Here is an interesting example of a mural that has
been "improved" with time. We still like
the earlier version taken in May, 2004 which shows
the juxtaposition of a vintage VW bus similar to the
one shown in the mural. This mural can be found at
the TNT Automotive Machine Shop on historic Route
66 in downtown Kingman (535 East Andy Devine Avenue).
11/19/06 Update: Michael Bates of Tulsa, Oklahoma
met Bob Waldmire, the creator of this mural, at the
Rock Café, a famous route 66 roadside diner
in Stroud, Oklahoma. A noted artist and a recipient
of the John Steinbeck Award, Waldmire has been creating
Route 66-themed art for over four decades. He drives
a vintage VW bus and has been credited with being
the inspiration for the character "Fillmore,"
the hippie van in the animated movie Cars.
According to Bates, the artist considers the mural
in Kingman incomplete and expects to return and add
some more detail some time in the future. He has been
known to barter repair work on his 1972 VW for additional
work on this mural. In addition to his love of Route
66, the artist had high appreciation for Ford Mustangs.
Bob Waldmire passed away from cancer in December 2009, but his art can be viewed
and is available on
his
website. For more about Bates'
encounter with Waldmire,
click
here.
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