A Good Gift | 11×14 | Oil on Linen Panel

Inspiration for A Good Gift

I love the classic car genre: A Good Gift makes the second installment! (Check out the first one.)  This totally amazing vehicle belongs to my Grand-Uncle, who restored it himself (the man’s a genius). Although he’s restored many Mercedes and also the occasional Volvo, the jewel in his crown has to be this robins egg blue 1962 Mercedes-Benz 180. (Amply evidenced by the fact that he’s never sold it, although receiving several good offers.) When he drives down the road in this baby, people stop and take notice! I’ve always loved this car, but I actually can’t remember if I’ve ever ridden in it. (I have absurdly poor memory, haha!)

About the Title

I originally planned simply to name the painting after the make and model of the car: “1962 Mercedes-Benz 180.” But if you look closely at the front license plate, you can just make out the phrase “A Good Gift.” My Uncle firmly believes that every good gift comes from above, and he wanted his prized automotive possession to make that statement literally the moment you see it. So I decided this would be a much better title for the piece! What a wonderful experience to be able to express gratitude and thanksgiving for the good things in life, instead of grasping for more and never being satisfied!

More Musings

I began this piece from life during a stay at my Aunt and Uncle’s house. While working, I took a photo of the progress every few minutes and then strung them together to create a “time lapse” video. As I worked on the painting in the studio, the concepts of classic cars and fine art inspired some philosophical thoughts. So I decided to write an Artist’s Insight blogpost that highlights these musings, and also includes the time lapse video. I hope you enjoy; I always find time lapse videos really fascinating! For anyone keenly interested in the tech specs of the car, check out this page at Carfolio.com.