New Daily Painting and eBay Auction for Big Blue Plymouth




1938 Big Blue Plymouth
Mark Nesmith
Oil on Oil Primed Linen Panel
7" x 5"
2013
Click here to bid in the eBay auction for this painting.

 I think every family has at least one car fanatic.  In my clan my older brother Vince is the car guy.  Of course he's much more than just a gear head.  He worked his way through college fixing cars, earned an engineering degree and a Masters, worked building nuclear subs, and been a school teacher and an operator at a refinery. Along the way he's built or re-engineered everything imaginable, from go karts to guitars, muscle cars to tractors, and houses to science projects with his nephews.  He's fixed all of our cars at one point or another, and he's bailed me out of many tight spots.  He's probably the hardest working man I've ever known, the kind of guy that helped make this country great in our golden years, and I respect him more than just about anyone.

Vince used to be a muscle car man all the way.  He always had a thing for Dodge Challengers, but over the years he's also put together MG's, a Model T, and a Harley Cafe Racer to name a few.  For the last several years he's been interested in the early years of the automotive industry.  This painting is of Big Blue, his 1938 Plymouth. 

When I first moved back down to the area Vince loaned me Big Blue for the summer while I was in between cars.  My kids and I loved driving around in this beauty.  At that point it wasn't finished and hadn't been painted, but even in the "raw" there's something magical about an old classic car.  People everywhere want to stop and talk to you or wave as you drive by.  I'm always fascinated watching Vince transform the old and often neglected vehicles he finds into a beautiful and timeless machine.  He's a very analytical guy, but I think there's a bit of art involved too.  He has the ability to look at a piece of metal or a machine and envision what it can be, and he has the skills to make it happen.

This small 5" x 7" oil painting was painted alla prima and done over a period of about 2 1/2 hours.  I actually did the drawing yesterday morning and started painting it a bit at lunch, but I couldn't find much time during my day to work on it so I only got part of the car finished.  I came in this morning and finished the car and the background areas.  I'm kind of on a roll painting cars and have a few more planned.  I don't have the mechanical aptitude of my brother, but I certainly appreciate and admire the skill and beauty of his work.