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41 Dodge

Watercolour on BFK Rives printmaking paper
21 × 17 cm (8.27 × 6.69 in)

A family photograph translated into colour.

Two children sit on the hood of a Dodge truck while an adult steadies them. The vehicle occupies nearly as much space in the image as the figures themselves. At the time the photograph was taken, the truck was likely the most expensive object the family owned, a machine tied directly to work, movement, and survival.

The original image was printed in black and white. Repainting it in colour alters its function. The tones are speculative, an attempt to give warmth to a moment that was never recorded that way.

The composition reveals a quiet hierarchy.
Children were placed carefully atop the family’s most valuable possession.

The truck represents labour, durability, and usefulness.
The children represent what has not yet been tested.

The machine was built to endure work.
The photograph attempts to do the same for the moment.

Time will decide which succeeds.

Note:

This painting was developed from a small black-and-white family photograph printed on glossy paper. The original image contained no color information. The tones used in the painting are therefore interpretive rather than restorative.

At the time, I was experimenting with introducing restrained color into my practice. The photograph presented an opportunity to imagine the scene beyond the limits of the original print.