http://www.jenniferdsandquist.com/store/p50/Rainbow_Bar.html
As promised this is today's edition of painting conception stories... The above painting of The Rainbow Bar sign has started more conversations that I ever imagined it could. Just yesterday, as I took down my show from Palmer's Bar right here in Minneapolis... I was approached by a man that said... "Rainbow Bar... now that was a great place." He went on to tell me all about the Rainbow Bar in Uptown that was an amazing place in his words "Before Minneapolis figured out that it was cool" he said it was like some cool underground club "you're grandpa might've gone to"... he said that it was really chill and mysterious and dark... and that you could still smoke in the bars back then... so "that's all you could see... were the red burning ends of the cigarettes as people would take a puff"... I almost felt bad telling him the real story behind this painting. In fact this colorful neon sign is from a photograph I took while wandering the historic western downtown of Billings Montana several years ago. Downtown Billings hasn't changed much in the last 50 years... and I was delighted that day to photograph many great old neon signs all on that same little street. Several of them have since turned into paintings. One that sold to a couple that moved to Monte Carlo and bought my painting of that little mexican restaurant ... that was one of my favorites from that day. That was a fun day. Jason and I spent the day wandering Montana Avenue and dipping into antique shops. I bought a deck of naked lady cards from the 1950s that were still in the plastic. Actually... I was too embarrassed to buy them from the Pawn Shop owner... so I made Jason buy them.
Many of my neon signs have a story like that behind them. I love to travel... and I have long been fascinated by the old neons that dot the country... and are often found in the least expected places. Like Billings, Montana for example. One of my dreams is to travel Route 66 from start to finish... photograph what'ts left and then come back and sit with those images and turn them into a show. I had a chance to travel part of the old route last year when I went to Arizona with my parents... pretty amazing...
As promised this is today's edition of painting conception stories... The above painting of The Rainbow Bar sign has started more conversations that I ever imagined it could. Just yesterday, as I took down my show from Palmer's Bar right here in Minneapolis... I was approached by a man that said... "Rainbow Bar... now that was a great place." He went on to tell me all about the Rainbow Bar in Uptown that was an amazing place in his words "Before Minneapolis figured out that it was cool" he said it was like some cool underground club "you're grandpa might've gone to"... he said that it was really chill and mysterious and dark... and that you could still smoke in the bars back then... so "that's all you could see... were the red burning ends of the cigarettes as people would take a puff"... I almost felt bad telling him the real story behind this painting. In fact this colorful neon sign is from a photograph I took while wandering the historic western downtown of Billings Montana several years ago. Downtown Billings hasn't changed much in the last 50 years... and I was delighted that day to photograph many great old neon signs all on that same little street. Several of them have since turned into paintings. One that sold to a couple that moved to Monte Carlo and bought my painting of that little mexican restaurant ... that was one of my favorites from that day. That was a fun day. Jason and I spent the day wandering Montana Avenue and dipping into antique shops. I bought a deck of naked lady cards from the 1950s that were still in the plastic. Actually... I was too embarrassed to buy them from the Pawn Shop owner... so I made Jason buy them.
Many of my neon signs have a story like that behind them. I love to travel... and I have long been fascinated by the old neons that dot the country... and are often found in the least expected places. Like Billings, Montana for example. One of my dreams is to travel Route 66 from start to finish... photograph what'ts left and then come back and sit with those images and turn them into a show. I had a chance to travel part of the old route last year when I went to Arizona with my parents... pretty amazing...
It's been a lot of fun photographing and cataloging all of these paintings and finding ones I forgot about... if you'd like to see what I've got up so far... you can do so here: http://www.jenniferdsandquist.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html
I hope to have quite a few more up by the end of the week. Also in a strange twist of fate... I had purposely decided not to show at Art-A-Whirl this year because I have so much going on with work and then getting ready for Spain... but in the last few hours not one but two different venues have made it too easy for me to say no. So I will be showing at Grumpy's and Vesper College this year. Last year I sold all but one of my pieces at Grumpy's! Guess it's time to get painting.
I hope to have quite a few more up by the end of the week. Also in a strange twist of fate... I had purposely decided not to show at Art-A-Whirl this year because I have so much going on with work and then getting ready for Spain... but in the last few hours not one but two different venues have made it too easy for me to say no. So I will be showing at Grumpy's and Vesper College this year. Last year I sold all but one of my pieces at Grumpy's! Guess it's time to get painting.
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