Gavin Fine Art & Design

Where the Road Crosses the Track

Where the road crosses the railroad tracks at the San Clemente Pier stood, until recently, an old railroad location marker. Over the years, the sign crosspiece with the name had slipped out of its frame and fallen to rest within the braces to which it was bolted. So many times I had crossed the tracks and it caught my attention.

Often I entertained a plan on how to remove it in the middle of the night and replace it with a new one, and then hang the sign as an art piece in my studio. Yet I would always then go back and see how much stuff I have already picked up and the plan would go no further. But I just had to paint it along with the crossing signal. What is there to say? It is just cool. Very expressive and very American. It's a feeling. You either get it or you don't.

And you guessed it. Someone did get the old one when a new one was put in. It was in the old Rick's Tropicana Bar and Grill just across the street for many years.

You can also see the sign in Vista Romantica: San Clemente Pier.