A mural that was designed by recently deceased Route 66 artist Bob Waldmire for a gas station in Topock-Golden Shores, Ariz., was finished a few days ago.
The mural of old Route 66 is on a replica 1970s Shell gas station on 12888 Oatman Highway (aka Route 66) owned by Ned Leuchtner, who also owns the restored Cool Springs Camp on Oatman Road (aka 66) between Oatman and Kingman, Ariz.
Annie Wildbear, hired to finish Waldmire’s design after he died of cancer on Dec. 16, explained in a comment:
Ned told me that the process began quite a while ago when he and Bob formed a special bond through their shared dedication. […] Together they came up with the idea to paint a mural on one of the exterior walls of the station. It was Bob’s way of continuing his mission to enhance his beloved road. When Bob realized he would be too ill to paint the actual mural from his concept, he told Ned that he would have to find another artist to commission to do the job.
That’s where I came in. As chance would have it, Ned and I met. I found out about his interest in the project and the rest, as they say, is history (in the making).
Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to meet Bob myself. Because of this, I had to do what ever I could to learn more about this iconic character of Route 66. I scoured the internet to absorb and immerse myself in as much information as I could about Bob. My husband and I even purchased a set of his postcards from eBay so I could get as close as I could to recreating Bob’s distinctive drawing and lettering style. The concept drawing was an excellent guide, but it was just a guide. I wasn’t there, but judging from the dates Bob wrote on the drawing and knowing the date he died, he probably wasn’t up to his usual when it came to the added details. There were still a lot of blanks and the concept wasn’t to scale. I had to try to figure out, based on the information I gathered about Bob and his style, how he would have completed it. […]
If you’re on the road, driving through Topock, please stop and take a look. It’s an excellent photo op and just in time for The Route 66 Fun Run.
I felt like Bob was guiding me through every step of the way. I only hope I did him proud!
Wildbear’s newest blog entry contains a series of photos taken when she was painting the mural.
Here is a higher-resolution photo of the mural so you can see it better. I think Wildbear did a terrific job, and it bears the characteristics of Waldmire’s work.
(Photo courtesy of Annie Wildbear)
Annie you did a wonderful job, Bob would have been proud!