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Mendocino, CA., April 5 & 6, 2008 Click here for details
River Debris - DETAIL - Watercolor by Woody Hansen
(Click image to view entire painting)
On any given day one might find a variety of debris along the banks of Sacramento’s American River. The debris is quite often left by people who claim to enjoy the great outdoors. That’s the bad news. The good news is that from time to time that trash provides subject matter for a painting or two.
Interestingly, the garbage left along the river today doesn’t seem as large in size compared to what I recall seeing in the mid-seventies. Back then, the river was littered with large objects like discarded refrigerators, old tires, engine blocks, shopping carts, and even rusted automobile bodies. I recall a full sheet watercolor painting I did back then of an old, rusted out auto body half submerged in a muddy pool of water. It came out looking close to something Gahan Wilson* might have created for Playboy or the New Yorker magazines.
However—other than a recliner, a sleeping bag, and a mattress—today’s discarded trash seems small by comparison to thirty years ago. Today’s trash seems made up of smaller objects like crushed beer cans, magazines, soiled diapers, empty potato chip bags, old shoes, torn clothing, condoms, and discarded fishing paraphernalia. Unlike automobile bodies, these items can be carried to a nearby trash can in a large plastic bag. So, I suppose the optimistic observation is that things are improving, we are messing our nest less.
Note: Colors used in this painting are Joe Blow Green, Bountiful Blueberry, Mousey Grey, and Sutter’s Gold (available at your local art supplier).
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*Click here to visit the Official Gahan Wilson website.
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