In the summer of 2021, my family and I traveled to Wyoming to visit the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Park. I had not been there since I was a kid, and for my boys, it was their first visit.

Driving across the country is mesmerizing. How the landscape changes. Little towns in the middle of nowhere boarded up, evidence all around of the life that used to be there. Driving across the country, you understand how large the USA is, and can grasp the understanding that only 150 years ago, Americans were migrating west in wagons. I think this thought as we zip through Utah, on smooth paved highway, AC blasting, listening to an audio book. Road trips simply allow your mind to wander.

Below are several photos from our trip last summer.

As a kid in the late 80’s, heading into Yellowstone, everyone stopped in Jackson Hole, WY. I don’t know the history of the area, but throughout the years, this little town has served those journeying to Yellowstone. I remember traffic being so bad at the center of town, that everything was at a standstill. I also remember the elk horn arches at the center of town. I always thought the town was called Jackson Hole, to learn, upon my second visit, that it’s just Jackson.

Returning to Jackson, there were few things I remembered. The town had grown from what I recalled as a kid. I remembered the town square. It’s a great spot to get a layout of the land, and the first place we revisited. What I saw next, I did not remember, but wanted to paint it as soon as I saw it. I saw the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar. Sitting atop the establishment was, in my mind, an icon of vintage neon signs. It was beautiful. I knew I had to paint it.

So, when the coast was clear, I crossed the street and pulled out my iPhone. I wanted to get some reference photos for this painting as I began to layout the composition in my mind.

I’ve been working on this vintage neon sign series since 2020. The initial muse had been old, worn out signs, the remains of a bygone era, juxtaposed against a dramatic sky. As I would plan each composition in the series, I began to focus more on lighting. A lit sign at dusk, a storm coming in, etc. The focus shifted to the lighting. I was letting go of concrete reference imagery in lieu of using my imagination.

As I was creating this painting, lighting was my singular focus. I wanted dramatic, golden clouds in the background to frame the sign, and I wanted part of the sign to still be illuminated by the setting sun, and the rest to be in shadow. In my own little way, this painting pays homage to one of my favorite boyhood artists, NC Wyeth and his painting The Prospector.

So without further ado, I wish to present my latest painting in my Vintage Series…

Welcome to Jackson, Oil on Canvas, 24 x 30 in. Original and prints available for purchase.

The artist, Nathan Rhoads with the original painting, June 2022.

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