Paintings From The Old Neon Boneyard

I created 52 8" x 10" gouache paintings on handmade Tibetan paper, en plein air, while painting at the old Neon Boneyard in Las Vegas, Nevada, from December 2007 through June 2008. For six months, I had the privilege of sitting daily among the remnants of Las Vegas' iconic signs, documenting what I fondly referred to as a "neon old-growth forest"—a landscape of rusted metal, broken glass, and weathered neon. The term "boneyard" originated in Britain as a synonym for a graveyard, and indeed, this place felt like the final resting place for the dazzling signage of Vegas’ past. Most of these signs were created by YESCO (Young Electric Sign Co.), built to specification, leased, and maintained by them for casinos and restaurants along the Strip and in downtown Las Vegas. Once their time had passed, the bones of these signs were preserved at the Neon Museum. This series serves as a visual documentation of Las Vegas' history, preserving a time and place that no longer exists as it once did. The Neon Boneyard today has changed significantly, making my collection of paintings a rare and irreplaceable record of that period. 52 paintings form the core of this series, and an additional 12 paintings—which are now part of private collections—are currently displayed in this gallery. I am seeking to find a permanent home for this body of work, hoping to keep the series intact as a historical archive of Las Vegas' rich cultural heritage. I am deeply grateful for the individuals who supported me throughout this journey, enabling me to capture a moment in time that might otherwise have been lost.