Full Service
Original Oil Painting by
Daryl Urig
30 x 24 inches
Sometimes moving forward is a good thing.
I am doing a series of paintings on American Work Ethic, in what is being called an Adventurous Abstract Realism style. When I started looking for a full service gas station or filling station as they were once called, I found myself wanting. People would tell me there is one here, or over here is another, but when I drove to the location people would tell me, “They left like 8 or 10 years ago”.
Today the decision has been made, that we preferer to self-serve. Fewer people to interact with. If it is cold rainy or other weather conditions, it is on us. Are we always ready and dressed for the outside elements? What are we paying for this do it ourselves? Yes, DIY. It is a crapshoot here as I drive across town and with varying gas prices. As much as 50 cents per gallon. It is up to me how much I pump.
On this occasion, I must think we may have lost out on this move forward of once kind attention, possibly a smile while our automobiles are cared for. Heck we could be Facebooking while we sat in the car today, having our windows washed, tires checked, fluids topped off and gas pumped. Or just relaxing for a moment.
I find that New Jersey is the only state today that only allows for full service.
I am hoping that this series of paintings I am painting on American Work Ethic gives us all a little time to reflect on what we care about and the choices we are making. The kind of people we want to interact with or not. Maybe losing a friend at the filling station. Making purchases with a gadget. Not all bad and not all good. Maybe it is just appreciation we need to find in everything we do. What are your thoughts?
