Thursday, January 8, 2015

Art Inspiration and a Road Trip Part One.

You may remember from this and previous posts that I have a serious passion for neon, and if it's retro neon, wow!! I've researched them, painted them, recieved them as gifts, traveled to see them and photograph them in person. They are a big inspiration for me and my art. Luckily, my husband shares that same interest, so when I approached him with this page from Art Collector Magazine and asked if it was do able, the answer was yes. Yay!!


This article about Francis De Fronzo's upcoming show at Evoke Contemporary immediately caught my eye. I went straight to his and the gallery's website to learn more. De Fronzo's paintngs are very large and very realistic. They are of trains, old signs, and big skies and fields. They evoke in me a feeling of solitude and peace. 

Then I went on to Google to find this sign and learn of it's rich history. We had already planned a long weekend in Las Vegas (this past December) and it was only a couple of hours away.


After a great early breakfast at 'Eat' in downtown Las Vegas, we started our road trip. It was an overcast and at points a cloudy day.


I was hoping for bright sun and some desert heat, but it was December and they were experiencing cooler than normal temps for the area.


We saw lots of interesting 'deserty' things along the way. A couple of long trains that we had to wait for and let pass.


Plenty of abandoned buildings and structures.


and even a few tumbleweeds blowing in the wind.


A mountain that resembled a pyramid.


Don't let this somewhat freshly painted spot on the road fool you. Route 66 is full of history and in some areas in disrepair. Pot holes galore.


And then we saw it in the distance. We had arrived to our destination in Amboy Ca. There, in the Mohave desert,  the sign we came to see. I'll stop my story here because Roy's Motel Cafe deserves it's own post. Stay tuned for part two.