I was recently asked what American Bar Series paintings I have available for purchase. I am posting the finished paintings in my studio.
All paintings are framed and ready to hang. All paintings are of bars that I have frequented. Prices include shipping within the 48 contiguous United States.
Jake’s o’ Mine was an outlaw biker bar a block from my house. It closed several years ago. In the heyday, Jake’s had a tattoo artist on site. Oil wrestling, live bands, Hell’s Angels, what more could you ask for in you corner bar?
Jake’s o’ Mine is now Lucky Strikes, that is if the owner can survive the mandatory shutdown due to VCOVID-19. The arbitrary and capricious closures of many bars in Arizona has sealed the fate of some of them.
Cowboy Bill’s in Key West is, like most bars in Key West, a tourist trap. However, it is a fun tourist trap. Ride the mechanical bull. Tricycle races (one trike is completely unrideable) and great music.
Coming back to Arizona, the Dog Run is a locals bar in Apache Junction. Pool tables, karaoke, great sandwiches, and colorful locals. My first time at the Dog Run a guy in a wheelchair was cleaning up at the pool tables.
Like many bars in Arizona, The Dog Run is in a strip mall. Moving here from the east, it was difficult to comfy up to strip mall bars.
I am used to bars that are located in their own buildings. Apache Junction currently has two drinking establishments that meet that criteria. One is closed due to COVID-19 restrictions. The other I have yet to paint.
The painting I did of the other, Superstition Skies, is not for sale. It features my deceased nephew, the only painting I did with him in it.
The Whiskey Row Tavern in Prescott, AZ is a local’s bar in a tourist area. Cash only, and pay per drink.
The bartender is the best, she refilled my beer before I was able to take the last sip. She didn’t ask, she just knew.
Whiskey Row is older than Arizona has been a state. Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp both wandered the streets of Pescott.
The Palace is the oldest saloon in America. Today it is a tourist trap, and you will not be able to get served promptly. It actually has the second worst service of any bar I have ever been to. Which is why Whiskey Row Tavern is featured in one of my paintings.
And now for a road trip. The Old Absinthe House features the bar they had prior to prohibition. The copper top bar was dismantled and hidden during this bleak period of American history.
The bar played a prominent role during the War of 1812. The bartender featured in the painting is Dawn. She came to New Orleans from Chicago at age 18 and stayed.
I have plenty more paintings and art available. I am working on a show in December in Mesa, AZ.
I would like to buy two paintings: XMas at Jakes O Mine, and Jakes o Mine. If these are unavailable, please substitute Cowboy Bills and or The Dog Run. If none of the above, let me know what is available and how to pay you for them.
I didnt tell you before that one of the reason I love your Bar paintings, is that they really do convey the things I liked about tending bar, colors, light reflections, and people. (Is the reflection in the mirror behind the bar in the Old Absinthe House painting a self portrait?)
Jakes o’ Mine is available. A former bartender from Jake’s o’ Mine, who is a current bartender at Captain’s in Apache Junction has claimed Xmas at Jake’s o’ Mine. Tell me which f the others you prefer.
I tended bar for five years in a past life. I prefer being on my current side of the bar. Having served time on both sides of the bar, I suppose I paint from experience and knowledge.
Jean Lafitte’s Old Absinthe House located at 240 Rue Bourbon in New Orleans has a fascinating history. Built in the mid 1700’s, the building was an importing firm. In 1815 the first floor was turned into a coffee house and became the Old Absinthe Room in 1874.
The second floor of this building was the location of a surreptitious meeting between an outlaw pirate, Jean Lafitte, and a president, Andrew Jackson. It was during the War of 1812. Lafitte was beaten by the US naval forces. The US was close to defeat by invading British forces.
Jackson asked for assistance by the experienced if not exactly law abiding seaman. Lafitte demanded a pardon. The rest is history.
The Old Absinthe Room stopped serving alcohol at the beginning of prohibition. The famous copper top bar was moved down the street to speakeasy known locally as the Absinthe House Bar.
Decades later, the original bar was to return home. It is a square bar in the center of the room. There is no mirror, what you are seeing is a patron on the other end of the bar. The woman to the right is my then and current girlfriend. The bartender is Dawn, from Chicago.
Please email me at carl@cbjart.com to further discuss details.