TOM WILLS PRODUCTIONS: No. 454: Black Fenders

No. 454, 1931-vintage Ford Model "A" watercolor by Tom Wills, November, December 2019
Ross and Brenda Linert

This 1931-vintage Ford Model "A" is the first painting I've done that had to make a u-turn and return to the body shop here.

It's an important painting for me because it's the first I'd done since taking on a new job, and new hours. I needed to know that there would still be time for my art. As it turns out, there is -- with three more pieces that followed No. 454.

So, I was pretty thrilled with how the car turned out, and so was my new boss, who commissioned it. We made sure to go back and forth as the painting progressed, checking every detail as it came together: The greens, the browns, the grays.

On the Square in Warren, Ohio

And so it was signed, sealed and delivered. But because it is a Christmas gift, the painting was in her office until Santa could deliver it.

Oops.

I kind of wondered why it was turned around on a chair, so that no one could see it. Then one night her son came to visit and she showed it to him. I walked in and they looked a little pale. There was a problem: The greens, the browns, the grays were fine. We had forgotten the blacks.

Yikes.

Indeed as you view the original photo, the Ford's fenders are black. Now, in the original painting, they were a darker green. As I progressed from looking less at the photo and more at the painting, I lost track of that and just assumed the fenders were a darker green due to the lighting, reflection, shading -- whatnot.

Hmmmm

Boss lady missed it too, at first, which is astounding because we both have careers that demand paying attention to details. (We spent days working on the color of the sky, however.) Cool cars, it seems, rev up our emotions and can blind us to the obvious when we get caught up in the moment.

Painting begins.

So suddenly three pale people were in an office with the painting turned backward on a chair. I was mortified. Christmas was just two weeks away! What to do, what to do?

Inked before painting.

I took No. 454 back to the shop, stripped off the backing and pried it out of the frame with a knife, being careful not to mar the painting, mat, frame or backing. Like a determined surgeon preparing to attempt a facelift, I planned out how to repaint the fenders without ruining the original picture. They couldn't be too dark and stick out too much, they couldn't be too light and still look green. Ugh!

Sketched out

So I cheated: I used a very wonderful German-made black colored pencil (Staedtler art pencils) and lightly drew over the green fenders and a portion of the car's side panel. I then watered down some black watercolor, and painted over the penciled fenders. This kept the shadowing, the detailing, a hint of green reflection -- yet now the fenders are clearly black.

After the body work

I used to paint my real cars all of the time when I was a kid. Now, as then, I waited for the paint to dry before reassembling the entire package. Glass, mat, painting, backing and frame all went back together without a hitch. No one would ever know, except for me telling you.

Re-assembled and ready!

The old Ford took a ride back to the office, waiting to be wrapped for its final destination on Christmas Day. I'm glad it's right because here's the thing about guys and cars: Her husband would'a noticed in about a nanosecond that the fenders were green ...

Well, maybe.
There was another episode as boss lady took the painting home on an icy night: Her very modern hybrid car died in traffic, and a tow truck, a police officer and good Samaritans were involved in keeping her safe and sound until ... you guessed it! ... her husband arrived in another vehicle.
Stealthily, somehow, she moved the painting from the dead car to the warm and running one, putting it in the back seat -- right behind him!
Not. A. Clue.
Later, he walked the dog and she stashed the picture in a closet.
Home at last.

Merry Christmas, everyone. Here are the other holiday pieces: