After 6 years off and on the easel between projects, I finally finished the portrait of my local junk yard man. I thought maybe you'd be interested in seeing it. I realized one day this past Fall how many parts of my car came from that yard, and how helpful Carlton (the subject) was to me over the years. I have known him since I was just a lad of about 6 and remember riding through the yard with my dad in the early 8os. Then it was full of Model As, deuces, and oddballs from the electric and steam era, lined up down the road. I spent the next 10 years dreaming about it, and it was one of the first places I drove to upon getting my licence. By then the A's were gone and the yard had gone into disrepair, but it was possible to find anything there if you looked hard enough. It's still not uncommon to find hemi heads, '40 DeLuxe wheels and columns, juice brakes, straight axles and buggy frames buried under years of being stacked upon by feverish scroungers taking advantage of him during a rough spot in his life. Easier to find are white faced wasps, hornets, jellowjackets, and very nasty spiders. Today, it's been cleaned up a bit and a third of the yard was lost to a 6 alarm fire last year. Carlton has somehow kept track of everything in his head, and can usually get you within a car's length of where he last saw something 30 years ago. He pours every ounce of himself into that yard every day and seems to live for what it holds and the histories behind those things. There are few parts he can't identify, nor are there a lack of stories behind the cars, the parts and the people he's dealt with over the years... Accounts of trading cars for parts or for work, cars built from the yard, stories of cars they wished they had kept or hadn't crushed, etc. make for a great day every time I visit. I spent probably half my summers over the last 10 years there and have a great relationship with him. He understands my passion and I respect him and his yard. He always either gives me parts or charges 5 or 10 bucks a load, no matter if it's a headlight or a truckload of flathead parts. I always throw him more, in appreciation for his generosity. My Motor, trans, rear, frame, wheels, column, gauges, radius rods, brakes, shock mounts, gas tank, grille and radiator all initially came from there. Chances are, my life would have been much different if it hadn't been influenced by Carlton's yard early on, and fueling the fire for me, along with going to car shows. Nor would I have ever afforded or found what I needed otherwise. I wanted to show Carlton as I see him; a man of dedication to his life's work and of dignity. He stands proudly in front of a pile of what he loves the most, smiling at the end of a day's work nearly done. I hope you enjoy it. It's oil- size 24x36 Jonny
Very COOL ! You've captured some of his personality in both the portrait and the words that you've written here. Amazing what an influence people can have on us when we're young. I remember a few of the local junk yard men....Heimy, Agnew, Gus, Sonny and Otto are a few names I recall. Great times...discovering buried treasure at the junk yards!
Nice, reminds me of Billy Bo Thornton, can't remember the movie but he was a crooked mechanic in a 'last chance' desert garage.
from one artist to another, great work man. i know how difficult it can be to get the folds of fabric just right, what a pain in the ass. also, just a suggestion, i think you should make your watermark on the image a hair less transparent
I love it!!! It's a very nice tribute to the type of man that's often overlooked or looked down upon by those that don't know or understand the way we think or the true value of what we save.
Fantastic - what a wonderful thing to do - I wish I could be a fly on the wall when you show it to him for the first time. Cheers.
Nice piece! Very well done- great story too... Gator, That movie was U-Turn, an Oliver Stone piece with Sean Penn and a young, super-hot J-Lo
At the request of BostonCat, I am releasing the general location of this yard. Carlton can certainly use the business after the fire last year and the hassles incurred since by town officials and neighbors who complain about moving next to a junkyard. If anyone wants to do a little snooping, he can be found in Eliot, ME. Don't bother trying to find any online database or have him ship you anything. You find it, you pull it. If he doesn't know you or maybe knows you and doesn't like you, he will charge you what it's worth. Bring boots and bug spray. Let me know when you're coming and we'll do a tour... I'll take you there myself. Below are some pics someone else took before the fire... http://rides.webshots.com/album/87734573nocktl I especially like this one that shows his essence:
Eliot MAINE?!?!?! Shit, that's actually near me! Woo-hoo! When the thaw comes, I'd love to have you give me a tour and meet this gentleman. Cool beans.
Right on... Maybe I'll organize a Spring tour. It's not much fun there in the dead of winter... That's a new thread though. Jonny
Johnnyhotrod - I'm in Bangor, so a couple hours for me, but if you plan a spring tour - I'll be there for sure. Keep me posted!
No problem... more paintings coming shortly. This one was special though. Check out the website if you'd like to see more work. I have quite a bit to add to it so check back. Jonny
The Jalopy Journal
