Art stays with us. It informs our opinions. It colors our views—even as it reveals that we all read the
landscape a little differently. And therein lies the hue of this issue of American Road, which looks at the
national palette through the eyes of our artists. “Painted Places,” our lead feature, revisits scenes that inspired
the masters to canvas—from the all-American roadway Norman Rockwell portrayed in Stockbridge Main
Street at Christmas (1930) to the salty seaside beacon Edward Hopper preserved in A Lighthouse at Two
Lights (1929). Have you ever wished to perceive the country’s soul?
Some classic car enthusiasts insist there’s nothing more beautiful than a well-tricked-out ride, but the
artists we showcase in “Art Cars” find their engines in extremes. They cover trucks with cork, carpet vans
with cameras, or bury their sedans under every manner of toothbrush and denture. Surreal enough? If not,
follow us to Watts Towers in Los Angeles or Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park in Wilson, North Carolina.
