Our Route 66 painting adventure began in early 2023 in the town of Santa Monica on the coast of California. We travelled all 2,400 miles of the Route in three trips during the year.
We travelled the Route "backwards," driving from California to Chicago, because in February I needed that California sun to keep my hands warm.
There are 41 paintings in this series, to date. All were done on site in about three hours.The light, and thus the subject, changed too much to paint for longer. Generally, we spent just a day in each town because the road called and we drove on.
The paintings you see here are straight from the field. I'll be adding finishing touches in the studio.
Let’s go!
One of our fist stops on 66 was Highland Park in Los Angeles, to paint the famous Highland Park Theater.
They say in Adrian, TX, "When you're here, you're half way there!"
Adrian boasts the Mid Point Cafe, at mile marker 1,139, half way between Santa Monica and Chicago. The June forecast was for a hot, sunny day. So, we left Amarillo at 5:30 am to catch the sun rise - and luxuriate in calm winds and a moderate temperature.
The U-Drop Inn in Shamrock, TX was built in 1936, a unique example of an art deco gas station and restaurant. It's recently been restored, so its colors are unusually vibrant compared to most of the buildings we saw on the Route. We visited on a hot summer afternoon and I painted from across the street under the front porch of an abandoned restaurant. A bird built a nest where the sign had been, just above us. I watched him come and go as I painted.
Find out how the U Drop Inn got its name!
If you put an X through the State of Oklahoma, its center would hit Oklahoma City. The Milk bottle Grocery and ice cream chain was founded in 1930. A milk bottle made of sheet metal was added in 1948 to make it a road side attraction. I was lucky to paint on a clear, sunny morning and had lots of visitors.
Miami, OK was one of our favorite spots on the middle leg of the Route. It was a lead and zinc mining town in the 1930s and 40s. Its mines produced most of the ammunition used in WWII.
The Coleman Theater was built by George Coleman, a local mining magnate. It was opened in 1929, and due to the heroic efforts of the people of Miami, it has never gone dark.
Le Beau Studio came by to make a film of the Coleman Theater painting process for the City of Miami. Check out Beau's other beautiful work at www.lebeaustudio24.com
Kansas can claim only 13 miles of Route 66, which crosses its southeastern corner. The Ritz Theater sits on Military Avenue in Baxter Springs, KS.
The Boots Court Motel in Carthage, MO was known for a "radio in every room" when it was built in 1939 by Arthur and Ilda Boots. This was an end of day painting, and the light was changing rapidly. Things got pretty hectic as the sun set.
We finished the second leg of our Route 66 trip in St. Louis. Founded in 1764 as a French fur trading village, St. Louis is now known as the gateway to the West. It's 63' gateway arch was built in the 1960s as a memorial to Thomas Jefferson's role in opening the West, the explorations of Lewis and Clark, and Dred Scott who sued for his freedom in the Old Courthouse.
In October, we crossed the Mississippi and headed into Illinois to the town of Pontiac where the famous Bob Waldmire Land Yacht is displayed. Bob renovated this 1966 school bus to make a traveling apartment, which he used to drive the Route and paint in the ‘70s. Not a bad idea.
The Livingston County Courthouse in Pontiac, IL looked beautiful, wreathed in red and gold leaves.
We rolled into Chicago in mid October and I painted the end of the Route, The Art Institute of Chicago with Edward Kemeys’ famous lions guarding the front entrance.
It’s been a year of adventures. Keep an eye on my Instagram page @elisezoller to follow along as we meet more folks and find new spots to paint along the Route in 2025.
P.S. Thank you, Preston, for patiently sitting while I paint, finding coffee and bathrooms, and becoming an expert at finding “breakfast near me.”
