Piet Mondrian Ranger Art Truck Project

[MineralMan]

So, last Fall, I bought a 1996 Ford Ranger pickup to use to haul junk, etc. It was cheap, and will be serving as my beater vehicle. I might put 750 miles a year on it, This Winter, while it was full of snow and impractical to drive, It sat in my driveway, as if to mock me. What to do with such a vehicle? I need a new prank to pull, so there is that, as well

So, I decided to turn it into an art truck, since there is a local art car group that holds a couple of parades each year, and participates in other Twin Cities events. Piet Mondrian, the 20th Century cubist, has always made me happy with his paintings, so I decided to do the truck as an homage to him. there are a couple of buildings in the Twin Cities, in fact that use his design concepts and colors, so my truck will fit right in.

It's a big, finicky, and detailed project, I think, that will require multiple maskings of the entire vehicle. So, I thought I'd start with a rough sketch of a color layout for the sides of the truck. Mondrian used black lines to separate his colors and focused on a limited palette of primary colors, so that is reflected in this crude color layout that I've superimposed on a photo of the truck. Other parts of the truck, like the hood and roof will be designed in the same way, with colors continuing from the sides to those other areas.

Since the truck starts out as red, I'm leaving areas with detail features in that color, to simplify masking. Anyhow, here's my initial color plan. I welcome input from anyone on this. I can change anything, up to the time when i start putting black vinyl striping tape on the car before masking it off to paint the colored areas.

[jberryhill]

1. My neighbors would be so happy if I had something like that parked outside

[MineralMan]

2. Well, pleasing my neighbors is always a high priority for me.

So, by adding some art to the driveway, I hope to add a little sunshine to their lives. Still, I do have a garage.

[3catwoman3]

3. My husband builds model airplanes - not the radio controlled variety.

He spends hours masking and taping in order to achieve certain paint jobs. Having watched him do this, I can appreciate the task you have set for yourself.

I think it looks great!

[MineralMan]

6. Thanks! I don't need a detailed rendering to work from,

so my Windows Paint color plan is all I need to guide the work, really.

[CTyankee]

4. Have a pin made of up your truck and contact the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC...

they're selling a pin as seen here: https://store.metmuseum.org/mondrian-enamel-pin-80042636?gclid=Cj0KCQjw9ZzzBRCKARIsANwXaeJ_p0FWz7aafIdF7m-RoITARC1IPh2XTYo5XM3ysE4XGzDDCucwnCAaAhUFEALw_wcB

[MineralMan]

5. Too cool!

That is from his later period. I'm going from his earlier work which used only primary colors, plus black and white. Red, blue, and yellow were the entire palette for many of his paintings. Later, he altered his color choices, but I like the primary colors idea.

There are a few buildings in the Twin Cities, MN which reflect his designs and color schemes, too. I'll probably photograph the truck with those in the background, once it's finished.

I'm really posting this now to force me to follow through with the project, which will probable involve between 30-40 hours of work. I'll probably document the process in photos and videos, so I can create a Facebook page for the project.

In many ways, this is an elaborate prank, really. I haven't done a major prank for years, and I miss it. I'll probably try to see how much public attention I can get for doing what is really just a silly waste of time. That's the Dada influence that is always playing around in my head.

I have a secret plan for the art car parade, which I will not mention, that will put the prank over the top.

If I'm successful, some people will take the project seriously. I I can manage that, the prank will be complete and a success. Fingers crossed.

[CTyankee]

7. Good luck with your project. I love it so much and I'm sorry I didn't cover Mondrian in my book

on art (it will be out soon and I'll let you know so I can get you a copy, free).

However, I am writing a second book on art (but with a different theme) and might use some artwork by Mondrian in it. It sounds like you know a bit about Mondrian or maybe a lot! Can I call upon you in the following months to tell you what I am doing and ask your opinion?

Sorry, my head is full of Vermeer at this moment but I'm gonna get to Mondrian soon (and I can't wait)!

[jmowreader]

8. What kind of paint do you plan to use?

If you're using Actual Car Paint, try to rent a forced-air respirator. Urethane paint is dangerous shit to be dealing with. It's also really expensive - hundreds of dollars a gallon.

I would recommend Tractor Paint, which is an oil-based enamel. It'll still look good and you can use a 3M respirator from a hardware store to spray it.

[MineralMan]

10. No, not pro car paint.

That would be way overkill for an old beat up Ranger. High end rattle cans. It's not a show car. It's a parade car. It's a prank car. I'll wear a cheap mask to spray. No big deal. The idea is the overall view, not a car show.

[IcyPeas]

9. it's Broadway Boogie Woogie

[littlemissmartypants]

11. Have you cross posted this to the Artists Group?

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1028

❤

[Mondrianatic]

12. Me too!

I happened to run across your post while doing a google search. Oddly, we have a shared vignette in our history. I also painted a Ford Ranger as a Mondrian project! I'm trying to see where I would post pics, but it's not immediately obvious. Let me know if you at least see this. Would love to share and discuss!

[Rhiannon12866]

13. You can post pics right on this thread, same as the original poster did

Welcome to DU!

[MineralMan]

14. Well, I decided to cancel my project, because of the pandemic.

Probably a good idea, since it now has a lot of mechanical problems and I may have to sell it.

[Mondrianatic]

15. Sorry to hear that

Sorry to hear you had to cancel it. It was a really satisfying process. Turned out really neat. The “problem” with it was that I couldn’t go anywhere without drawing major attention. Always smiles and waves. A simple trip to the store or the gas station would always result in a conversation with a stranger. Loved talking about it, but it definitely added time to doing anything in that truck. For me it was a weekend driver to do errands, etc. I’m still trying to figure out exactly how to post pics of it here...

[Kali]

16. you have to put your photos on a hosting site

then you can put the links in the body of your post, a lot of people used to use photobucket but they changed policy and started charging, currently I use https://postimages.org/

there are several posts on how to do this but here is a "recent" one - https://www.democraticunderground.com/103659987