“Curb Service"

Size: 34 inches by 60 inches
Media: Oil on Canvas
Completed: March, 2008

The inspiration to consider capturing and painting this drive-in scene came in 1989. I spent several summer evenings walking around the “Chick Inn” drive-in viewing and capturing the building from different angles. While I took 10 to 12 shots of the building, only two photos came out acceptably. One of the two would become the basis for “Curb Service”.

With Edward Hopper’s “Nighthawks” in mind, I framed a canvas for “Curb Service” using approximately the same size stretchers as “Nighthawks”, “Curb Service” would be 34 inches tall by 60 inches wide. It took several weeks to sketch the “Curb Service” scene onto the canvas. I repositioned the angle of the car to the left side of the painting and I slightly exaggerated the neon fascia of the building. I then sealed the surface with a thin wash of oil paint and painted in the sky, which is not black. Rather, it is a very dark blue-green.

Over the next couple of months I painted in the foreground parking lot and started experimenting with colors for the interior of the building. I got distracted with other projects, so I sat “Curb Service” aside. It would be 4 years before the painting got back onto the easel. During 1994 I completed the interior scene and painted the car on the left side of the painting. The small car to the right side of the painting was a little more of a challenge. In the original photo, the car is seen damaged with a light grey primed driver’s door. I decided to “repair” the car so as not to detract from the building scene. I did not get much farther on the painting in 1994 before distractions and other projects caused the unfinished work to be set aside. I returned to this canvas in 2007 with a new commitment to finally finish this painting.

Completed in March of 2008, “Curb Service” has become my tribute to Edward Hopper and his decades of influence on me. Similar to “Nighthawks” it depicts a night scene of a local working class eatery, contemporary to it time, an oasis in the dark with a dream-like quality to it. This would be the last of my unique scenes for awhile as I am moving on to creating a new series of paintings.

What’s New

June, 2008

First of all, this new website! Completed redone. You’ll find two Gallery pages, one for the older works, one for my latest works. Also, please visit my Contact Page and drop me a line. Let me know if you have an interest in the purchase of a painting or of a limited edition print. I will keep you posted when prints become available.

My new website now features my latest painting right on the Home Page. Latest work is “Curb Service”. Let me hear from you with your comments!
A new series of paintings all revolving around old family snapshots from the 1920’s through the 1950’s. These were found in a chest I inherited. This series of paintings will be a radical departure from anything I have ever done before, so watch as each new work comes up and then goes into my Latest Works gallery page.

Lastly, I want to give credit to Renee Phillips at Manhattan Arts, an artist career consultant and author for her great guidance in furthering my art career and improving this website. Thanks Renee!