someone else or Do I want to work for myself?” With the support of those around him he began Nick Hottman Creative and Nick Hottman Art. Same owner but separate business, NH Creative is geared towards the graphic arts, creating menus, business card, basically anything you create with a mouse. And then NH Arts is all about painting and fine arts.

When it comes to growth of his businesses and what his vision is, Nick stated that he feels that he is at a healthy balance, eventually he would like a brick-and-mortar store front for NH Creative, but he is happy where he is at currently, which makes it more cost effective to help the smaller businesses with more affordable products comparative to larger firms. As far as the Fine Arts side he is comfortable with it just being him, that way he has more control over the project. Being the humble person he is, while working on a project he never posts his projects boasting himself, it is always about the client he is working for, so it was a cross promotion. While painting for Glean Coffee he would film while painting and say to those who checked out his post to stop by and grab a cup of coffee.” With me it’s always a one-on-one connection, my clients are not just a number.”

As we ended the interview Nick was asked what was his biggest accomplishment?

NH: “Biggest moment for me was my senior thesis at Oakland University had to create a collection of art and we had to show it in their gallery. It was the first time that I had ever shown my art publicly, I mean I've drawn for people, or I've made drawings or tattoo sheets or like I've designed like a logo for someone else. But to be a fine artist, paint, stretch your own canvases prime them all come up with a cohesive portfolio, make all the paintings, create all the work, like its big and extensive. It was a yearlong, the senior thesis project that I built all this artwork I had like 12 or 14 pieces in this portfolio. It was a black tie, invite only event and to me that was an exciting moment. It was something that I was among my peers, my peers came in and we had like an open like feedback critique. They said this is what we liked and we didn't like this for the balance, or I like the balance of this one, I think the dualism of this one, the negative space with this one. Like all the art jargon you could think of, it was neat experience. But I would say what was the neatest thing about that is I sold my first painting that night. someone came in and offered to buy the painting outright off the wall and I was like cool, but I didn’t know how it worked and so then they just put like a little red dot next to it. I was like what's the red dot for and the gallery is like well we won't remove the paintings until after the show is done and then we'll distribute them upon that moment. So, there's like little red dots stuck there for the rest of the month, that was an experience for me to be like someone specifically, it wasn't like I'm drawing this thing for you because you asked me to this is something that I created on my own and someone felt so connected to it that they wanted to buy. That was so cool and to me that was like people get it. “

So next time you are driving through Old Town make sure to stop and checkout some of the amazing work that Mr. Nick Hottman has created. Trust me, you will be glad you did!

Thank you to Nick Hottman for sitting down talking with us and being our first Featured Artist. We cannot wait to see what 2023 holds for you.

If you are interested in knowing more about Nick’s Fine Art or His Graphic Design Company here is his contact information listed below.

NH Creative Graphic Design Facebook: www.facebook.com/NHCreativeLLC

NH Creative Instagram: @nhcreativellc

NH Art Facebook: www.facebook.com/nhottmannart

NH Art Instagram: @nickhottmanart

Email: nhcreativellc@gmail.com

The Man behind the Murals

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