Hand painted in Rebelle 7 Pro on a Surface Pro 8 (i7, 16gb RAM) with Slim Pen 2.

There’s a road in Texas that runs between Amarillo and Wichita Falls. It’s long, flat, straight, and passes through hundreds of miles of practically nothing but arid prairie with a few tiny towns scattered along it. Driving it is one of the most boring things ever.

A few years ago I was several hours along this road when I entered one of those small towns. I got all the way to the other side before my brain was able to wake me from the driving meditation and I realized what I’d seen as I entered it.

I turned around and went back to take another (conscious) look. An old retired tow truck, parked lovingly by the road. Retired, but not forgotten. It had pride of place in the line of vehicles there, slowly getting more modern as they led the way to a house in the back.

I knew instantly I wanted to paint it. To capture the respect I felt these people still had for a trusty old friend, and the endless prairie it faithfully served.

Progress Pictures

Age and rust are much different prospects than chrome and shiny paint. Chrome is all about light and reflections, shiny paint is similar. But age and rust? I wasn’t sure how to capture that when I started this piece.

I actually started it several years ago when I got back from that trip, but felt a bit blocked and picked up some other commissions to work on, but it stayed in the back of my mind.

I got back to it this year, and the experiences I’ve had made it so the age and rust weren’t issues at all anymore.

Capturing the light was the true challenge in this piece. The lowering sun, the scattered chiaroscuro, and the blazing prairie sunset I’d envisioned all work together to give this piece an almost ethereal quality.

I love how it came out!