The inspiration for this piece was the first scene in the movei “3 Billboards Outside Ebbing, MO.” The billboards were old, and torn. I thought they looked neat — in an worn, textured kind of way.
There is a tacky sign outside Reading saying something like, “Mayor Wally Scott welcomes you to the city of positive change.” It has such a temporary feel that it looks like it could be moved, changed, or maybe just blow over at any moment.
Anyway, those two images came together in my mind for this piece. It got a bit overworked. Sorry about that. At this point it is what it is.
In case you are wondering, the figure in the lower left of the old billboard is Morelos, hero of the Mexican revolution. He was on a peso note that I had.
And I want to add that there are many people working hard to make Reading a vibrant town again. I do count myself among them. But that doesn’t mean that I’m blind to the ironies and contradictions of what is still the poorest city over 85,000 in the US. It was once great, but not all of the change has been positive.
Martha Ressler
Old Billboard Outside Reading, PA
Art Quilt
16 x 20″