Transcontinental Arrows

Did you know that in 1924, across the Western United States, the U.S. Post Office Department installed a series of concrete arrows on the ground as well as steel towers with lighted beacons?  It was called the Transcontinental Airway System and it helped move airmail across the country.  Planes would use the arrows and towers to navigate across the sparsely populated West. 

When I first learned about the arrows, I immediately wanted to rent a car and head east to Nevada and see some for myself.  Not yet, but definitely on the next big road trip.  In the meantime, I am working on a series of hand-painted postcards.  The first ones are being mailed out today.  With elements of the desert, landscape painting, maps and mail art all rolled into one, it’s the perfect art project for me.