Dusty's diner was a long time closest all day breckfast spot and my regualre hangout.
Between 97 and 2001 I spent many many hours there. They provide crayons with the placemats and encouraged the patrons to doodle on them - the most interesting get taped to the wall behind the counter. For a while I had a small running gallery - drawings of waitresses and patrons.
When the owner Peter decided to expand into the old flower shop next door he asked me about doing a painting for the window while renovations were under way.
This was great fun to do, and the painting hung facing Parc Ave & Mountroyal for the better part of a summer before finally being framed and hung in the new dinning area permanently.
Eventually, I moved from the area and stopped going to Dusty's quite so much, at all for a long time. This summer i started dropping in again from time to time - I don't live near there anymore but it's a good little trip on my bike, and i can use the exercise.
Got to talking with Peter and I may be doing some new paintings for him now. I've been going in to sit and soak up the vibe as a brake from time to time from my comix work, and to think about what to paint there after I finish up Sea of Red 4. This Saturday I went and took some photos, what fallows is a study of a slow Saturday afternoon at Dusty's. Also here you'll find a picture of the big painting that started it all too.
