Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Westward Expedition

We have begun our westward journey toward the center of the American continent.
Our conveyance is a steam driven horseless carriage, a Gurney, of course. 

Strange mooring posts for dirigibles.

Taming wild beasts in the forests of Pennsylvania.

The heavens opened and poured rain upon us.
These are still frames from a motion picture we are filming. Today we traverse the small nation of Ohio. Our goal: Spectrum Fantastic Art Live.
------
Goldsworthy Gurney's Steam Carriages 

8 comments:

Carol Scown-Raynal said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Carol Scown-Raynal said...

Nice to see you have taken the Gurney diligence to go to Kansas city. The person who made the illustration is called Jean Ache. It's from the book "L'Automobile et son Histoire" by René Poirier et Patrick Lehideux. I shall give you this interesting comment which goes with the illustration : "Inspiré sans doute par les caricaturistes britanniques qui s'ingéniaient alors à représenter des transports en commun automobiles, un autre Anglais, Gurney, fit circuler, en 1828, de Londres à Bath, une belle diligence, toute de jaune peinte, mais remorquée par une machine à vapeur au lieu de chevaux. Il réalisa ainsi, sur grand'route, le premier voyage extra-urbain qu'il améliora par un service régulier de voyageurs entre Londres et Greenwich sur une quinzaine de kilomètres. Mais il eut à lutter contre les voituriers qui défonçaient les routes ou répandaient des pierres avant le passage de ces primitifs autobus. Les axes des roues n'y résistèrent pas plus que nos ponts-arrière sur les chassis et les nids de poules des routes modernes macadamisées." I am going to enquire to see if there's a Gurney diligence which could bring us to the fair from Montauban, France to Kansas city. Wouldn't that be great !

James Gurney said...

Carol, thanks for that!

You could take the lepidopter flight from Nantes: http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/07/utopiales-poster-part-7-painting.html

Jean-Baptiste Monge said...

Woow ! Jim you are really an amazing guy ! You play with wild animals without conscious of the danger !! Be careful of the faery beasts in Ohio they shift in little puppies ^^ !!
And Often they are wandering around Amish villages To looks for some curious New yorkers travellers with strange hat to devour alive !!!!
See you there mes Amis.
JB et Margo

Will Kelly said...

I'm loving the pith helmet & goggles! If you're not careful this may become your trademark appearance:)
-Will

Carol Scown-Raynal said...

Dear James, I would love to take the lepidopter flight but as I live in Montauban just near Toulouse-Blagnac airport where Airbus industry has its factories, I think that we could try to organize a flight from Blagnac airport tarmac so that the lepidopter makes its maiden commercial flight from where Concorde and Airbus A380 made their test and maiden flights. Engineers at Airbus Industry in Toulouse would surely be impressed with the so-genius Lepidopter. Does Kansas city has an airport able to receive Lepidopter flights from Toulouse ? :-) Have a nice time in Kansas city !

JonInFrance said...

Nice one, Jim!

bhashkar_suainlogistic said...

Thanks. I wanted to paint all the decals on the helmet (the one I'm wearing in the photo), but I ran out of time. Three hours goes by so quickly!