A piece of Palm Beach's history will soon be gone forever

Tonight I will be painting (plein air) Testa's Restaurant at 221 Royal Poinciana Way. Testa's has been open and running for 96 years! I have a history there as well. I got sober there. I know that sounds weird, but the AA meetings they've had in the back has helped me get sober where I used to drink. The gas station next door was a piece of history too. I used to skateboard there and its where I bought my first pack of cigarettes.

I will be doing two paintings tonight. One while the sun is still up to capture its beauty, and the second will be done when the sun is gone so I can preserve the nightlife of this strip before it is lost in time. 

This photograph was taken off of google images. I wish those trees were still back there. In 6 days, Testa's will close its doors to demolition. I can probably guess why without doing any research, but honestly I don't want to know. Id rather remember the buildings here for what they were. If you are interested in reading what is happening, here is a link.

http://www.palmbeachdailynews.com/news/local/testa-restaurant-palm-beach-close-after-july/eIXoBnDd61eFi8Fu3qX1sL/

The history here is interesting. I could research it all day! But for now I must get my paints ready.

Painting Testa's

July 10, 2017

I sat on the east side of Testa's last night and painted the building and the people enjoying their meals. It was weird thinking that next Saturday (July 15th) this place is closing. The whole time I was thinking about what it was like when it first opened 96 years ago. I was also wondering if the place was haunted...it has to be right? 

I got there around 5:30 PM and the lighting was tough but nice. I forgot how hard it was to work with a light that is constantly changing. The customers would come up to me and ask about the property and I would tell them why I'm painting it. Most people didn't seem to care that it was being knocked down. 

I stayed when after the sun went down and did a second painting that isn't finished yet. (The restaurant turns the lights off after they close) I plan on finishing the nocturne painting very soon. It was a lot of fun working with different lighting. A challenge for sure!