Tony De Luz’s paintings call back to the past, when neon signs would shine down on road-weary motorists traveling on Route 66. Other subjects include old train engines and classic cars from the mid-20th century.
“Some people call it nostalgia, and others might call it Americana. These things are like comfort food for your soul. Seeing old things and remembering when you were younger and life was simpler, that’s what it’s all about. Life was less complicated,” De Luz says. “I didn’t grow up with all these things, but plenty of people did and these images allow them to think about the past.”
Old 29, acrylic on canvas, 20 x 16"
Remnants of the past, and how they look today, are everywhere in his work, which ties directly into De Luz’s own, and still ongoing, history as an illustrator and graphic designer. There aren’t many artists coming from illustration these days, primarily because illustration has changed so drastically since photography, Photoshop and even AI have become so prominent in everything from commercial art to movie posters to book covers. But De Luz suggests there are still great artists out there using these changed fields to develop their fine art careers.
Handy Andy, acrylic on canvas, 20 x 16"
“There are still illustrators out there, and they’re still doing great, even now as they start to enter the fine art market. It’s wonderful,” De Luz says. “Look at someone like Dennis Ziemienski who found a path [through illustration] to where he is now. It’s not like the old days”—of Norman Rockwell, N.C. Wyeth and J.C. Leyendecker—“and there isn’t a Medici family sitting around waiting to give money to painters. But artists can come from anywhere.”
High Steaks, oil on canvas, 24 x 30"
De Luz, who works as a graphic designer in Arizona, will be showing new work at Blue Rain Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico, beginning January 31. The show is titled Hit the Road. Works include High Steaks, which features a famous sign from Williams, Arizona, and Handy Andy, a sign from Grants, New Mexico. The artist points out that some of his signs are for restaraunts that no longer exist, and his paintings are ways of documenting the Southwest.
Over the Mountain, acrylic on canvas, 30 x 30"
“Tony De Luz’s Hit the Road takes us on a beautifully layered journey across America’s forgotten highways and storied landmarks. Through his eye for classic architecture and landscapes, he captures the heartbeat of the Southwest and the nostalgia embedded in vintage neon and small-town scenery,” Blue Rain’s Leah Garcia says. “It’s as if each painting holds a memory, a reminder of where we’ve been, inviting us to pause and appreciate the history and character woven into our everyday surroundings.” —
Blue Rain Gallery 544 S. Guadalupe Street • Santa Fe, NM 87501 • (505) 954-9902 • www.blueraingallery.com
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