The Sombrero Motel

The Sombrero was the second of the series which I got to create the frame first. This was exciting for me because I was not constrained by a specific size. This meant I could make something freely without worrying the proportions would be off. I could freely make these trippy squares at any size and let that determine the size of the illustration.

I chose to pay tribute to Mexican folk art by choosing 4 vibrant colored exotics, gluing them together, cutting them at an angle, gluing them again, and then all over again to make these trippy squares. I was inspired by the geometric patterns of hat bands and dresses. All in all, the frame has well over 2000 pieces, and this was a real bear to get together.

I broke my thumb, broke the frame into a dozen pieces, and produced over 25 gallons of sawdust making The Sombrero. The piece has no splines since it is a bunch of squares glued together so for structural support I opted for a backing board made of the 4 different woods keeping it all together.

After I completed the frame a 2nd time, David chose to make this illustration at night. Using white for the lines instead of black. I think it looks so awesome. Literally glowing. This is the widest of the series, and it was pretty annoying for David to sketch, scan, and make prints. Sorry brother, but it looks so good! No regrets.