Six Weeks in Nowhereville

New work on paper , just off the drawing board. Inspired in part by our bumpy ride from LA to Chicago, the final move of all our worldly goods in a bladder destroying rented truck. From our high perch (which is cool, the big rig-ness  of it all) David, Viola and yours truly drove through some majestic landscapes. However the bleak desert  landscape between LA and Las Vegas has proven the most inspiring .

Forget the imperial mountainscapes frosted in white, the red stone canyons, the luminous sunsets (and rises) , what seeped into my brain (and pencil) were ice cream cone shaped stands, forlorn and abandoned in the sands, galleons left adrift amongst the chaparral , and the countless “Jackrabbit” shacks/homesteads, built with such enthusiasm and abandoned with such a heavy heart. Neon glitz and sham popped up like unwholesome mushrooms we approached Los Vegas.  From my bumpy perch I made short handed doodle-notes which trigger memory and move my pencil along.

The following, an album from that four day trip, late July, early August 2023, I think the quick snapshots convey the nihilistic neon of this fascinating wasteland:

I wasn’t able to capture these peculiar and abandoned ice cream shops, but a google search revealed their history.

From bumpy rental truck to comfy home studio.

Author: babylonbaroque

I am a painter and printmaker working towards creating a body of work that reflects my own developing aesthetic. New work ,first link. The second link is an on-line portfolio. View all posts by babylonbaroque