2015
THE REINSMAN
16x40 inches
acrylic, watercolor paper, kraft paper
A stagecoach used to be the best bet when one wanted to traverse this great country of ours and The Reinsman was the man to make it happen. With his shotgun messenger at his side, The Reinsman would command a team of two-six horses ferrying passengers and packages alike across the West. Stagecoaches were eventually replaced by the locomotive, pictured in the distance on the right.
SOLD
THE WAR TUBA
18X24 INCHES
ACRYLIC, WATERCOLOR PAPER, KRAFT PAPER
During World War I, airplane warfare began to play a major role in the fighting and the defenses against aerial attacks were in their infancy. The War Tuba was an acoustic device used to listen for the loud engines of approaching planes in order to prepare for the impending assault from the sky. This predated radar, which is symbolized by the radar dish near the building in the background.
NOT FOR SALE
The Switchboard
Operator II
10x20 inches
acrylic, watercolor paper, kraft paper
The Switchboard Operator was solely responsible for connecting every single telephone conversation manually until the invention of the rotary dial.
SOLD
The Lector II
10x20 inches
acrylic, watercolor paper, kraft paper
Reading to cigar rollers to keep their minds occupied, The Lector was a staple of the factory life, breathing humor, stories, and song into the daily life of these workers.
SOLD
The River Rat
10x20 inches
acrylic, watercolor paper, kraft paper
The River Rat rode massive floats of logs down-river, escorting them to the mill and making sure they didn't get jammed up by maneuvering them with his long pike.
SOLD
The Iceman
10x20 inches
acrylic, watercolor paper, kraft paper
The Iceman delivered massive blocks of ice to homes and businesses to keep food in their ice boxes from perishing. This entire industry was completely replaced once refrigeration was invented.
SOLD
The Cordwainer
12x24 inches
acrylic, watercolor paper, kraft paper
Shoes were made from new leather by The Cordwainer (cobblers were only allowed to use old leather), who pieced together leather and rubber to craft footwear. The McKay stitching machine (pictured in the adjacent room) began the shift towards automation in this bustling industry.
SOLD
The Lamplighter II
10x20 inches
acrylic, watercolor paper, kraft paper
The Lamplighter illuminated the dark night by clamoring up his trusty ladder with his blazing lantern and lighting the street lamps. His occupation was replaced by the implementation of electricity, symbolized by the tiny power outlet on the wall of the building.
SOLD
2011 - 2014
THE POSTMAN
48X24 inches
ACRYLIC, WATERCOLOR PAPER, KRAFT PAPER
2014
Long before we were able to instantly zap messages across the world in seconds using a computer that fits in your pocket, The Postman carried our correspondence across the West by horse. The Pony Express could get a letter from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California in as little as ten days. One of the landmarks they passed by was Devil's Gate (near Casper, Wyoming), which I have set as a background to The Postman's ride. The innovation that made The Postman obsolete was the telegraph, symbolized by the wired pole on the right of the painting.
SOLD
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THE SIGN PAINTER
48X24 inches
ACRYLIC, WATERCOLOR PAPER, KRAFT PAPER
2013
In the wild prairies of the Midwest, the Sign Painter steadies his hand as he paints the lettering to yet another Wall Drug billboard. A meandering bison, one of the last of the huge herds that once roamed these vast grasslands, looks on in bewilderment. Nowadays, billboards are simply printed out and pasted on (as symbolized by the printer depicted bottom right), with the artistic skill of these talented artisans becoming redundant.
SOLD
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THE KNOCKER UPPER
48x24 inches
ACRYLIC, WATERCOLOR PAPER, KRAFT PAPER
2014
During the Industrial Revolution, many workers in Britain and Ireland hired a Knocker Upper to rouse them from their slumber to go to work in the factories. Most Knocker Uppers used a long pole to tap on second floor windows, but one inventive lass, Mary Smith, utilized a pea-shooter to wake her clients. A mechanical alarm clock, the invention that replaced the Knocker Upper, is illuminated in the candlelit window.
THE LAMPLIGHTER
24x48 inches
acrylic, watercolor paper, kraft paper
2011
Before the widespread use of electricity, streets of most towns and cities were lit by gas lamps. These lamps had to be lit as dusk turned to dark and extinguished as the day's light filled the morning sky. The Lamplighter was responsible for these tasks and typically employed either a long pole or a tall, customized bicycle, which is the way I would have done it.
SOLD
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THE SWITCHBOARD OPERATOR
24x48 inches
ACRYLIC, WATERCOLOR PAPER, KRAFT PAPER
2012
It is a wonder that every single telephone conversation used to begin with a Switchboard Operator manually connecting the two parties. Women typically held these positions and manned a section of the enormous labyrinth of connections that was the switchboard. Once the rotary dial was invented, the Switchboard Operator's importance fell by the wayside.
SOLD
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THE ICE CUTTER
24x48 inches
acrylic, watercolor paper, kraft paper
2011
Before refrigeration gained widespread usage, ice had to be cut from frozen lakes and stored in ice houses to keep perishables from spoiling in the summer heat. The Ice Cutter would cut large blocks of ice with long, jagged saws and then haul the blocks to the ice house where they would be insulated with straw. An ice machine, which replaced the need to harvest ice, sits near the ice house.
SOLD
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THE ELEVATOR OPERATOR
24x48 inches
ACRYLIC, WATERCOLOR PAPER, KRAFT PAPER
2012
Whirring up and down, guiding guests to their proper floors, the Elevator Operator was an engineer and an entertainer wrapped into one neat package. Before the button system was invented (as reflected in the mirror), an Elevator Operator was needed in order to steer the elevator car to the proper floor safely.
SOLD
Prints >
THE LECTOR
48x24 inches
ACRYLIC, WATERCOLOR PAPER, KRAFT PAPER
2011
Workers in cigar-rolling factories used to pool their wages and hire a Lector to help pass the time. The Lector would read the news, novels, and short stories with liveliness to help break the monotony of rolling cigars. The infamous Monte Cristo Cigars are named so because the workers at that factory's favorite story was the Count of Monte Cristo.
SOLD
Prints >
THE PINSETTER
48X24 inches
ACRYLIC, WATERCOLOR PAPER, KRAFT PAPER
2011
The Pinsetter's day was filled with watching (and avoiding) exploding pins and then setting them back up only to dodge them once again, while also rolling back the bowling balls. The Pinsetter went by the wayside once Brunswick and other companies invented the mechanical pinsetter, as depicted in this painting.
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Prints >
THE LOG DRIVER
48x24 inches
ACRYLIC, WATERCOLOR PAPER, KRAFT PAPER
2011
Large floats of logs used to fill the waters of the Mississippi and other rivers, as loggers had to get the plentiful lumber to port. The Log Driver "rode" the float down the river, dislodging log jams with his pike and gracefully dancing on the floating logs. It was a dangerous job that required strength, balance and poise.
SOLD
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