patina

(Pic #1) Side panel of 1941 Mack Fire truck. Saticoy, California

Confession: I’m kind of a junkyard junkie.

Not sure that’s a thing — but I love the mix of rusting old metal, peeling paint, and layers of decay. I know, you really want to say, “Lon, get a life.”

Well, check out this formerly red, classic 1941 Mack pumper truck I found in Saticoy, California. It sits in a salvage yard I like to visit for artistic inspiration. (And often, I incorporate these discoveries into my creativity workshops for Fortune 500 executives.) Art is in fact everywhere, if you are willing to look beyond.

These colorful, textured images — with their own preordained compositions — represent 80 years of extreme Southern California heat, and perhaps unintended neglect. But weathering brings new life — in the form of unpredictable art. These abstractions are just as exciting to me as a Rothko or Rousseau — just as visually stimulating, and way more accessible.

(Pic #1) Detail, wheel well, 1949 Dodge pickup, Ojai California. Photo by Josh Kaplan.

Take the time to look beyond the obvious.

One could argue that the classic lines of this 1949 Dodge pickup are a work of art in themselves (Pic #3) — but looking closer allows us to celebrate its life: twenty coats of contrasting paint, decades of willy-nilly scratches, and a funked-out patina you couldn’t create if you tried. To me, it’s pure beauty — unexpected layers of abstract art — and a reason to document every little unanticipated wound.

(Pic #2) Alternate view: Detail, wheel well, 1949 Dodge.

We were driving valium down the back roads of Ojai when we stumbled upon “Donald’s Mexican Food” truck — near a pen of friendly goats and a gorgeous Olive and Oak tree-lined street. It was quaint and quirky on its own, but when we got home and started playing with images in Adobe’s Lightroom, we saw the stunning “paintings” all over both rear wheel wells. That’s always my favorite kind of discovery: unexpected and bleeding with history. Boom.

(Pic #3) Rear view, Donald’s Mexican Food truck. Photo by Josh Kaplan.

(Pic #4) Wide shot, Donald’s 1949 Dodge Mexican Food truck. Photo by Josh Kaplan.

Age Before Beauty — Duh!

Hidden Treasures: Just Zoom In!