Red Clawfoot Bathtub Outside a Route 66 Motel | Photography
A Bright Red Tub Interrupts an Ordinary Motel Front
A red clawfoot bathtub sits outside a Route 66 motel, centered against pale siding beneath a curtained window. I photographed it as I found it, attracted by the simple oddness of a familiar indoor object placed on concrete outdoors. In this color image, the tub’s worn red paint supplies nearly all the scene’s boldness, with a green chair adding a smaller surprise behind it.
The shape of the tub is easy to read. A pale rim crosses its top, the sides curve inward toward the feet, and patches of missing paint break up the red surface. Those marks give it texture without disguising its form. I like how the tub’s curves stand apart from the straight horizontal lines of the siding behind it.
The window and chair make the arrangement feel specific. The chair’s narrow back rises above the rim, while the window sits slightly to one side. Cracks cross the concrete in the foreground, and shadows collect beneath the tub. The restrained background leaves room for the red to stand out, but its small irregularities keep the view from becoming too neat.
What stays with me is the unanswered question of the placement. The photograph shows the scene without explaining why a bathtub belongs outside a motel. That visual puzzle gives the image its humor and character. Someone drawn to unusual Americana may enjoy that unexpected roadside encounter, while the strong red shape can be appreciated on its own. I return to the balance between an ordinary building front and an object that changes the whole view.
© Dan Kosmayer, 2022
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About My Fine Art Photography
Every photograph in my collection comes from my own travels, explorations, and years behind the camera.
I create my work as photographic art rather than mass-produced decoration. From street portraits and abandoned places to landscapes, architecture, and the unusual subjects I discover along the way, each image begins with something that made me stop and look.
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