Eric Nash’s latest collection of charcoal drawings is along the same vein as some of his previous series, with new signs, buildings and pools explored in different angles. These renderings stem from thousands of source photos that he takes around Los Angeles at any and all hours of the day.

The title comes from the last line of David Lynch’s weather report sign-off for KCRW, “So, we’re going to continue on, and I wish no matter what the weather is, I wish for all of you blue skies and golden sunshine internally all along the way.”

Valley Night (2021) is a stunning example of the puzzling opacity of Nash’s black tones, especially in contrast with his elegant draftsmanship, painfully straight lines, total lack of smudge despite using a notoriously messy medium, and attention to detail that transform this mundane gas station into a glowing oasis in the abysmal night.

Eric Nash, Ambassador Dog & Cat Hospital, 2021

Like many of the other signs in this series, Ambassador Dog & Cat Hospital (2021) has been around since at least the 1930s and beyond. These signs embody a special timelessness. A shadow reigns from the front of the sign to the back and the rivets in each letter with their own tiny shadows breathe a sense of age and weather into the work. Similar to Lynch, Nash often takes commonplace signifiers and makes them pop through his signature “California Noir” style.

Although the signs, pools and freeways may seem quintessentially Los Angeles, they are only a version of it that is more refined and redacted. The absence of trash, graffiti and cars seem to omit the one thing that is the most quintessentially Los Angeles: the people who currently inhabit the city.

Eric Nash “All Along The Way”
at KP Projects

On View May 1 – May 31, 2021

Photos by Eric Nash.