Blue Sky Gallery

Series
Interstate Landscapes

Assemblage and Painting Series

Blue Sky, on 'Interstate Landscapes'
The interstate landscape continuing series are inspired by a common view I see when I’m on the interstate. Since I’m usually in the slow lane, I’m right behind a truck, so I have plenty of time to study what’s staring me in the face.

The first thing I noticed was the back of a truck was flat. It’s also rectangular, just like a canvas. This flat surface is usually emblazoned with man-made markings, names of trucking companies, warnings, coding systems, licensing data, some new - some old and fading, along with natural markings such as mud, rust, graffiti, road film, and hand prints all combined into a wonderful patina.

Often the drivers of the trucks like to personalize their trucks with special lighting, bumper stickers that they enjoy, their name, their girlfriend’s name, hand painted messages and designs.

Sometimes I take a fictional approach and create a fictional product that’s being hauled such as “Old South Quick Frozen Grits” which may be hauled by a made-up trucking company such as “Art Transport”. These trucks will carry warnings such as “Please dim lights” or “Dim ‘em dammit.” At the same time, I distort the natural components of the back of the truck and morph them into interesting relief sculptures, usually based on found objects.

“Raquel’s Rig” is an example of how if the movie star, Raquel Welch had driven a truck it would be customized to suit her glittering taste.

“Rembrandt’s Rig” represents a truck driven by Rembrandt with all of his paint inside, some of it seeping out the door and signage on the back advertising how he does portraits and landscapes.

Selected Quotations

Dr. Brian O’Doherty, then editor of “Art in America” described one of Sky’s trucks as “Great fun... nice assemblage... a marvelous combination of good humor and craftsmanship.”

David Scott Bundy of the Virginia Museum of Art, observing Blue Sky’s truck painting included in the traveling show of ‘Painting in the South – 500 years of painting in the South’ wrote, “Masterful use of materials in presenting a contemporary if absurd -- image of the south through the theme of the American highway. The viewer, mesmerized by the clearly rendered details on the back of a large truck ahead, is made to feel uneasy by the implied danger of the vantage point. At first glance, ‘Air Brakes’ appears to be a serious realistic work. But on closer study, one notices that bottle caps are used for tail-lights; a zipper serves as a closure for the rear doors, and behind the wheels are satin mud-flaps inscribed: ‘Passing Side’ and ‘Sssuicide’.”

Respected art historian Donald B. Kuspit, while Chairman of the Department of Art History at State University of New York at StonyBrook, described them simply as “... elegant, physically elegant.”

"Rig 99" - AKA "Missing", Assemblage, Painted ~ 1995, Private Collection
"Air Brakes" - Assemblage, Size ~ 44" x 66", Painted ~ 1978, Mississippi Museum Collection
Part of the Virginia Museum 1983 "Painting in the South" show
"Black Mack" - Assemblage, Size ~ 44" x 66", Painted ~ 1987
Best of Show, Piccolo Spoletto 1988
"Blue Nude" - Assemblage, Size ~ 44" x 66", Repainted from "Black Mack" ~ 1991, Private Collection
"Sea Land" - Airbrush, Size ~ ?, Painted ~ ?, One of the only airbrush works Sky ever painted
"Art Transport" - Acrylic on Canvas, Size ~ 30" x 40", Painted ~ 1995, Private Collection
"Rain Truck" - Acrylic on Canvas, Size ~ 44" x 66", Painted ~ 1996, For Sale
"Saint Vennie's Kwik Frozen Grits" - Assemblage, Size ~ 48" x 76", 2007, For Sale