I remember in the 1950’s and 60’s, in the middle of South Bend, at Michigan St. and Monroe, there was always an aroma of Peanuts in the air. Planters Peanuts had company stores and we were fortunate to have one in our city. Mr. Peanut, himself would even walk around outside giving samples of peanuts that you could buy in the store. I spent many-a-days visiting that store. I was always fascinated with the neon sign of Mr. Peanut throwing his cane up in the air. I watched it as it would encircle the sign and he would catch it when it came down.
While I was in Wyandotte, Michigan at an Art Festival in the early 2000’s, I met the man that was the manager of the store. He said he was the man in the peanut suit in his early years.
The Peanut Shop, has since left and the building torn down, but the memories are still around. This is one of those paintings I did to recapture some of those memories.
Canvas prints available for this painting can be foundhere.
8″ x 12″ Black Edge………. $109.17
8″ x 12″ White Edge………. $109.17
8″ x 12″ Wrapped Edge………. $109.17
12” x 18” Black Edge ………. $168.07
12” x 18” White Edge ………. $168.07
12” x 18” Wrapped Edge ………. $168.07
16” x 24” Black Edge ………. $226.14 (Most popular)
16” x 24” White Edge ………. $226.14 (Most popular) The Peanut Shop
16” x 24” Wrapped Edge ………. $226.14 (Most popular)
20” x 30” Black Edge………. $314.34
20” x 30” White Edge………. $314.34
20” x 30” Wrapped Edge………. $314.34
24” x 36”Black Edge ………. $335.65
24” x 36”White Edge ………. $335.65
24” x 36”Wrapped Edge ………. $335.65
24” x 36” ……….$1,295.00 Original Painting on stretched canvas
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.
Prints:
ALL PRINTS are printed on canvas and stretched on wooden stretcher bars and prices vary according to size ordered. Most are 2:3 proportion
Options:
wrapped print- part of the image is wrapped
around the sides of the wood.
Non-wrapped print- The full image is on the face, with white or black edges
(frames and hardware are not included)
11″ x 14″………. $148.82
16″ x 20″ ………. $204.72
16″ x 20″ ………. $375.00 Original painting on stretched canvas
Established in 1932, Angels Diner is the oldest diner in the State of Florida. Palatka is located 44 miles east of Gainesville and is open 24 hours. They even serve breakfast at any time. Besides up to one-pound hamburgers, they are also known for their freshly made Onion Rings. (Not Frozen). You can also order Hot Dogs, Fried Chicken and Catfish. The diner also has outside covered seating.
Gainesville has several big Street Art Shows per year, which I exhibited at both. Angels was a big hit after I painted and unveiled it for the shows. The locals recognized it as their own favorite historic place to eat.
Prints:
ALL PRINTS are printed on canvas and stretched on wooden stretcher bars and prices vary according to size ordered. Most are 2:3 proportion
Options:
wrapped print- part of the image is wrapped
around the sides of the wood.
Non-wrapped print- The full image is on the face, with white or black edges
(frames and hardware are not included)
8″ x 12″ Black Edge………. $109.17
8″ x 12″ White Edge………. $109.17
8″ x 12″ Wrapped Edge………. $109.17
12” x 18” Black Edge ………. $168.07
12” x 18” White Edge ………. $168.07
12” x 18” Wrapped Edge ………. $168.07
16” x 24” Black Edge ………. $226.14 (Most popular)
16” x 24” White Edge ………. $226.14 (Most popular)
16” x 24” Wrapped Edge ………. $226.14 (Most popular)
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.
The Drive-in Theatres dwindled in numbers, as developers bought up the properties, I tried to capture the images of a few of those theatres. One of the few remaining theatres in Indiana, is the Tri-way in Plymouth, Indiana. It has 3 screens so they can show several movies at once, to bring in larger crowds.
This painting was done at a time before the recent remodeling a few years ago, which included the neon sign. I personally like the older sign, which I captured in the painting. There are a number of the cars you may have seen during the outdoor theatre era.
As you drove to the parking spot, the ground was raised in the front for easy visibility to see the movie. The pole next to the car held the speakers, which could be removed and placed inside the car, complete with volume control. Most people hung it on the window and then rolled it up as far as they could. The biggest problem was the failure to put the speaker back on the pedestal before leaving at the end of the movie, ripping the cord and taking the speaker with them. Many memories were made at the outdoor theatres. They had the concession stand in a building, which also housed the movie projector. Some even had playgrounds below the screen, for the parents to entertain their children before the start of the movie, although I never saw anyone use them.
