Artist Vincent “Vinny” Alejandro (the guy who recently painted his way back to Buffalo) has been making the best of some unexpected down time while living in the old First Ward.
After getting settled, Vinny decided that he wanted to make his mark on his community, so he set out to find a backdrop for a mural that would depict the industrial skyline of his neighborhood along the Buffalo River.
Ultimately it was a fence that he chose to tackle, located at the corner of Oconnell and Vincennes. “It’s a mural I’m working on in the old First Ward on the community garden fence,” Vinny wrote to me. “The community center got me the background paint and I’m providing the rest. Free of charge of course for my neighborhood. It will be the first of many in Buffalo for sure.”
A few weeks ago Vinny also lent his artistic talents (and paints) to another cause – the Olmsted Parks, where he painted an image of his daughter at the Party for The Parks fundraiser. Of course the painting also featured a couple of Buffalo-inspired points of reference.
Vinny is one of the most dedicated people that I have ever met, and has decided that his role in the rebirth of this city is to contribute his creative skills to making a difference. Each and every one of us has the ability to do his or her part to make Buffalo a better place to live. Whether that’s picking up garbage in your neighborhood, planting trees, teaching a refugee how to repair a bike, or painting a fence in order to add beauty and identity to a street corner, all of our respective roles are important when it comes doing our part to make our own marks on this city.
If you’ve been thinking about retaining the services of a Buffalo-loving muralist, you can reach Vinny at: mcspik1@gmail.com