Arty Farty Trains

Even though it's been a while, I still love to paint. Frankly, once you find Art, I don't think you can lose it. I mean, it's not like it's a suitcase you can forget in the Train Station of Life, as you progress from one plateau to another. No, Art stays with you. It colors and flavors everything to think, say and do.

Recently, I've re-kindled a life long love of trains - HO scale model trains, to be exact. And last Sunday, I went to a Train Show to see what kinds of things there are out there - after all, it's actually been 30 years since I last concerned myself with the hobby and things have changed. A lot.

While at the train show, I ran across an ongoing seminar on "weathering". Weathering is a technique for making your nice new model you just built, look old, worn, and dirty. You know, that 'lived in' look. Although these days, accurate modeling would include the ability to reproduce accurate gang tags. Anyway, this involves powders of various and sundry sorts, applied with a brush, and sealed with a spray. Pretty powders. Little teeny paint brushes. Water. And 'Dullcoat'.

It makes for very artistic interpretations of time and the elements on things we otherwise take for granted. The trick is to build dignity into the portrayal of the boxcar, passenger coach, or engine you've worked on. That's the trick. Anybody can make it look dirty. Not everybody can make it look proud and dirty.

Ndinombethe.