Marlboro, 212

"Hey, smoke up Johnny..."

John Bender

High and Low, 211

Did this piece for the Centre for Performing Arts auction this weekend. This piece and Tractor VI will be available for sale. 50% of the proceeds will go to benefit the Centre.

High Tide, 210

Love the Tide logo. Classic, round and beautiful. Think I may save this one to paint over. Most of my work is done alla prima, so I don't let it dry and work back into it. These larger pieces tend to lack the magic you can get with a smaller piece. I may need to paint it on the floor or try some other radical approach. I like the large scale but it is still missing something.

Mini RC, 209

Here is another experiment performed on RC Cola...

Mini Lucky Strike, 208

Continuing with the theme of the day, advertising. These are much smaller pieces than the others... the siZe of the daily pieces. They enable me to experiment on a much cheaper basis. I like the idea of old advertising so I try to give the impression that these paintings have been out in the environment and that rain, sun and gravity take their toll on an abstract level. I have always loved drops of paint and the physics that they represent. However, it is a direct contradiction to what I stated above. The signs look like the paint, over time, has oxidied and run down the sign, but I have intentionally place the paint splotches on this one while it was laying down. I never turned it up and let the drips run down. I love the look of the "drop" and not the "run".

Mini Mountain, 207

Trying to gear up for the upcoming season of shows. I have the Artwalk in Newnan on the 26th of March and dropping off 2 large pieces for the Patrons Auction for the Centre for Performing and Visual art a few days before Artwalk.

Small pieces tend to sell better than large ones at these types of things, so I try to go small and sell the daily's and the studies. They are my gravy, they keep me in paint and canvas until the big ones move.

I also hope to have a show of the retro ad pieces if I can get them together and shop them around... there has been a bit of interest so far!

The art department at Heritage has also agreed to painting the set for Frog and Toad which is coming up all to soon as well!

The crunch is on, but you have to get while the getting is good... and springtime and art shows are the key!

Lucky Strike, 206

In keeping with the retro advert theme, here is the next installment. I have always loved circular designed logos. They are perfection... not long and stretched out of boxy, just the perfection of the circle.

Lucky Strike is one of my all time favorites. It has stayed the same for as long as I can remember and in doing the bit of research that I did, has been the same for a long time. I really like the color scheme, too. The red, black and gold are great! The gold is a great addition, they kept it kinda tame... no bright blue or yellow, just a golden gray.

I admire any logo that can stand the test of time... and honestly, why mess with perfection!

Royal Crown 2, 205

Version 2 of the RC Cola logo, a bit smaller than the last one and painted on a colored background. Another great retro logo, they used this up until the late 90's! I think it was introduced in the mid 70's. I love the font and the sweeping design. It is amusing to me what an impact Coca Cola had on ALL soft drink designs. You can really see it in the old Pepsi logo. RC is one of my favorite logos and soft drinks of all time.

Mountain Dew, 204

My next group of paintings is based on several obsessions of mine... junking, Pop Art, retro advertising.

By junking I mean going to junk stores, antiques malls and flea markets. My favorite was Lakewood in Atlanta. My pal Jeff Stuart got me hooked on going up there. Closing that place was a very sad day for all of us that loved going up there.

I love old rusty signs and advertisements. The oxidation and the simplicity and effectiveness of the design work always captivated me. I have designed logos for different companies, the most notable around here is the Redneck Gourmet. My dad designed the first logo in 1990 and I redesigned it for franchising purposes. I have hand painted tin signs for them, as well as murals outside the Newnan location and inside the Senoia location. I have always enjoyed lettering.

Afte a week off from painting I have decided to explore these themes. I hope you enjoy!