Paint the Town (Car) Red at Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas

by Sep 9, 2019Amarillo, Texas, United States of America

Paint the Town (Car) Red at Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas

Written By: Gail Clifford | Published By: FYI 50+ | September 9, 2019

Photo by Gail Clifford

How many places exist where you can paint over existing art? It’s THE reason to stop at Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas.

Bring some spray paint and paint this “town” red, green, blue, or yellow. Don’t forget your boots, for puddles and muddy areas. Park along the street, cross through the gate in the fence (it’s free!) and walk a couple of blocks through the field to reach the cars.

Cadillac Ranch is suitable for any generation: kids and teens will enjoy the graffiti experience, while adults will love both the art and the memories the cars evoke — if they’re not tagging the cars, themselves!

Cadillac Ranch began as an art collaboration. Millionaire Stanley Marsh commissioned San Francisco’s 1970s art collective, The Ant Farm, to create a new installation. Ten Cadillacs were found and purchased from local dumps.

Since their installation in 1974, the Cadillacs have been moved only once, due to Amarillo’s expansion. In 1997, Marsh personally supervised the vehicles’ transfer to their current location.

As for the graffiti? It was not the intent of the original artists. But Marsh was said to think it looked better all the time. The cars have been painted both for charity and community events. They were once painted all pink for breast cancer, and black for a funeral.

Photo by Harold Hall, haroldhallphotography.com

Just make sure to take a picture of your work, before someone sprays over it with their own.

There were groups ranging in size from two to 20 on the day my family and I went. Most people had spray paint, but some did not. Someone had music playing – BAND on THE RUN and AIR THAT I BREATHE and WILD THING, all released in 1974. We took our photos, admired the art, and laughed at some shenanigans.

Before you go, check the wind direction. If it comes from the south, you may be breathing more fumes than you expected. Bring some white paint, if you’d like to start off with a blank canvas. And, for the best photographs, make sure to arrive by sunset. That spectacular light bathes the cars and makes the art-pop.

Don’t forget to check both Google and Atlas Obscura when you travel. They offer great places to stop to stretch your legs or give the kids a break.

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