By
Db Waterman
Piece description from the artist
NO VACANCY is a retro-inspired artwork that feels like a frozen moment from a bygone road trip.
A classic white car is parked in front of a row of swimming pool changing rooms, as if the driver has just stopped for a night under the palm trees. In the foreground, an empty swimming pool reflects the soft light of the setting sun—a scene that seems to come straight out of an old Polaroid.
The colors are saturated and vintage in tone. They evoke an atmosphere of warmth and nostalgia. You can feel the heat and hear the hum of air conditioners in the distance.
This image is about a feeling of endless summers, road trips, and spontaneous stops along the way.
NO VACANCY is an ode to the iconic American landscape and the visual language of the 1970's and 1980's—a time when the road, the car, and poolside life together created a sense of freedom.
I created this work because I took a road trip myself in the early 1980's. We drove from New York to Miami in a rental car. I can still vividly remember the heat, the light, and the sounds. As well as the motels where we stayed.
Best vacation ever!
I assemble original photography, assorted papers, acrylics, oil, charcoal, ink, and pencil in my works. The variety of resources I am able to use has proved indispensable to me. The biggest challenge the collage medium posed was its unforgiving lack of transparency. Finding a way to replicate the effects of transparency afforded by paint, especially watercolors, was a large victory for me. The preparing labor shows through in my collages; layer upon layer of material remains visible in the finished pieces. I believe my body of work is characterized by my skill for reinvention. Having always loved the appearance of weathered walls plastered with peeling paint and old posters, I revive this aesthetic with hopefully a keen and professional eye. The creative objective of my work is to “make something beautiful out of dilapidation.” My tableaus explore the dissonance between old and new materials, intertwined in the most beautiful way possible to create dreamlike and melancholy images.
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