Restaurants – Page 2 – Larry Johnston, Nostalgic Artist

Rosie’s Diner 1

December 31, 2014February 22, 2021 Admin

“Rosie’s Diner”

Rockford, Michigan

Most everyone has seen photos of Rosie’s Diner, some with miniature lights for tail lights and in strategic areas of the photo that you could hang in your recreation room, or maybe the kitchen. The painting above, is also of Rosie’s Diner. Let me tell you the story of how this painting started.

While participating in the #1 Art Show, at the time, in the country, which was Coconut Grove, Florida, I met a ceramic artist who made miniature diners that had neon on them. It was great work. The artist, Jerry Berta, told me a story that fascinated me. I had seen those photos in stores and restaurants, I mentioned above.

Jerry had a REAL diner, that he used as a studio to make his miniature diners. People would show up at his door, wanting to buy diner food, and he had to explain to them, it was only his studio. Then he had the opportunity to purchase a diner in Little Ferry, New Jersey. They were going to get rid of the diner to make room for what they called “Progress” and offered Jerry a deal, he couldn’t refuse.

The Silver Dollar Diner, was the name of the Diner, where the well-known commercial with Rosie, the waitress, advertised paper towels. Jerry accepted the deal and moved it to Michigan. He said he only had 10 flat tires during the move. When he arrived in Rockford, he renamed the Diner, ‘Rosie’s. It was located in the same parking lot as his other diner and sold regular Diner Food.

On various nights of the month, he would turn on the neon lights and allow people to photograph their classic cars in the watered-down parking lot, which shows the reflections of the neon.

While in Greenville, Michigan at an Art Festival, I took time to stop there and photograph the diner. The painting above is from the photos I took that day.

Other Silver Diner Paintings I have done are:

Pelican Diner, St. Pete Beach; Inside the Silver Diner, Red trim; Inside the Silver Diner, pink

around the sides of the wood.

24” x 36” ………. Original Painting on stretched canvas not available

Waffle House

December 31, 2014February 22, 2021 Admin

WAFFLE HOUSE®

Down South Everywhere.

Believe it or not, while on the road during my Art Show career, Waffle House® became a regular stop in our lives. They have been serving breakfast, lunch and dinner since 1955, 24 hours a day 365 days a year.

They have, including franchises, 1,500 stores. Every year, as we headed south we started seeing them just south of Indianapolis, all the way to the Gulf coast. Waffle house became our favorite breakfast place.

They have their own dialog. I ordered Cheese and eggs, scattered smothered and covered, but not chunked, (That meant the hash browns were scattered, not in a patty, covered meant it had cheese on it and if you wanted chunked, it came with ham.)

They claim they are the world’s leader in service Waffles, Omelettes and T-bone steaks. We also had their great cheeseburgers, not to mention coffee for breakfast.

Because of their hours, many truck drivers and travelers stopped there. We celebrated Christmas at Waffle House® for quite a few years, because nobody else was open for dinner on Christmas day.

I painted the painting, which depicted the late hours, with the cars and trucks sitting outside. The black Ford Mustang in the painting was the car that the man owned, who bought the painting. It was sold, before I had even finished the painting at the Yellow Daisy Festival, in Stone Mountain, Georgia. I try to paint at the shows when it’s not too busy.

around the sides of the wood.

Fried Green Tomatoes Window

December 29, 2014February 22, 2021 Admin

Whistle Stop Cafe Window.

Juliette, Georgia

In 1927, Edward L. Williams Senior, built a General Mercantile Store in Juliette, GA. Mrs. Williams, known as “Miss Lillian” and her 5 boys and one girl helped run the store for 45 years, until it closed in 1972. The Building was then rented to a Timber Consultant, then a Real Estate Office and finally an Antique Shop.

In 1991, The building was used in the filming of the movie, “Fried Green Tomatoes”. After the completion of the film, Robert Williams joined Jerie Lynn Williams in turning the building into the “Whistle Stop Cafe’ that everyone recognized in the movie. The movie and the cafe’ brought life to the town, as movie buffs and tourists stopped by to have some fried green tomatoes.

The news traveled all over the State of Georgia about its local town, Juliette, just east of Forsyth in middle Georgia. The painting of the window was one of five that were done from buildings used in the movie. The others were the Whistle Stop Cafe, Whistle Stop Depot, Starr’s Mill and a Home in Senoia that sat across from a railroad track. The Whistle Stop Cafe’ painting was purchased by Jerie Williams, as it appeared in the movie and then commissioned another painting, as the cafe’ looked after the movie, without the gas pumps. One of the paintings hangs in the cafe’.

around the sides of the wood.

11″ x 14″Black Edge………. $148.82

11″ x 14″ White Edge………. $148.82

11″ x 14″ Wrapped Edge………. $148.82

16″ x 20″ Black Edge ………. $204.72

16″ x 20″ White Edge………. $204.72

16″ x 20″ Wrapped Edge………. $204.72

16″ x 20″ ………. $375.00 original painting on stretched canvas not available.

4 Way Lunch

December 29, 2014February 22, 2021 Admin

4 Way Lunch

Cartersville, Georgia

Located in Cartersville, Georgia, at the corner of East Main Street (Hwy 41) and Gilmer Street, the “4-Way”, as the locals called it, has been there since 1931. I painted the painting in about 1984, when I was exhibiting in art shows in the area. It was one of my most popular paintings of the time.

I painted several Cartersville places, and some really close by, here are the links…

Cartersville Depot

Ross Diner

Roselawn, Sam Jones Home

Euharlee Covered Bridge

Euharlee Covered Bridge in the Spring

Big Chicken

December 27, 2014February 22, 2021 Admin

“The Big Chicken”

Marietta, Georgia

I was told by an Eastern Airlines Pilot, many years ago, that when flying into Atlanta, Georgia, when he saw the big chicken, he knew when to start his descent into Hartsfield Airport. The Big Chicken was 68 feet high. The eye rolled around and the tail feather on the back of its head went up and down. It was called “Johnny Rebs, Chick, Chuck and Shake.” You can just about guess what they served.

When I arrived in Marietta, in 1983, the building was occupied by Kentucky Fried Chicken. Many years later, when the mechanisms no longer worked, they decided to tear the building down, but the community response convinced them to rebuild the chicken. The building now is just slightly shorter, but now everything has been rebuilt and updated into working order. They even have a spiked roof, so the birds wouldn’t perch on top of it. You can see the building at the corner of Hwy 41 and Roswell Road, in Marietta, Georgia.

When I painted the picture, I had already taken photos of the original Big Chicken, so I decided to use that version to paint.

around the sides of the wood.

11″ x 14″………. $148.82

16″ x 20″ ………. $204.72

16″ x 20″ ………. $375.00 Original painting on stretched canvas

A & W Drive-in

December 26, 2014February 22, 2021 Admin

When exhibiting at Art Shows and Festivals, I tried to have a painting that the locals could identify with, so I would scan the area after the shows and take pictures of interesting places. I had been in the show in Wyandotte, Michigan for years and painted several places near there. One of the places I painted, was the A & W Drive-in, located in Taylor, Michigan. It was a typical design for that restaurant in the 1950’s that I remembered. It was a 24″ x 36″ painting, on stretched canvas. With a little humor, you will notice the driver of the corvette is parked in a no parking zone and the car hop is paying more attention to him, instead of the customers.

Other A & W paintings that I have done: A & W Root Beer Barrel, South Bend, IN

around the sides of the wood.

24” x 36” ………. $1,295.00 Original Painting