John Francis
Artist Statement
This body of work represents my personal affection for gas stations. I have fond memories tied to a favorite uncle of mine who managed several stations in the 1960s. Additionally, I find inspiration in Ed Ruscha’s "Standard Station"—a series of pop art paintings and prints—and to a lesser degree his "Twentysix Gasoline Stations" series of photographs from the sixties. Where Ruscha’s paintings and prints elevate the gas station to a monumental and iconic status, his photographs of gas stations have been described as intentionally banal—simple documents of the American vernacular landscape. Gas stations, when stripped of their primary function, feel like ancient monumental ruins. What is their story? What led to their closing? Where are the people who made their living there? Where are the people who relied on their essential services? In some cases, the stations have since been converted into other businesses, but that doesn’t disguise what they once were. There are still as recognizable as if they had futilely put on a wig and fake mustache. They represent what once was, but is now fated to live only in the past—much like the dinosaurs who gave us the gasoline itself.
John Francis | Boise, ID