HENRY FORD BRIDGE
Mentor Huebner (c) 1963
Oil on Masonite 24" X 30"

HENRY FORD BRIDGE

BY

The Henry Ford Bridge, in Wilmington, California, is where the big ships come in. The draw bridge is a formidable greeter. If it likes the ships it lets them in. If not.......

As a Post Impressionist Painter, Mentor was into speed and light. He preferred natural light and never painted landscapes indoors and never took more than a day to do one. Not many artists could produce a painting of equal value to his and in under one week. One day wasn't 24 hours, it was more like 8.

Usually, Mentor painted is days off from Film Productions. He didn't paint if he had the flu. But he never had the flu. He didn't paint if someone died. Or if there was a huge storm. One with lightening and thunder. Or if there was too much smog and everything looked yellow.
Then he would curse. Of course he didn't paint when there were earthquakes. But he did paint in blizzards. At least overseas. He thought there was no time to fool around as we would be going home soon. And time was passing.

If too much time passed between painting excursions, he became restless. Drawing daily for movies, didn't satisfy his Fine Art painting urges. He had to get out into the open air to be challenged by the light and time. He was in a race. He had to do a complete and what he considered to be a good painting ~ by dusk!
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Mentor painted in many spectacular locations, but he was convinced California's light was the best in the world. At times he drove two hours to reach a spot that attracted him. If it was civilized, I went along.

Carrying a mechanic's tool chest filled with paints, a French Easel with a Masonic board strapped to it, was quite an ordeal. With no parking close to his chosen spot ~ not ever, heed walk. He was very tanned and fit. He worked out. Boxed. So it wasn't as bad for him as I saw it to be.

Mentor would eat a candy bar while painting. He felt that a sandwich would take the 'edge' off. I always made sure he had a good breakfast before he left. On his way home heed grab a coffee at a Jack-in-the-box, and drink it while driving.

He didn't paint for show, for gain nor for prestige, but because he had to. He had no way out. Arriving home, splattered with paint, smelling of turpentine, and smiling, heed kiss me and say, “Here Honey, this is for you."

He needed only to paint. He wasn't a collector. He didn't care if the paintings were exhibited or not. He didn't care if they sold or not. If he didn't like a collector, much to everyone's chagrin, nothing could force him to release his painting to that person. He could not be cajoled. Not about paintings. other stuff. But not paintings.

He gave me all his paintings. I guess he liked me. The Henry Ford Bridge painting was no different. About any painting he would ask, "You like it?"

He asked me about the Henry Ford Bridge. I like bold designs.

"Well, what do you think? You like it?"

I liked it.

In fact, I loved it.

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12 Paintings 12 Intimate Stories

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OR
click here to view a slideshow of the paintings in sequence

"MENTOR" Self Portrait Mentor Huebner (c) 1963 Oil on Masonite 30" X 24"	"MOJAVE GOLD" Mentor Huebner (c) 1953 Oil on Masonite 24" X 30"	" A PALACE OF FUN" Mentor Huebner (c) 1955 Oil on Masonite 24" X 30"
"THE BISTRO" Mentor Huebner (c) 1962 Oil on Painter's Board 22" X 26"	"SEXI BEACH BAR" Mentor Huebner (c) 1962 Oil on European Painter's Board 22" X 26"	"SAINT MARKS IN VENICE" Mentor Huebner (c) 1962 Oil on European Painter's Board 22" X 26"
"THE GRAND CANAL IN VENICE" Mentor Huebner (c) 1958 Oil on Masonite 24" X 30"	"THE FOREIGNER" Mentor Huebner (c) 1969 Oil on Masonite 24" X 30"	"HENRY FORD BRIDGE" Mentor Huebner (c) 1963 Oil on Masonite 24" X 30"
"MORTAL WOUND" Mentor Huebner (c) 1957 Oil on Masonite 24" X 30"	"BOURBON STREET" Mentor Huebner (c) 1953 Oil on Masonite 22" X 26"	"CALIFORNIA GOLD" Mentor Huebner (c) 1959 Oil on Masonite 30" X 24"