This painting was created in McCarthy, Alaska’s lovely little museum. I enjoyed volunteering at this small museum this summer, and will look forward to spending more days there next summer. The day I decided to work on this painting of an antique cash register, was full of excitement. Outside on the museum porch are a couple of relics left from the days before the footbridge, two hand-trams that were used to cross over the powerful Kennicott River. Having arrived after the creation of the footbridge I can only imagine how isolating the hand-tram must have been. Well, someone else must have had an active imagination as well, as I was painting away inside the museum, a great commotion occurred at the hand-tram. A large fellow, 300+ lbs, sat down on the hand-tram and flipped it over; he had literally fallen and couldn’t get up! Well, he asked Maria (my wife) to help him out of the contraption, but she obviously couldn’t budge him, I don’t know how she did it but Maria saved the day and the man was okay. However the hand-tram exhibit had taken some wear and tear. It is a good thing that the Museum carries an insurance policy because the hand tram is dangerous. I have smacked my head on it more than once and won’t sit down in it anymore. We need a sign that says sit at your own risk…okay back to the painting. I just love this Art Deco cash register and think about the goods that were purchased nearly a century ago. It really was a long voyage from the steamship to the train, all the way to Kennicott! This unique antique sure would have felt exotic in the Wrangell mountains, just look at that styling. They don’t make stuff like this anymore.
Real Art Is Better! 