10 Apr Route 66 Diving Girl Neon Sign
Diving girl neon signs are some of the most iconic in the world of vintage signs. Perhaps one of the most famous is the Starlight Motel in Mesa, Arizona that crashed to the ground in a huge windstorm years ago and was restored with massive crowd support by the Mesa Preservation Foundation. Kudos to all involved in bringing back the 70′ high sign with the three gorgeous diving girls plunging into a little speck of a splash!
Oil painting of Diving Girls neon sign at the Starlite Motel, Mesa, AZ
Anyway, let’s face it everyone loves to see a beautiful lady diving into a pool, so there have been numerous sign variations created for motels all over the country. No one’s sure if this sign still exists? (If you happen to see it somewhere on your travels, please snap a picture and send it my way.) I was looking through some old magazines and ran across this photograph that was part of a series of Route 66 pics taken by Mike Salisbury, perhaps in the 90’s. I was so taken by its stark beauty against the blue blue sky, that I knew I had to paint it. I wrote to Mike and he gave me permission to proceed and the rest is history.
No idea where it’s located, if it even still exists. Perhaps some smart sign collector nabbed it and it’s safe indoors in a collection somewhere. In the meantime, you can enjoy it here.
Oil on canvas, 24″x36″.
No Comments