"303 S. Pacific #1"
watercolor on illus. board, 2012
12" x 16" (30.48cmx 40.64cm)
For Sale at Daily Paintworks, CLICK HERE
Here is another watercolor in the same style or technique as this Vincent Thomas Bridge painting, a landmark that will remain.
This painting is named for the address in San Pedro California. I felt it was important to show a local scene, the little story, one of our constantly changing urban landscape.
An unassuming tire and automotive repair shop, but on the other side of the facing wall... proudly marking our city of San Pedro is (was) a painted sign on the brick wall, one that seemed to be a fixture of sorts and stamped its place in a time when signs were painted on brick walls more often.
I've often wondered who painted it, was it the first owner of the business? Proud of his business' location, his own civic pride?
I was both sad to see it go and fascinated watching the CAT so effortlessly but indiscriminately chewing away, without prejudice, at the carcass of someones formal livelihood, taking with it all it's stories. Wiping the slate clean.
Perhaps being an artist helps me reconcile this sort of emotional conflict by recording it in paint.
I like the arm of the excavator against the stark sky, which I painted with a certain amount of upheaval.
The worker washing down the excavator and wetting the debris to keep dust down really emphasizes the scale and power of our machinery as well as our own self-imposed futility of preserving everything for posterity.170
See other paintings with similar themes here (Villa Riviera) , here (Acres of books)
Cat excavator model 320B
Click on image for larger view
Posts
destruction is always fascinating, not that be, when we look to destroy something we were mesmerized. We think in the past that ending. As your comment in your table. There are artists who are set much in the aesthetics when they paint. And do not look at what they want to communicate, leaving the work very nice but empty of communication. Your work communicates a lot, a very poetic vision of the simple things of life. Everything has a story. Everything is important. You have to know how to look at the world. You do it very well.
ReplyDeletekeep painting
Thank you Ricardo,
ReplyDeleteIt's true destruction is fascinating. To the workers it is a job. They have no personal connection.
And thank you for your thoughtful comments on the ideas behind my work. I enjoy the challenge of making the idea visual, this is why I paint, and especially appreciate them coming from an accomplished artist as yourself. Your work is very strong and seemingly effortless and always serves as one of my inspirations.
Keep painting...
Gracias Ricardo,
DeleteEs la verdadera destrucción es fascinante. Para los trabajadores es un trabajo. Ellos no tienen ninguna conexión personal.
Y gracias por sus comentarios sobre las ideas detrás de mi trabajo. Me gusta el reto de hacer que la idea visual, es por eso que pinto, y especialmente las gracias por venir de un artista consumado como a ti mismo. Su trabajo es muy fuerte y aparentemente sin esfuerzo y siempre sirve como una de mis inspiraciones.
Mantenga la pintura ...