24 X 24, Oil on Canvas, 2013

I started a new painting a week or so ago and I finally got to getting some details into it.  It’s based off a series photos I shot at the Whoopee Bowl Antiques:

Interestingly, the white chicken is the exact same aluminum sculpture like the green one I found in Fabens.  I used the Fabens chicken in my “The Great Fabens Getaway” painting. These chickens apparently get around:

 (image from epMINI’s Flickr feed)

There is no shortage of antique stores in and around El Paso.  By far the largest and most unique has to be the Whoppee Bowl.  If you do any driving between El Paso and Las Cruces you can’t miss it, its right off the Vinton exit:

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During my last pass I noticed that they had a large airplane in their yard, very similar the the planes I had spotted in Fabens.  Today’s work load was kind of lite so I drove out there to take a look.  In addition to the plane there was a large white rooster, a exact copy of the green one at the lumbar yard.  A curious coincidence or the relics of some long gone chicken chain, who knows?

The building is 11,000 square foot building of hoarding collecting bliss. The owners are in the process of adding a second level to the inside to be able to display more of the wares from the 35 of dealers who rent space there.  Cash registers, wooden statues, old wood stoves, you name it its here. Navigating through the isles was tricky. I had to be extra careful to not smack my camera on some precariously placed antique while walking around.

One thing that jumps right out at you is the very large Nazi flag hanging from the center.  I would think that to be a bit of a liability, possibly alienating some potential customers but hey what do I know?

I could have spent a few more hours here happily snapping pictures but lunch was up and it was time to return to the less dusty confines of my office.  I’ll have to go back but for now you can see what I shot here: The Whoopee Bowl