A 1950 Chevy 3100 Half-ton Pickup Truck Becomes an Award Winning Work of Art
Each October, I make it a point to visit Moab, Utah.
By then, it is the shoulder season, with warm days, cool nights and
many happenings around town and beyond. On October 6-7, 2012, I covered
the last and final 24-Hours of Moab Mountain Bike Team Relay Race, Behind the Rocks
near Moab. That same weekend, PleinAir Moab ’12 brought artists from
all over the country to Moab for some fast-action outdoor painting.
The prior year, I had stopped on a Downtown sidewalk to watch woman paint. Before my eyes, she recreated Pasta Jay’s Restaurant. This year, when I saw a man setting up his easel behind the office at the Moab Rim Campark, I knew just what he was doing. Not wanting to miss the action, I grabbed my camera and headed outside.
By the time I arrived, artist Larry Rudolech had already sketched his
subject in charcoal or graphite. After introducing myself, I asked if
Larry would allow me to document his creation. In the “Quick Draw”
format of PleinAir, I knew that Larry’s current painting would be
hanging in the competition room Downtown in less than four hours.
Graciously, Larry allowed me to photograph his sketch. We also
conversed about his paint preparation and painting technique.
Returning to my appointment with Jim Farrell, owner at the Moab Rim Campark, the artist and his painting soon faded from my mind. After working inside for over an hour, I returned to the back lot, only to discover that both Larry
and his painting were gone. “Darn”, was about all I could say. “I
wanted to photograph the finished canvas.” After realizing that Larry
was long gone, I sighed, “So much for that story.”
One reason that I was interested in Larry’s work was his subject matter.
I too had studied his subject for over five years. In 2008, I first
discovered Jim Farrell’s 1950 Chevrolet 3100 pickup truck. By the looks of Jim's old Chevy, I surmised that it had been in Moab since it was new, over sixty years ago. Like an old park ranger
truck, once it had been painted forest green. Now it was equal parts
fading green paint and hard-finished rust. I photographed the old truck
in the carport where it stood, its front end raised up on blocks. It was obvious to me that the truck did not run.
After reviewing my photographs, I asked Jim Farrell about his truck.
“Well, it still worked when I bought it, but once I got it here, it
wouldn’t go any farther.” With a wistful look on his face, Jim said, “I
plan to fix it up some day”. Three years later, in 2011, I found Jim’s
truck parked under a tree by the office. With new hubcaps, gauges and
wiring, Jim Farrell was back in the Chevy truck business. As the
Rainbird played water over the cab, I hoped that its windows were
waterproof.
Thinking of the great hospitality that Jim Farrell and his wife, Sue had
shown me over the years, I decided to purchase Larry’s PleinAir
painting and present it to them as a gift. Although the price of
Larry’s art was reasonable for an original oil painting, I quickly
realized that my budget was too low. Once again, I said, “So much for
that story”.
The next day, I walked in to the Campark office, only to find Sue
Farrell showing off a new painting that she and Jim had just purchased.
Of course, it was Larry Rudolech’s PleinAir painting of Jim Farrell’s
old Chevy pickup. After taking photographs inside, I asked Jim Farrell
to come outside with me. There, Jim held up his new artwork, with the
truck itself in the background. As the reader will see, Larry has an
uncanny ability to sense both the whole scene and the details necessary
to convey a separate, miniature reality to the viewer. To me, Larry’s
work was impressionism at its finest.
Later,
via email, Larry Rudolech told me about the great time he had in Moab
that week. Following is a synopsis of Larry’s email to me.
“Ok here you go… I am sending you a
photo of the Best of Show Award at the Moab PleinAir Event… and Yes, I
think Jim and Sue were happy with their painting. I was very surprised
and honored to be chosen as this year’s top award winner. The painting
I won with was of four VW Buses at Tom Tom's VW Museum.
I normally enjoy painting ‘the different’, and when I found the VW
Junk Yard; I just had to paint it. I thought it was cute that people
called it a Museum.
When I heard the story behind the title of Tom Tom's VW Museum, I was even more pleased
I had chosen to paint it. If Moab is the home of many wonderful
landscapes, this I thought was a very good rendering of what Moab had
become for me. The people of the area give more to Moab than some of
the red rocks. After all, one red rock is like the other, but it is
clear to see that one Moab resident is not like the other. This I think
is one of the great things about Moab. I even began talking a lot
about the many FREE SPIRITS of Moab. I am already looking forward to returning to Moab in 2013.
Take care,
Larry Rudolech
Sometimes, when I am far from Moab, listening to the cold winds of winter,
I allow myself to travel there in my mind. At my Moab, the days are
always warm, but never hot. It is breezy, but not enough to kick up
dust. Of course, the landscape is spectacular and the FREE SPIRITS of Moab
abound. Around any corner, you never know whom you are going to meet
in Moab, Utah. If you see Jim Farrell driving to town in an old green
Chevy truck, please say “Hi” to him for me.
for more information on Jim Farrell's 1951 Chevrolet 3100 pickup, please visit MoabTruck.com.
By James McGillis at 03:15 PM | | Comments (0) | Link