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Ink & Watercolor in Hand Book Co. 5.5 x 5.5″ Journal
I noticed this Mechanics Bank ATM glowing in the dark on a side street off San Pablo Avenue in Albany (CA). I turned down the street, hoping to find a spot to park and paint it. There was a woman sitting in a car in the perfect parking spot across the street so I pulled in behind her, assuming she was waiting for someone. Finally a guy arrived with a box of pizza and got in the car. After another five minutes waiting for them to each eat a slice they finally strapped in and drove away. I pulled up and started painting. The light was horrible in my car so I just mixed colors by guesswork and put them down. (I’ve now solved this problem I think–I bought a strap-on LED headlight at REI tonight that tilts and will light up my paper and palette.)
I was half done with when two young women parked right in front of the ATM, got out of their car, and headed to the liquor store behind me. I got out of my car too, and approached them saying, “Excuse me…I know this will sound strange but I’m painting a picture of that (pointing to ATM) and your car is blocking my view. Would you mind moving it across the street?” They didn’t seem at all amused or confused by my request. They just said they’d only be a minute and went into the liquor store. They appeared to be on a serious mission, probably for cigarettes, and they did return shortly and moved their car.
I thought I’d finished the little sketch but when I got home I could see that the walls of the bank were way too light so I added darker paint to the walls.
Jana Bouc, Artist 
13 replies on “ATM in the dark”
Gosh Jana, I go away and there you have it, a hole in the wall (ATM) an armidillo and a group of shoppers. What more could you want. Great stuff.
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Beautiful – you’ve given this so much atmosphere. And you painted it in the dark?!!!
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The things we do for art!! What a story — hon, I’d be scared to death some robber would be watching ME in the dark! LOL GREAT JOB and hard to believe this was done IN the dark! Love the way the light focuses attention right on it!
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Who would have thought that such a thing can made a beautiful painting! Wonderful!
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Jana, you’ve done it again! I love the sketch and I love the whole idea! (WHY do I keep whining: What to sketch? What to sketch?)
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There is a neat aura in this one. I also like the updated masthead and the “holiday armadillo”
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I’m with Lin, something about ATMs just creep me out. I’d be on edge the whole time I’d be painting in the car. Evidently, however, you were not as this is fantastic.
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Gee, you are getting really good at painting in the dark! REally neat drawing! The colors even make it look like it was dark out.
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very unusual subject for a painting, and all the creepiness of atms mentioned before is all there…strange to be creeped out by a money dispenser, but it’s true…i love the light that is coming off of it, like a portal to another world, a sense of danger.
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this is quite a surprise as subject matter! but you have really caught the light and atmosphere of the scene so well, I know exactly the feel of that place!
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Thanks everyone for the interesting comments. It’s funny to hear that people are creeped out by ATMs and that this captured that creepy feeling. I hadn’t thought of it that way but now it sure looks that way to me too. In reality it wasn’t scary at all — maybe the scene looks more desolate than it was.
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great light effects – I love this one
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I had to re-read the bit where you asked them to move the car!! What a hoot! The painting looks amazing, I love that purple and how it glows! I would never have thought to draw an ATM!
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