Yesterday’s Junkyard Treasure, a 1980 Pontiac Bonneville sedan, was immortalized by a very modern digital camera. I could have captured it with an ancient film camera— in fact, I did, if a single photo counts— but there’s a way that uses less technology and more human skill.
My wife got me this Paul Heaston sketch of a 1975 Ford F-250 as a Christmas gift, and it now hangs in my office (next to the Pimp Blimp MX-6 concept drawing). Heaston lives not far from me and has the magical-seeming ability to draw whatever he sees, quickly and accurately. I figured he’d enjoy sketching at our local self-service wrecking yard and sent him a note inviting him to join me on my next trip there.
Heaston hadn’t been to a car graveyard before, but he was very enthusiastic about the idea. He brought along his Hero M86 fountain pen (equipped with a Fude nib), Birn Epsilon sketchbook and backpacker’s folding seat, I took my Kodak No. 2 Brownie and toolbox, and we headed out on a chilly Colorado winter day. Heaston doesn’t know much about cars, but he felt inspired by all the discarded machinery from Detroit, Stuttgart, Aichi, Ulsan, and so on, and he seemed overwhelmed by the wealth of interesting stuff to draw. We checked out the Chrysler section first, because I thought he might like ’78 Dodge Colt, but the squared-off 1970s lines of the ’80 Bonneville sedan really caught his eye.
Once Heaston was set up with his pen and paper, I went off to pull a couple of car clocks and photograph an early Prius sedan. He works very quickly, and within an hour his beautiful Bonneville sketch was done.
Heaston will be accompanying me as I return to my favorite High Plains wrecking yard with a 1933 Voigtlander Superb camera. In the meantime, check out Heaston’s work and consider buying one of his beautiful drawings.
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