Hunting for Rusty Old Trucks

No Particular Place to Go, 6 x 8, oils.

After doing four studio paintings back to back it was great to be out painting from life. I was wanting to paint either an old truck or tractor and thought it wouldn't be difficult to find one. I found out otherwise. I live five minutes from the country and it took me over and hour to find this one. When asking the owner for permission to paint his truck, I think he thought I was talking about an actual paint job. I doubt anyone had ever asked to set up an easel on the property before. It was a great day to paint, 80 degrees (!) and I was in shorts and a t-shirt. The only downside was the 35 mph gusts that blew my hat off and paper towels right out of my hand. With painting outdoors it's always something. Still, after so much studio painting, I felt spoiled to have all that great visual information coming right into my eyes and not secondhand through a photo or sketch. I missed plein air.

For those interested, the truck is a Chevy 1948-1952. The model changed so little during those years that it would take an expert to tell the year. I've since taken country drives with the express purpose of tracking down cool old vehicles. Finding fewer than expected, I now feel an urgency to paint them before they are gone like the old gas stations they used to frequent.

Here's a '72 Ford with potential!