Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Tony Pace's School of Driving and Life: Where does art start. part 2

Have you ever experienced driving under an elevated subway, elevated rail line, or roadway? The flashing of light and shadow is like watching an old movie that has a strobe effect. That's where art comes from. Before you were the driver, you were the passenger, the one who could put their face against the window or out the window and look up at the flashing of light and shadow. In my case it was when my grandfather Tony drove.
Driving and hangin with Tony. That's where my art started: the love of cars and movement. Of course I didn't know it then. In a previous post I talked about some of the things I remembered about those hours that have coalesced into moments. Fragments much like a collage.

Some additional thoughts about Tony and the things he did that I try to capture in the collage pieces I create. I do not try to capture them in a literal way but in a way that is random like moments that flash by. Like an Ed Ruscha painting. Fragments of words pieces of imagery (some humorous) and alot that you are left to decipher. Rather than pinpoint those random events or surreal moments, I will list what has come to mind about what strange and wonderful things my grandfather did.

Always beep your horn under a bridge or overpass, don't worry about the other drivers trying to figure out what the hell some mad man is honking at. Its the act and each time saying hey cheech (this pre Cheech and Chong) listen,
like I couldn't hear it or didn't know what was coming.
If you see a cat on the side of the street roll down your window and make the sound of another cat screeching, as best you can. Tony had this down. The best was the reaction of the cat. Even better if you could combine this and the bridge scenario.

Stopping to help almost anyone who was broken down on the side of the road. This act of kindness by Tony was amazing. He was a great mechanic. Also Cars in the 50s, 60s ans 70s were allot easier to work on and fix. He would stop when he was alone or with my grandmother and aunt, or me and my siblings. He would stop even if he was going to be late to something. This did not always sit well with the passengers but the People he helped were so grateful . This may be a hard option today for many reasons some are its hard to judge what is safe and its hard to fix cars.

Some non-driving related things worth noting. Always have fireworks for July 4th and make sure to blow them up even if it is illegal. Then proceed to the local municipality's fireworks display and enjoy. Be sure to add some crazed narration about colors and size.

If you like dogs like my grandfather, you should always have some type of treat for your favorite dog pals with you. The treats Tony had on hand were caramel candies. Dog loved these things, although dogs love all food. This was a good treat because of its size, easy to have around and kids like them too.

This set of thoughts on my grandfather Tony and the ones from the earlier post about him may be a great starting point for anyone who would like to be known as an eccentric and entertaining grandfather.
Have a great 4th of July, and blow off some fireworks of your own. Tony would appreciate that.



































































































































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