Dust Thou Art

The Mona Lisa on a dirty windshieldFor some reason this story just tickles me:

He’s made a likeness of the Mona Lisa.

There’s a portrait of Albert Einstein.

He’s even recreated that infamous picture of dogs playing poker.

You’ve seen knock-offs of those before. So what’s the big deal about Scott Wade’s art? It’s his canvas.

The San Marcos, Texas graphics interface designer paints his masterpieces in a place where they’re guaranteed not to last for posterity – the dirty windows on his Mini Cooper.

Like many of us, Wade has seen those cars badly in need of some water and has been tempted to scrawl the hackneyed ‘wash me’ on a dust obscured back window.

But one day four years ago, inspiration struck, and the artist-in-waiting decided to attempt something far more ambitious than just a message about dirt. At first, he used his finger to sketch cartoon-like figures on his own car.

Then he discovered a new trick – you could use a frayed Popsicle stick to get all kinds of gray hues in that ash. So he began experimenting and before he knew it his artistic bent – with an accent on the bent – began coming out.

Wade can often be seen zooming his car over dusty hill and trail, trying to accumulate a layer of dirt on the back windshield so he can draw his newest creation.

In addition to his classics, the 48-year-old has also done replicas of Vincent van Gogh’s “Starry Night”, Boticelli’s “The Birth of Venus”, a picture of his late dog, various funny faces, a tribute to a magazine writer who wrote an article about him, and even a likeness of “The Last Supper.”

Remember, man…

1 comment… add one
  • That is pretty fantastic. Pity that it can only be preserved in photographs rather than on actual “canvas”.

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