Still life with suitcase!

How about this photograph of an old Opel car taken in Greece.
Who knows how long that old car has been sitting there! Those rocks on the front of it seem to have been dropped from of the top of the cliff face to indent so far, and the suitcase? I'm pleased that it still exists in that state, and that the authorities haven't yet moved it or sold it on for scrap metal as it makes a fantastic photo!

Below are some more examples of rusting metal from once beautiful old cars and trucks, none of which would look out of place in one of today's high end art galleries!
See if you can ID any of the vehicles that provided these 'artworks', only one isn't from a car.

And for chrome fans...

Not a patch of rust in sight....but wow what an amazing picture! I must paint this!

Pic' of the day!

I just had to post this picture all on its own, what a fantastic example of 'Beautiful decay'.

Speaking of car wrecks...

You may by now be used to my posting pictures of forgotten old wrecks found in the undergrowth, but have you ever wondered what, (compared to these days of airbags, ABS and safety management systems) the automobile accidents of yesteryear were like exactly?

Well here's a few pic's I found on the subject, and it seems to me the cars held up pretty well. Each one looks to have been none fatal even with the amount of damage inflicted on the bodywork. just goes to show that 'They don't make 'em like they used to!' LOL!

Farewell to George

It's rare that I will stray into politics on this blog, as we all have our own ideas and opinions. However I couldn't let this day go by without saying 'Farewell' to George Bush, who has for the last eight years entertained us with his malapropisms, or 'Bushisms' as they became known.

"And there is distrust in Washington. I am surprised, frankly, at the amount of distrust that exists in this town. And I'm sorry it's the case, and I'll work hard to try to elevate it." --George W. Bush, interview on National Public Radio, Jan. 29, 2007

"They misunderestimated me." --Bentonville, Ark., Nov. 6, 2000

"I'm not really the type to wander off and sit down and go through deep wrestling with my soul." --George W. Bush, as quoted in Vanity Fair, October 2000

So farewell George, looks like maybe Obama has been left holding the baby.

The Rover P4

Here's a painting that I did a few years back. The car shown is a British Rover model P4.
The Rover P4 was designed post war as a comfortable, and some would say luxurious family saloon. The model range was designated 75 through to 110, those figures relating to the engine size and power.

The 75 models had an economical four cylinder engine while the larger 90's had an in-line six. The car had rear opening 'suicide' doors, a plush interior of walnut and sumptuous leather, and an engine so smooth and quiet that at standstill the driver could be forgiven for thinking that the car had stalled! On my one and only drive of this model I had to keep checking the gear lever when stopped at traffic lights, feeling for the slight tingle of movement to let me know the motor was still running!

Of course this luxury came at a price and the Rover was bought in the main by Professionals, Doctors, company managers or similar status. To have a Rover P4 was to know that you had done well in life!

As the 1960's dawned and some cars were now 10 years old or so, many filtered down into the hands of those that could never afford them new, and thus continued in daily service. These cars could still be seen unrestored, and in daily use well into the 1980's which is a testament to their toughness, reliability, and build quality.

The saddest time for me personally was perhaps the late 1970's when these cars were deemed 'old fashioned' and therefore unfashionable to the hip and trendy 70's man. So many good examples were sold for next to nothing as their value plummeted, and they were eagerly bought up by the 'Banger racing' crowd who happily destroyed them in their thousands. The very qualities that made them such a quality saloon car, the toughness, 'built like a tank' build quality, and reliability, were eventually to be the reason that so many were destroyed in Banger racing.

The photograph below has nothing at all to do with Rover P4's...I was just struck by the similarity of composition between it and my painting!

Robert laDuke

This is the second in a series of posts in which I highlight some of my favourite living artists. Today I'm pleased to feature the work of Robert LaDuke.

I guess it's no surprise that anyone whose work so often features those old 'Jellymould' shaped cars would instantly appeal to me, after all I'm a sucker for the shape, style and pure nostalgia value of those old cars. But with Robert LaDukes work there is another element - the sense that 'Something's about to happen' permeates much of his output.

They also manage to convey man's spirit of adventure, something that is being increasingly stifled in today's world of 'health and safety'. In the painting below an aeroplane flies so dangerously close to the bridge...is he racing that car? Will he fly a loop under the bridge next? Will he crash?

So much of what Robert paints using his beautifully clear and bright colours has the ability to amuse, intrigue, and at the very least simply make us smile that it is hard not to like them.
The paintings also evoke a time when the world was a much simpler place, and the individual risking his all in pursuit of his goal was not something to be frowned upon as it would be today.

My interpretation of Roberts works is that they are a celebration of man's achievements, his quirks, and his folly's. Painted with never less than true affection, as seen through the eyes of an amused bystander in an idyllic past.