THE “AFTER 8” ARTIST PROJECT

BY ANDREW KING

THE IDEA

I have always thought it would be interesting to travel as one did in the mid-century time period, (1955-1965) when the automobile was not just a transport device, but a work of art and a comfort zone that one could ease back and enjoy the scenery that passes you by during one’s travels.  With the advent of the fast moving Interstate Highway system in the mid-sixties, a lot of the small-town institutions along the smaller 2 lane highways became forgotten as travelers chose the faster, more direct Interstates. Diners, motels, tourist attractions that all once lined the winding, picturesque roads soon began to decline and disappear as the Interstate killed their traffic and business. They depended on those travelers to stop in for a bite, stay the night or experience their attractions along the way.  These are the places that time has forgot, and that I would like to capture in my next series of paintings.

My goal is to re-create the driving experience of 1960-65 time period, using a car of that period, wearing the clothes of that period, using the currency of that period, and only eating and sleeping in places of that time period as I make my journey from Ottawa to New York City.  A veritable traveling “time capsule”, I would like to capture the essence of the non-interstate driving experience, completely and accurately as best I can. I will document, blog and live-Tweet the adventure while taking photos, making sketches and absorbing inspiration along the way to fuel my paintings for my solo show at Wall Space Gallery in February 2012. Departing Ottawa, I will map my route along the forgotten roads of small-town New York state, with Manhattan as my final destination.  I want most of the inspiration to come when night falls, after 8pm when small town diners, motels, stores and other locales have a ghostly lit, neon, almost surreal look to them. That is what I want to capture in my paintings, hence the title “After 8”.  The feel can most accurately be experienced when I poured over vintage automobile ads that were amazingly hand painted back in the day by talented advertising artists. I highly admire and respect those artists who captured a mood or feeling with paint using a car as their model.

THE EXECUTION

The first step is to locate and acquire an appropriate 1960-65 car for the trip.  Preferably would like to use a sedan that the average person of that time period would use. Then, once I have the car the journey begins.

SPONSORSHIP

The journey is not without costs, with some of those costs I am hoping to defer through sponsorship by both corporate, or private sectors. Gas, meals, and hotels will be the most costly aspect of this trip, and unfortunately, they did not retain mid-century prices for us to benefit! If interested in being a part of this unique journey with full advertising and sponsor benefits, please contact myself, Andrew King, or Wall Space Gallery, Ottawa.

THE ROUTE

Mapping out the journey begins with finding the forgotten highways of Upper New York State. Using Google Maps, I have determined this rough route which follows the pre-interstate path to NYC.

This highway was first built in the 1920s, stretching from the Canadian border to NYC.

The departure trip will follow the west side of the Hudson River along the old Route 9 highway. The return trip will follow the Route 9 back up the Hudson but on the East side of the river.

UPDATE : A VINTAGE CAR HAS BEEN FOUND AND THE ART ROAD TRIP BEGINS THIS WEEK. TUNE IN TO THE BLOG OR TWITTER FOR LIVE UPDATES FROM THE FORGOTTEN HIGHWAYS AS ALISON FOWLER AND MYSELF MAKE OUR WAY TO NEW YORK CITY IN A VINTAGE CAR,  IN VINTAGE OUTFITS, VISITING ONLY VINTAGE PLACES. SHARE IN THE ADVENTURES ALONG THE WAY HERE...