While showing my Nostalgic Paintings around the country, I was always asked the question, “Do you have anything from around here that would fit in with my nostalgic art?” That started me on a quest to return to all my shows every year with something new from their area. I had exhibited at a several shows in and around the Chicago area, so I painted four paintings from Chicagoland.
One of my yearly shows was on Wells Street in Chicago. Deciding to paint a Cubs related painting, turned in to a smash hit among the locals. The painting depicts a young child with glove in hand, wearing the famous number 14 worn from 1953 through 1971 by “Mr. Cub”, Ernie Banks. Watching a custodian sweeping up after the 4th of July baseball game, and reading the famous sign, he anxiously thinks about tomorrows baseball game.
Can he get the autograph of the National League All Star? Will he get any sleep tonight? Probably not!
Prints:
ALL PRINTS are printed on canvas and stretched on wooden stretcher bars and prices vary according to size ordered. Most are 2:3 proportion
Options:
wrapped print- part of the image is wrapped
around the sides of the wood.
Non-wrapped print- The full image is on the face, with white or black edges
(frames and hardware are not included)
8″ x 12″ Black Edge………. $109.17
8″ x 12″ White Edge………. $109.17
8″ x 12″ Wrapped Edge………. $109.17
12” x 18” Black Edge ………. $168.07
12” x 18” White Edge ………. $168.07
12” x 18” Wrapped Edge ………. $168.07
16” x 24” Black Edge ………. $226.14 (Most popular)
16” x 24” White Edge ………. $226.14 (Most popular)
16” x 24” Wrapped Edge ………. $226.14 (Most popular)
While exhibiting at the Mountain State Arts and Crafts Festival, in Ripley, West Virginia, a man stopped and asked me about painting the home he grew up in. Since I had done this plenty times before, I told him what was needed to complete the painting. He asked if I would be interested in bartering instead of payment in cash. After finding out that he was a dentist, we decided that I would have some work done every year I returned to the area.
The painting had his whole family outside the home along with the bicycles they had when growing up. I ended up painting another one later of his mother’s homestead for a Christmas present. Here’s the other painting in Kenna, West Virginia.
Oh, by the way, I had my teeth cleaned and whitened, a root canal and a crown, as well a filling. Even Evelyn had her teeth cleaned and whitened. I don’t remember if she had other dental work done, but we didn’t have any insurance at the time, so that was a blessing.
8″ x 12″ Black Edge………. $109.17
8″ x 12″ White Edge………. $109.17
8″ x 12″ Wrapped Edge………. $109.17
12” x 18” Black Edge ………. $168.07
12” x 18” White Edge ………. $168.07
12” x 18” Wrapped Edge ………. $168.07
16” x 24” Black Edge ………. $226.14 (Most popular)
16” x 24” White Edge ………. $226.14 (Most popular)
16” x 24” Wrapped Edge ………. $226.14 (Most popular)
20” x 30” Black Edge………. $314.34
20” x 30” White Edge………. $314.34
20” x 30” Wrapped Edge………. $314.34
24” x 36”Black Edge ………. $335.65
24” x 36”White Edge ………. $335.65
24” x 36”Wrapped Edge ………. $335.65
24” x 36” ………. Original Painting is not available.
During one of my Arts Festival shows that was in the middle of downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan on a main street, I met a man that was interested in a painting of his business. After the show, we were taken on a tour of his Las Vegas Style nightclub, called Monaco Bay, which featured Dueling Pianos. I was commissioned to paint the building, He later commissioned me to paint an apartment building, called The Prange Building.
The Nightclub was located at 300 E. Michigan Ave. They have Dueling Pianos every Friday and Saturday night, with the dinner show at 7 pm.
8″ x 12″ Black Edge………. $109.17
8″ x 12″ White Edge………. $109.17
8″ x 12″ Wrapped Edge………. $109.17
12” x 18” Black Edge ………. $168.07
12” x 18” White Edge ………. $168.07
12” x 18” Wrapped Edge ………. $168.07
16” x 24” Black Edge ………. $226.14 (Most popular)
16” x 24” White Edge ………. $226.14 (Most popular)
16” x 24” Wrapped Edge ………. $226.14 (Most popular)
20” x 30” Black Edge………. $314.34
20” x 30” White Edge………. $314.34
20” x 30” Wrapped Edge………. $314.34
24” x 36”Black Edge ………. $335.65
24” x 36”White Edge ………. $335.65
24” x 36”Wrapped Edge ………. $335.65
24” x 36” ………. Original Painting is not available.
