Lemonade, 20"x16", acrylic on canvas

This painting began life as a series of sketches for a larger, dimensional painting to be done on wood panels. I liked the skewed perspective and goofy angles I’d given to the little concession stand, so I thought I’d try it as a flat composition first.

I’ve always loved the “low art” of carnivals, midways, and circuses. Clashing colors, flashing lights, swoops, swirls, and bloopy cartoon shapes can get the stomach churning even before boarding a rickety roller coaster or chomping down a deep-fried Snickers. Fun, huh?

This little lemonade stand is pretty tame as mobile concession operations go—simple lines, analogous colors. Still, at the end of a hot day at a dusty local fair, that yellow sign against a purple-ing evening sky, promising lemony refreshment might be just the thing your addled sensory receptors are craving.