Star Art

I have always been kind of curious about the paintings I see on gates that store owners pull down over their shops on Hollywood Boulevard. Some of them feature interesting portraits seemingly done by the same artist in the same style. They are not wearing well but have held up apparently over a long period of time. Some of the stars I have seen represented are James Cagney (shown here), Roddy McDowell, Mary Martin, John Raitt, Edgar Bergin, Betty Grable, and Ann Margaret. I am sure I am missing a few. Ann Margaret is intersting because half of her portrait was destroyed and replaced with new siding so you only see her from the nose up. I wonder who the artist was? They are all painted in a pale shade of green. I wish we had more art like this in Hollywood, and most of the gates are up during the day so few people get to see the portraits. I see tourists walking around and Hollywood is so filthy and dirty, I wish there was more for them to appreciate. I can only imagine what they are thinking - this is Hollywood?? People here complain about Hollywood all the time and then renovation starts on something and then it takes literally years to get anything constructed. Often the construction is cheap and tacky looking. I sometimes wonder why anyone even bothers. The renovation they have been doing at Hollywood and Vine is basically a myth. The Broadway Hollywood building is just as filthy, dirty, and run down (if not more) than before they started working on it over two years ago. The Walk of Fame is crumbling and in shambles. Whoever tells you Hollywood is a beautiful place, they are in denial. I can see that it might be better in then years but for now it is just a quirky historical area that is only a shadow of what it use to be.