Hastings was established in 1890 but in the last several years the quaint town has entered a resurgence thanks to Hastings Main Street, Inc. As Hastings Main Street rebuilds the town, it recognizes the important role of public art in creating a welcome environment for visitors and residents alike. The Hastings Main Street Mural was their first mural project that combines the rich agricultural history and unique connection to famed Florida artists, the Florida Highwaymen.
Hastings Main Street was once home to a dentist from South Florida who commissioned A.E. “Beanie” Backus to paint calming landscapes for his office building. Picturesque Florida landscapes hung in the office for many years and were a highlight for the community during their dentist appointments. Backus accompanied the canvas works with murals on the walls throughout the 2nd floor of the building.
As Hastings changed and the building changed hands the 2nd floor became a remnant of the past and Backus a local legend. Backus is often referred to as the “Dean of Florida Landscape Painting” and was widely recognized as a talented Florida painter who initially studied painting at the Parsons School of Design and Art in New York. Through his commercial art firm and WWII deployment, he developed his own style which he took back to Ft. Pierce.
Although a busy studio artist, Backus took the time to teach students for free on the weekends. Two of his first students were Alfred Hair and Harold Newton, both had an eye for ... view more »
Hastings was established in 1890 but in the last several years the quaint town has entered a resurgence thanks to Hastings Main Street, Inc. As Hastings Main Street rebuilds the town, it recognizes the important role of public art in creating a welcome environment for visitors and residents alike. The Hastings Main Street Mural was their first mural project that combines the rich agricultural history and unique connection to famed Florida artists, the Florida Highwaymen.
Hastings Main Street was once home to a dentist from South Florida who commissioned A.E. “Beanie” Backus to paint calming landscapes for his office building. Picturesque Florida landscapes hung in the office for many years and were a highlight for the community during their dentist appointments. Backus accompanied the canvas works with murals on the walls throughout the 2nd floor of the building.
As Hastings changed and the building changed hands the 2nd floor became a remnant of the past and Backus a local legend. Backus is often referred to as the “Dean of Florida Landscape Painting” and was widely recognized as a talented Florida painter who initially studied painting at the Parsons School of Design and Art in New York. Through his commercial art firm and WWII deployment, he developed his own style which he took back to Ft. Pierce.
Although a busy studio artist, Backus took the time to teach students for free on the weekends. Two of his first students were Alfred Hair and Harold Newton, both had an eye for Florida landscapes and went on to found a group of 26 black painters who would later become known as the “Florida Highwaymen”. The Florida Highwaymen made their livings painting and selling their works along Florida highways and most have become as renowned as Backus since the 1990s. According to the Backus Museum, many art historians suggest the Florida Highwaymen’s beginnings can be traced back to those initial painting classes in Backus’s Ft. Pierce studio.
When the current owners stumbled upon Hastings Main Street they were let in on the Backus local legend and purchased the building with big plans for the small town. A few short years later Hastings Mainstreet Inc. was established, and the nonprofit has been revitalizing the small town ever since. Part of that revitalization was this mural which was created during the 2024 Hastings Fall Festival of Art. The annual festival celebrates local and regional artists and craftsmen. This was an ideal event to bring the Florida Highwaymen to Hastings and R.L. Lewis and Curtis Arnett were two talented representatives of the group that participated in featured events at the festival.
With funds from Florida Humanities and the St. Johns County Tourism Development Council, Brook Page painted the mural during the festival. The mural is a collaborative work between St. Augustine native, Brook Page, who created the Our Wild Life Mural in St. Augustine Beach, and Robert L. Lewis, one of the only Florida Highwaymen who didn’t formerly train with Hair or Newton.
R.L. Lewis was a Cocoa-based artist who studied at Edward Waters College, Syracuse University, and Florida A&M University. After earning a BA in education he was committed to a life of education and painting, it was this dedication to arts education that set him apart from the other Florida Highwaymen. His love of painting Florida landscapes and selling works along highways and in galleries during the same time period acquainted him with the other members of the group including Sam & Harold Newton. For the mural, Lewis was commissioned to paint a series of works inspired by Hastings, Florida. His original landscapes encapsulated both the landscapes, agriculture, and community of Hastings.
One of the works was selected to be the focal point of the Hastings Main Street Mural. Brook Page brought in her signature contemporary realism to surround R.L. Lewis’s work with vibrant cabbages, orange blossoms and more for fresh piece that pays homage to the past. The two styles marry in a way that parallels Hasting Main Street’s approach to revitalization which honors the past and their community while pushing it into the present in a fresh new way.
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