Contains Lead

For use as a motor fuel only? What else would one do with it? I do know people who have used it on their charcoal grills - with spectacular results! But how else would one use it? I guess one could use it to clean up greasy tools. Weed killer? (So much for the environment!) And then there's the old lead issue in the gasoline from the pre-unleaded era. Where did all of that lead end up - aside from clogging up the engines of automobiles? How much of that lead attached itself to other compounds and either sits in the soil or found its way into our water tables?

I found this old Texaco gas pump (hence the bright red) in Vermont. In painting it I wanted to focus in so closely that it almost becomes abstract, while still retaining enough of its shape to be recognizable. This is another part of the series of small 5" x 7" studies of vintage objects. For the lettering I used a special Japanese brush pen that allows one to paint with the ink while maintaining precise control. Watercolor with pen and ink, Fabriano 140 lb. cold-pressed paper. (Although this Italian paper is often a bit more expensive than the Arches and other brands, I prefer its texture and the availability of brighter whites in some sizes.)