Roving Toad Caravan

This slab built clay sculpture (cone 6 brownstone) has burnt umber ink stain and acrylic finish.

  I get such a kick looking at the combination of drawing style, the pen and ink touches in windows and edges of doors, combined with the softly fluid clay shapes of the tires and bumpers.

And that Chevy green and white was the color of my actual Open Road conversion van, which I owned from around 70 or 71 to 82 or 82.  I'm never sure of the dates, and I think it was at least 11 years before I let the engine block freeze in Gainesville.  I hadn't ever put antifreeze in it, since I lived in FL.  But for the Christmas break I didn't drive anywhere and there were a few days below freezing straight through.  So I had to say goodbye to a good old friend.

My sons and I went camping in the Roving Toad one summer, as I quit my job and lived on credit cards for 3 months.  We put 10,000 miles on the vehicle, had to buy new tires, and maybe a few other problems needed attention.  But mainly we enjoyed living outdoors and travelling.

Did I mention, having driven this vehicle for 11-13 years, it wasn't air conditioned?  And I lived in FL the whole time.  Since it had good window screens, it was bearable most nights to sleep in.  On the road it was ok to have windows open as long as you weren't stuck in traffic.  Yes, I did drive it to work as well, for many years in Tampa, then Tallahassee, then eventually it was mainly parked in Gainesville when I returned to college.

OK, that is way too much information, isn't it?  But this little van will never be sold, unlike the original. 

I have oodles of fond memories of my life, my family and my friends in that van!

Who do you make your art for, others or yourself?  This time I made it entirely for myself!