"Car Wash", acrylic painting on board, 28"x48"

Several people have asked my why I painted a picture of the Dixie Drive Thru sign on Poinsette Highway leading into Greenville. “Because it reminded me of home,” I’ve answered. Coming from L.A., where Googies design originated, “Dixie” naturally grabbed my attention. It’s a great example of the style—which is unusual in this area.

I grew up with this “Car Wash” sign. Lakeside Car Wash sits at the corner of Hollywood Way and Riverside Drive in Burbank, in the center of the “Media District”, near NBC, Disney, Warner Brothers, and Universal Studios, as well as the Ventura Freeway. It’s authentic Googies, erected back in the day when the style was in vogue.

I love its clean, direct message. The words “car wash” are presented in huge, clear letters as a sweeping red arrow points to the entrance. What could be simpler or more effective! The series of green ovals sitting on top of the dark brown trapezoid, tied together by the asymmetrical arrow, and all held aloft by a rectangular corrugated run-through pillar is another great example of the style. Situated as it is in the Media District, it’s a graphic reminder of the area’s mid-twentieth century heritage yet maintains its everyday, informative function.