Radio Tube
oil on canvas
6'' x 6"
Tonights painting has a personal historical significance. My paternal grandfather had a tv and radio repair shop in Decatur Illinois for a number of years. He was also responisible for setting up most of the PA systems in town. If someone needed to speak through a microphone to a crowd in Decatur, it's likely that he was somewhere behind the scenes.
My family lived there briefly in the late 50's, and during that time my dad worked with him. Hollingworth Sound was the name of the shop, and it was a fun place to visit. For one thing, he had his own Coca Cola machine. That was very cool. Five cents for a coke. In a glass bottle. That you returned for money.
Work benches, oscilloscopes, soldering guns, televisions and radios filled every available space. Radio tubes like the one above were everywhere. Even as a kid I appreciated the esthetic beauty of these components. It was exciting to watch them begin to glow as the tv was switched on. I never understood their function, still don't. All I know is that they've pretty much been replaced by transistors. What ever they do.
I thought this could be something that would look really cool . . . huge. At least 30 x 30. I'm not sure. I doubt that many people would have any idea what it was. I'm going to think about it. For those of you who may be interested in bidding on this painting, you can access the auction by clicking here.
My family lived there briefly in the late 50's, and during that time my dad worked with him. Hollingworth Sound was the name of the shop, and it was a fun place to visit. For one thing, he had his own Coca Cola machine. That was very cool. Five cents for a coke. In a glass bottle. That you returned for money.
Work benches, oscilloscopes, soldering guns, televisions and radios filled every available space. Radio tubes like the one above were everywhere. Even as a kid I appreciated the esthetic beauty of these components. It was exciting to watch them begin to glow as the tv was switched on. I never understood their function, still don't. All I know is that they've pretty much been replaced by transistors. What ever they do.
I thought this could be something that would look really cool . . . huge. At least 30 x 30. I'm not sure. I doubt that many people would have any idea what it was. I'm going to think about it. For those of you who may be interested in bidding on this painting, you can access the auction by clicking here.
1 comment:
That is a wonderful painting and a wonderful story. I also remember those 5 cent cokes...seems like that just tasted better. I love your blog and made a special visit to Twinhouse to see your work when I was in Atlanta.
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