It was Saturday morning at the Rainier Beach Art Walk. The sun was so hot my skin felt crisp. Gregory Davis (active community leader) and I walked down Rainier Avenue and chatted with artists at each community booth.
The first thing that caught my eye was the elaborate car art at one of the community booths. I quickly found the owners of the cars, Thomas and Leonard. As they talked about the history of car art, I realized how little was known about this form of art.
As I reflected on their art, I realized that there should be more awareness about car art in the community. Where else do we see car art? This unheard of creativity rides around in a compelling manner. I was also surprised to find out that there were several communities of folks who create car art all along the West Coast.
Before I left their booth, I asked Leonard and Thomas one last question—“How long do you plan to make car art?” Leonard said “Until I can’t drive anymore, which will be in about 88 years.” And Tom said “Until I can’t make them anymore.” Both Leonard and Tom showed a lifelong commitment and dedication to expressing themselves in a way that is very eye-catching.
I hope that the Rainier Beach community gets to see more of this type of art.
