‘A city for art’: Saad Hindal opens gallery in Concord, the setting and subject of more than 300 of his paintings

A small white storefront has come alive with color on South Main Street in Concord: A vibrant rainbow array calls attention to the building, while elephants and colorful geckos greet visitors at the door.

The new paint job is courtesy of the building’s new resident, Saad Hindal, a Concord artist using the space provided by owner Scott Austin as his new gallery.

Hindal came to Concord 18 years ago, just three months after first arriving in the United States.

Originally from Baghdad, he fled Iraq with his wife, son and two daughters after kidnappers held his son for ransom.

The family went to Egypt, where they lived for three years before moving to Chicago through the U.S. Department of State’s refugee resettlement program. There, they started to look for a more permanent home, one where Hindal could support his family through his art.

In his search, he found the Granite State.

“People, artists, all live in New Hampshire,” he said. Concord is a “city for art.”

The Concord community welcomed him, and in turn, he has embraced the city as his home.

His art reflects how he sees the city — bright and colorful. More than 300 of his paintings depict Concord landmarks: the State House’s golden dome, the clocktower, the Concord Food Co-op, the Gasholder House, the CAT bus and the cats he sees in windows as he walks through the city.

Hindal’s abstract approach shows the city as a vibrant rainbow buildings, people and animals.

For Hindal, history survives through paintings. A photograph will last 100 years, but a painting will last 1,000, he said. It also reflects how a place was seen, rather than just how it looked.

This summer, his artwork was featured on the poster for Market Days after being selected by the Festival Committee, which received designs from a variety of local artists. He was also commissioned by the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence for a painting honoring one of their donors.

His design “perfectly embodies the spirit of Concord as a bright, welcoming and joyful place,” said Jessica Livingston, producer of the Concord Arts Market.

Hindal himself strives to be just as welcoming as his artwork. Walking around Concord or outside painting murals, he regularly runs into people who stop to say hello. The same goes for when he is in Egypt, where he spends his winters.

“We were traveling in Egypt in Faiyum, we’re in the middle of the desert, and we’re walking along a dirt road in a little tiny village, and someone was riding a motorcycle and yells ‘Saad!’, hit the brakes, and came back to talk to him,” art agent Mary Francis Drake said.

In Concord, his work can be found at Brothers Cortado, Totally Tea + Coffee, the Bank of New Hampshire stage and Lili’s Pad, where he paints every First Friday. He can also be found at Arts in the Park on second Saturdays. In addition, his works are on display in Putney, Vermont.

Saad will host an open house at his new 204 South Main Street gallery on Friday, July 31, from 4-8 p.m. Through August and September, he will host painting classes in the space on Wednesdays from 6-7:30 p.m.

Typically, his hours will be “by chance or by appointment.”