Description
California Dream is a contemporary interpretation in color of one of Rick Mack’s most recognizable photographs from the Van Nuys Boulevard series. Originally photographed in black and white on Tri-X film in 1972, the image captures a 1968 Mustang GT, two barefoot California girls in white short shorts, a young man seated on the hood, and the unmistakable style and atmosphere of a warm summer night in the San Fernando Valley.
Made on the last Wednesday night in June, the photograph reflects the glow of Van Nuys Boulevard’s signature triple streetlights, the rhythm of cruise night traffic, and the flashes of color, chrome, and music that defined the boulevard. More than a classic car scene, this image has become a visual time capsule of Southern California cruising culture, and of a moment when the California dream still felt open, simple, and attainable.
For more than five decades, the photograph existed only in black and white. The color interpretation was developed in collaboration with German graphic artist Holger Ehlers, with careful attention to tone, light, period color, surface, shadow, and the atmosphere of the original evening. The goal was not to change the moment, but to reenter it.
The black and white photograph remains the foundation. This special color edition stands alongside it, adding a new dimension to one of Rick Mack’s most popular and defining images from Van Nuys Boulevard.
To read the full story, view the black and white to color transformation, and learn more about the limited edition release, please visit the California Dream in Color page on rickmackvannuys.com.
To learn more about the different types of prints, please visit the Types of Prints? page.
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